Leaving rv plugged in while not used

[EdInArk]

Originally Posted by Navy80to04

I was thinking of installing a small battery Tinder that would connect to the shore power 110 and charge the engine battery on my Class C that way it keeps my engine battery charged

Same here. Though ours usually gets used a couple of times a month. You'd need to find a place to plug it in out of the weather.

It's been my experience that a car or truck battery will go a few weeks at a time with no problems unless I go on a 10-day motorcycle trip and accidentally leave the dome light on while gone

[texkayaker]

Keep mine plugged in to 30amp service all the time. Fridge on to keep beer cold and AC set at 76d in Austin, Tx.

[royb1215]

Hi...new to this forum so if this eventually appears incorrect in some form, please forgive.
Have a 2015 26ft Leprechaun. (had 26k miles on it when I bought it a little over a year ago.)
I leave it plugged in but have a question about the cabin batteries. Has 2 wet-cell batteries on board. After reading some responses on this thread it looks like I need to pay a LOT of attention to the status of the fluid in the batteries.(will put this on my monthly check list) I just checked them after a 2 day camping trip and smelled Hydrogen Sulfide gas in the cabin. 2 or 3 of the cells had the top of the plates showing. Rest of the cells took water but were not dry. Added fluid to all to top them off.
- Are they being over-charged to a point where I might lose them?
- Should I get them checked for voltage and status? (I'm tempted to do this 1st anyway but finding a place to do it is sometimes difficult around here)
- There is a master switch to turn 12V system on and off. Should I leave this 'on' or 'off' while plugged into 120v?
Sorry for the total ignorance but I'm on a learning curve with 12v systems on RVs.

[Podivin]

Originally Posted by KeysVal

We plan to keep ours plugged in and set the A/C at around 88 degrees to periodically dehumidify the RV (we live in Key Largo). Should that be an issue?

While we are on the subject, should we deploy the leveling jacks? The RV is sitting on large gravel in front of our house.

Also, should we keep the slides extended or retracted?

I second the idea of leveling in case you want to put the slides out (if that's the way your mfg suggests for slide usage).

However I personally would leave the slides in unless you need them out for a specific reason. There's no sense in giving the air conditioner any more volume to cool than is absolutely necessary. Might save you a few bucks on the power bill.

[OlYeller]

Originally Posted by royb1215

I just checked them after a 2 day camping trip and smelled Hydrogen Sulfide gas in the cabin. 2 or 3 of the cells had the top of the plates showing. Rest of the cells took water but were not dry. Added fluid to all to top them off.
- Are they being over-charged to a point where I might lose them?
- Should I get them checked for voltage and status? (I'm tempted to do this 1st anyway but finding a place to do it is sometimes difficult around here)
- There is a master switch to turn 12V system on and off. Should I leave this 'on' or 'off' while plugged into 120v?
Sorry for the total ignorance but I'm on a learning curve with 12v systems on RVs.

If the tops of the plates have become exposed, damage has been done to your batteries. They should be topped off at least monthly with distilled water.

It is hard to say if they are being overcharged without testing them. Some converters are better than others. Safe chargers like the Battery Tender do a good job of float charging rather than charging all the time like a trickle charger would. Even so, the batteries should be checked and topped off at least monthly.

I don't know about your master switch but I think mine only disconnects the batteries from the 12V circuit so it doesn't matter if it is on or off when on shore power. A quick way to tell is to plug into shore power and see if the 12V lights work in both switch positions.

[Hooligan]

Originally Posted by royb1215

.......
I leave it plugged in but have a question about the cabin batteries. 2 or 3 of the cells had the top of the plates showing. Rest of the cells took water but were not dry. Added fluid to all to top them off.
- Are they being over-charged to a point where I might lose them?
- There is a master switch to turn 12V system on and off. Should I leave this 'on' or 'off' while plugged into 120v?

I always leave the RV plugged in, disconnect switch on and the fridge partially full (3 RV's +25 years) and running.
Since you have added water (distilled?) to your batteries, check them again in a few weeks, if they are down they MAY be overcharging. If not you can extend how often they are checked.
The battery disconnect switch (usually by the door) disconnects the Coach batteries and kills the 12 volt system. If you are on shore power the converter will still power the 12 volt system, (Lights, fridge control, furnace etc) but will not charge the coach batteries- with the switch off..
If your battery disconnect is off and you are not on shore power the fridge will not work even on propane because the control circuit requires 12 volts.

[plasma800]

Originally Posted by royb1215

Hi...new to this forum so if this eventually appears incorrect in some form, please forgive.
Have a 2015 26ft Leprechaun. (had 26k miles on it when I bought it a little over a year ago.)
I leave it plugged in but have a question about the cabin batteries. Has 2 wet-cell batteries on board. After reading some responses on this thread it looks like I need to pay a LOT of attention to the status of the fluid in the batteries.(will put this on my monthly check list) I just checked them after a 2 day camping trip and smelled Hydrogen Sulfide gas in the cabin. 2 or 3 of the cells had the top of the plates showing. Rest of the cells took water but were not dry. Added fluid to all to top them off.
- Are they being over-charged to a point where I might lose them?
- Should I get them checked for voltage and status? (I'm tempted to do this 1st anyway but finding a place to do it is sometimes difficult around here)
- There is a master switch to turn 12V system on and off. Should I leave this 'on' or 'off' while plugged into 120v?
Sorry for the total ignorance but I'm on a learning curve with 12v systems on RVs.

If you can smell em, it's time to replace them.. and the charger too. Swap that charger out for a quality 4 stage charger, and you'll never have to worry about it again. That's what I did anyway... (i mean you still have to check the water... I check mine every month, but I haven't had to top them off in quite a while)

[Mr_D]

I've been parking RV's beside the house for over 30 years, always plugged in and heat on in the winter of fans in the summer. Never had any problems with doing it. In the '02 DSDP the OEM wet cell batteries lasted 10 years.

[grumpy_g]

Hi all, I have a question: now that I have my 30a shore power completed and MH plugged in, can I leave the reefer and the a/c on all season while in the parking spot? The reefer is a Dometic ammonia based unit.

Thanks and Happy Camping.

[rogerdodger]

My converter just took a dump, so I replaced it with a boondocker 45 amp 4 stage charger. I plan to keep it plugged into 110 volt power. My motor home will charge the house batteries without the house switch on, but will not charge the chassis battery. So I am getting a trik-l-start 5 amp unit, which will "steal" from the boondocker converter/charger.

[TCHB]

I do not leave mine RV plugged into shore power. About once a month I put a battery tender on it for a couple of days and unplugg it. I do not like the idea of cooking batteries with the typical cheap chargers. I should just go and buy a new charger that will charge the battery and taper of before they cook them.

[lgcotton]

I have always kept my RV's plugged in. My last two RV's I installed Progressive Dynamics Inteli-Power 9200 Series Converters with built-in Charge Wizard. They have 3 modes which automatically sense the needs of the batteries and an automatic Desulfation mode to keep the plates clean.
I also installed a Ultra Trick-L-Start which takes power from the house batteries and provides up to 5 amp charge to the chassis batteries so they stay charged as well. It is a smart battery isolator. With both of these having a storage mode I rarely have to add water.