2 part question
Hey all, First question. How many leave their fridge on and stocked all season if they are camping quite a bit. I've always shut it down and unloaded it but I been talking to rvers that leave it runni...
Forum Discussion
There are two issues that I am aware of with leaving the RV on shore power all the time. If the charger is a single stage not a smart charger, the batteries will be subjected to a voltage high enough to make them loose fluid more rapidly and also reduce battery life. If the fluid drops below the level of the plates, the battery will be damaged. The constant gassing from the battery also increases corrosion of the terminals and wires. The OEM Attwood converter/charger in our 2007 trailer was a single stage.
A second issue is that some of the older chargers needed the battery connected to provide a steady output of current. I haven't seen it mentioned in quite a while, but there use to be a device to put in place of the batteries so they could be removed when on shore power for extended periods of time. Attwood said that their charger could run without the battery, so I installed a marine grade battery disconnect switch on the A frame and disconnected the battery when plugged in for prolonged periods.
A second issue is that some of the older chargers needed the battery connected to provide a steady output of current. I haven't seen it mentioned in quite a while, but there use to be a device to put in place of the batteries so they could be removed when on shore power for extended periods of time. Attwood said that their charger could run without the battery, so I installed a marine grade battery disconnect switch on the A frame and disconnected the battery when plugged in for prolonged periods.
