Community Forums

slharman1 · 06-13-2021, 01:02 PM

Should I keep my RV plugged all the time when it is at home not being used?

edge68474 · 06-13-2021, 01:11 PM

Following. Mine is plugged in almost 100% of the time. I check my batteries often. This subject came up before but I don't remember the answers or conclusions. Let's see what happens.

TripleGGG · 06-13-2021, 01:12 PM

Mine is always plugged in and refrigerator running.

KanzKran · 06-13-2021, 01:21 PM

Mine is almost never plugged in. It’s got a lithium house battery, and I don’t need (nor want) it to be at 100%. In the winter, I use a flat extension cord to get into through the rubber gasket at the back door to power the battery heater, and occasionally the engine battery charger. But that’s it.

taylorbob1 · 06-13-2021, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TripleGGG

Mine is always plugged in and refrigerator running.

Me too.
Flooded Lead Acid Deep Cycle house batteries. So I check water on regular basis.
Absorption Refrigerator also on so I need to defrost from time-to-time.

Everything works perfect set-up this way (knock on wood!).

slharman1 · 06-13-2021, 01:37 PM

Thank everyone. I am planning on keeping mine plugged in.

Charles L · 06-13-2021, 01:45 PM

I keep my rv plugged in to 30 amp. Usually have two roof fans on low. Draws 1 amp sometimes 2 amps. No problem with the lead batteries. They stay charged.

Mudfrog · 06-14-2021, 04:25 PM

Newer RVs probably have better charging systems than some of the older ones like mine. There was too much battery maintenance when I tried leaving ours plugged in 24/7 and the monthly electric bill had increased as well.

Got to asking myself why I wanted to leave it plugged in and realized I had no good reason. Turned out that keeping the batteries charged was easy with a timer set to energized the coach once a week for 12 hours. Been doing this for a few years now and can only think of one time that I needed to top off the batteries. I ended up getting 9 years out of the chassis battery and am still going strong with 6 years on the coach batteries.

As far as the frig goes, the Norcold is over 18 years old and works fine. I doubt it would still be going if it had been constantly powered up.

twinboat · 06-14-2021, 05:39 PM

Constant float charging is better for batteries then letting them discharge and then recharging them every week.

Every discharge, re charge, is a cycle on the battery. Deep cycle batteries only have a certain # of cycles.

Float charge or disconnect and top off every 4 to 6 months.

puttin · 06-15-2021, 10:02 AM

Never store plugged in. We camp every 4 to 6 weeks so the batteries are fully charged. Been doing this for 12 years and get 5 to 6 years out of a set of batteries- same with the chassis battery.

Mudfrog · 06-15-2021, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

Constant float charging is better for batteries then letting them discharge and then recharging them every week.

Every discharge, re charge, is a cycle on the battery. Deep cycle batteries only have a certain # of cycles.

Float charge or disconnect and top off every 4 to 6 months.

Maybe true, if you have a good charging system.

I may be wrong but I believe a true charging cycle occurs when a battery is discharged to 50% or below and then recharged back to 100%. The batteries in my rig do not ever make it to that 50% mark when in storage.

Whether I'm right or wrong or not about this doesn't really matter to me because what I stated in my first post in this thread are real world results. The weekly charging set up I have now has been by far the best at providing battery longevity with very little maintenance.

TexasTom · 06-16-2021, 06:29 AM

Plugged in 100% of the time. 12 years and no problems. Float charger keeps the batteries in good shape.

2cyber71 · 06-16-2021, 06:34 AM

Since 1999 and 4 Motorhomes I always keep the motorhome plugged in 100% of the time

When I had deep cycle batteries that needed water I used the Quik-Fill system. I checked the water monthly when I excerised the generator every month. A good day is the 1st day of every month

happy2rv · 06-16-2021, 06:48 AM

The converter/charger in most modern RVs is far superior to the converter/chargers of days gone by. Even so, many of them will still over charge the house batteries, boiling the electrolyte out of them. Most also do not charge/maintain the chassis battery.

My .02 worth is evaluate why you want to leave it plugged in. If you want/need to use appliances and other things in the RV on a regular basis, leave it plugged in but keep an eye on electrolyte levels in the batteries. However, if you're plugging it in to maintain the batteries, I would (did) make sure I had a true battery disconnect and install dedicated battery maintainer(s). One for the coach batteries and one for the chassis battery. The intelligent battery maintainers like the Battery Tender brand tend to do a far better job of keeping the batteries charged without overcharging. This is especially true the lower you are on the quality scale of converter/charger you have installed in the coach.

In addition to better battery maintenance, you get the benefit of reduced wear and tear on all of the appliances in the RV as well as reduced exposure to surge/lightning damage. Unless you turn off the breakers, things like your microwave, and TV will be sitting in standby mode.