Electrical power

Bobbo wrote:
---- MagnaJunk converter ----.

Haha. Ain't that the truth? I have the PD too and thought it wouldn't boil out the water, but it did, so now I monitor every month or so. It's "bothering" to see the battery plates high and dry.

We park ours in the driveway and keep it on shore power all the time. We have the refrigerator on that way, and the batteries charged. I check the battery water regularly for chassis and house batteries. I also monitor the voltage constantly.

wolfe10 wrote:

If you have a smart converter, charger or inverter/charger indeed, leave it plugged in 24/7.

But if a "stupid" one, you will over-charge the batteries.

And that, friends, is the winning answer. As Wolfe opened with "It Depends"

The correct answer is "it depends".

If you have a smart converter, charger or inverter/charger indeed, leave it plugged in 24/7. Been doing this for the last 15 years on three different coaches, all with smart chargers or smart inverter/chargers (THAT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY PROGRAMMED).

But if a "stupid" one, you will over-charge the batteries.

Ed_Gee wrote:

Gene in NE wrote:
Interesting question. Why would you want it to be plugged in all the time? One possible answer is so the coach battery could be charged. That also is the reason most do not plug it in all the time - it over charges the battery and boils off the acid.

I don't know of any modern motor homes that do not have at least a three stage charger....which will NOT overcharge your battery unless you fail to maintain water levels. I check my battery water levels about once a month and find I need to add water about once every two months.

My 2007 Winnebago came with a single stage MagnaJunk converter. I have since changed it out for a Progressive Dynamics PD4655V.

With the MagnaJunk, I did not keep the MH plugged in 24/7/365, with the PD, I do.

Gene in NE wrote:
Interesting question. Why would you want it to be plugged in all the time? One possible answer is so the coach battery could be charged. That also is the reason most do not plug it in all the time - it over charges the battery and boils off the acid.

Another benefit is that the lights can be turned on anytime without worrying about discharging the battery. We only plug ours in maybe one day before we leave on a trip. We save on the electric bill.

If you use it every couple weeks, just plug it in the day before. House battery will be fine.

Gene in NE wrote:
Interesting question. Why would you want it to be plugged in all the time? One possible answer is so the coach battery could be charged. That also is the reason most do not plug it in all the time - it over charges the battery and boils off the acid.

I don't know of any modern motor homes that do not have at least a three stage charger....which will NOT overcharge your battery unless you fail to maintain water levels. I check my battery water levels about once a month and find I need to add water about once every two months.

Interesting question. Why would you want it to be plugged in all the time? One possible answer is so the coach battery could be charged. That also is the reason most do not plug it in all the time - it over charges the battery and boils off the acid.

Another benefit is that the lights can be turned on anytime without worrying about discharging the battery. We only plug ours in maybe one day before we leave on a trip. We save on the electric bill.

I leave mine plugged in all the time. Just get in the habit of checking the water in your house batteries, as Eddie said.

helen s wrote:
We just purchased a Chateau 23u class c . Should we keep it plugged in to shore power when we are not using it? What ,if any , damage can occur ?

The RV doesn't really know if you are using it or not. Your batteries will be most happy if you leave the unit plugged in to shore power.