Forum Discussion

mrubaum's avatar
mrubaum
Explorer
Oct 17, 2018

To leave plugged in or not

I have a new 2019 Fleetwood Discovery LXE 44h all electric coach. Is it better to leave it plugged into 50 amp service continuously or charge the batteries and unplug. Then let the batteries drain a bit and plug back in. Thanks for the advice.

20 Replies

  • If your new converter/charger is like mine, then leave her plugged in. My new Winnie came with a 5, that's right, 5 stage charger. (If you include equalization). But the 4 stages go from bulk to actually turning the charger off! I honestly do not think I could manually maintain my batteries better than this charger. It is a Magnum MS series.
  • In my opinion, if you have a good solid state modern converter, there is no reason why you cannot leave it plugged in all the time. Older units may have overcharged and shortened the life of the battery, but newer versions are designed for continuous use. No worries! I replaced my junk converter from 1987 to a drop-in modern replacement and it is perfect. Technology has advanced considerably.
    Pay no attention to insults and those who put you down, the question is legitimate. Those guys are idiots.
  • Bruce Brown wrote:
    Ours is plugged in 24/7. If it's not plugged in we're either driving it or dry camping.

    Our first set of house batteries lasted 9 years, so we must have done something right.


    X2. Both my clipper and FoldnRoll are plugged in 24/7 with no problem. I like them ready to go.
  • ArchHoagland wrote:
    jplante4 wrote:
    Unbelievable



    Why is that unbelievable? If he is storing it for the winter I think it's a good question.

    I leave mine plugged in year round to ensure the batteries are always fully charged. In case of an earthquake or other natural disaster such as fires that we have here in California I am always prepared.

    I also put it away with a full tank of gas. After the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 you could not buy gas for three days as there was no electricity.


    Unbelievable becuuae the thread DIRECTLY BELOW THIS ONE when I looked at it was this one.

    Unbelievable because people do not read a forum they post in.

    It's bad enough when someone posts and starts out with "I did a search and couldn't find anything". Really??
  • DrewE wrote:
    With a modern converter (which this presumably has), there's absolutely no reason not to leave it plugged in all the time.


    That is the wrong adjective. You need a HIGH QUALITY, MULTI-STAGE converter. Sadly, the old fashioned converters are still being used on many RV, including high end ones.
  • Ours is plugged in 24/7. If it's not plugged in we're either driving it or dry camping.

    Our first set of house batteries lasted 9 years, so we must have done something right.
  • With a modern converter (which this presumably has), there's absolutely no reason not to leave it plugged in all the time. It might not hurt to check the battery water level on occasion, but most likely that will be fine through to the spring. I add less than a quarter inch of water once a year, leaving it plugged in virtually all the time I'm not using it.

    There are people who like to make simple things complicated and complex, too.
  • jplante4 wrote:
    Unbelievable



    Why is that unbelievable? If he is storing it for the winter I think it's a good question.

    I leave mine plugged in year round to ensure the batteries are always fully charged. In case of an earthquake or other natural disaster such as fires that we have here in California I am always prepared.

    I also put it away with a full tank of gas. After the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 you could not buy gas for three days as there was no electricity.
  • mrubaum@aol.com wrote:
    I have a new 2019 Fleetwood Discovery LXE 44h all electric coach. Is it better to leave it plugged into 50 amp service continuously or charge the batteries and unplug. Then let the batteries drain a bit and plug back in. Thanks for the advice.

    My opinion.

    Charge for a day or two. Unplug for a week or ten days.

    Your still need to check the water in the batteries about once a month. Check the voltage before you plug it in.