Between trips -- Semi Storage...Shore power connected?

smkettner wrote:
PD9200 is one of the very best converters and can keep your batteries on charge 24/7/365 without worry of over charge or excessive water use. Lead-acid prefers to stay 100% charged when possible for best service and long life.

Plug it in.

Yep. I've left our Interstate lead-acid battery on our 9245 24/7/365 and it went 5 years without losing a drop of water. The only reason it died was the GCFI breaker had tripped so it went without power for a couple of months.

PD9200 is one of the very best converters and can keep your batteries on charge 24/7/365 without worry of over charge or excessive water use. Lead-acid prefers to stay 100% charged when possible for best service and long life.

Plug it in.

Some good techniques and some old links still applicable...I think I'll leave shore power plugged in with the converter I have.

smkeetner - I've got an Progressive Dynamics, Inteli Power 9200. From the documentation it can "boost" the battery up to 14.4 V but in "storage" mode it keeps a constant 13.2V to keep the batteries from gassing (preventing water loss). That's what I like about it - it seems to do the job in an outstanding manner! Batteries are always it top shape for any excursion.

BL - I think it all depends on the converter.

As for other necessities -- water I always empty the tank. Same for the gray and black regardless of the duration of down-time (storage) between trips.

It depends on how long between trips the TC is in limbo. If it's more than a couple weeks, I drain the water, blackwater, greywater, right away: purge and blow out the water system leaving the knife valves and big black cap open. Especially in warmer weather I have an issue with leaving any fresh water in the tank in storage. Once a year we purge and use bleach in the lines to clarify things. The TC has some detectors that use power whether you are there or not. I have flattened a couple camper batteries in the last 12 years and now disconnect the camper battery cables completely and use a float charger on it. One time i thought I would use the camper and did not over a four month period with everything power connected. My truck starting batts are all connected to the TC batt. with a #6 cable. They are all the same A.H. battery. All three batteries went down for the count and could not be resuscitated.
I don't think they make batteries like they used to, for whatever reason. I have a lot of trouble with batteries on all my machines: cars, trucks, jeeps, tractors. The man behind the counter at our local auto parts place said most are now outsourced to Mexico and don't do well in long term storage. Of course, he was trying to sell me float chargers and i went for it.
I've never left the TC connected to shore power except during the two days cool down of the fridge before liftoff and on the road in a full-hookups campground.
jefe

unplugged.. i rely on solar panel to keep batteries at 100%

Mine has been plugged in all the time when not on the road for the past 4 years, fridge stays on too. I have two group 31 AGM batteries on board and everything works just fine

One of the best things I have done to my T/C was install a progressive dynamics converter charger It charges the batteries quicker and cycles them at alternate charge levels to help the batteries last longer

I tried leaving my motorhome plugged in one winter and toasted the (4) 6 volt batteries. A very expensive lesson learned. Obviously I had a converter that wasnt rated to handle this, and never realized it. Of course the wonderful dealer that I bought from never explained not to do it either, and nothing in the owners manual.

I'd find out what converter you have in your camper. A good one you can leave plugged in and it will maintain proper voltage without harming the batteries. A less expensive model could possibly overcharge over time and boil the batteries dry.

NVR2L82AV8 wrote:
Living in the SW I use my camper all year long...although its rained three days straight in "Lost Wages" while dumping 20 plus inches of snow on Mt Charleston. Anyway....

During times the campers not loaded for a camping excursion it sits on my homemade camper jacks plugged into shore power.

The question I always contemplate is, "do I leave shore power connected to trickle charge the batteries or leave shore power disconnected and turn the battery disconnect off until prepping for the next trip?

What do you all do?

I don't plug it into shore power, I put the AMG battery on a battery tender and put a couple of cap fulls of bleach in the fresh water tank to keep back mold or algae. During the winter I use one of the oil filled heaters set to 55 degrees to keep the interior up to snuff. I the summer in in a 3 sided garage so I don't need to run the A/C. You can see in my signature.