Shore power question
What’s your thoughts about leaving a RV plugged in to shore power when not in use. I read it not good for the house batteries.thanks for your input.
Forum Discussion
23 Replies
- Years ago when converter/chargers were "dumb" it could potentially kill a battery but not true of modern equipment.
It will entirely depend on what converter/charger you have. - I leave my coach hooked to shore power anytime I have the opportunity. In practice, this is more or less anytime it is not being driven. As mentioned in the first reply, I also let the coach's battery management system do its job and have not had any issues. I have leads for tenders on the house and chassis batteries, but rarely use them as it is much easier to run out some cord and plug the whole coach in.
- I've been doing this since 2004, with multiple RVs. We are in FL, and I leave the A/C on, set to about 78F. This keeps the temps lower inside, and removes the humidity. Both will destroy the interior of an RV.
Furthermore, most RVs come with a smart charger, with multiple stages of charging. Letting the charger do its job is the best thing you can do for your batteries. Sulfation occurs when a battery is deprived of a full charge, it builds up and remains on battery plates. And a trickle charger allows the battery fluid to stratify, also causing damage if used for long periods. Batteries either need mechanical movement (i.e. in a vehicle), or periodic fast (bulk) charging to mix the fluid.
I have a solar setup at home, and I've learned a lot over the years on how to extend the life of my batteries.
