Trickle charging batteries

pnichols wrote:

georgelesley wrote:
I recently made trickle charging the batteries easy without being plugged in. I wanted the trickle chargers inside the MH without activating everything that is on when the MH is plugged in. Winnebago specifically says not to leave our model plugged in for Long Storage.

I wonder what Winnebago's reasoning is behind that?

Batteries aren't supposed to be adversely affected by leaving trickle charge voltage on them continuously - if this voltage level is the same as leaving the battery's specified floating voltage level on them continuously. We leave our Winnebago Itasca motorhome's converter plugged in and turned on 24/7 whenever it's sitting in the back yard not being used (have been doing this for ~10 years). This is OK for our batteries because their specified float voltage is the same as what the converter nominally puts out under light loads.

Is there some other item/appliance in your Winnebago that is damaged by having battery float voltage levels on them continuously?

The batteries are not the problem, but I think they do not want all the detectors and electronic circuit boards on needlessly. That was my primary motivation also. I also like having separate chargers for the chassis and deep cycle batteries since they are different types of battery and charge differently.

I realize that when traveling all batteries are charged the same way, converter or alternator. But in those cases the charging is usually short term and the converter or alternator carry most of the load and the batteries very little.