Leaving the fifth wheel plugged in

[dpgerson]

Is there a reason to leave your fifth wheel plugged in when you're not using it?

[corvettekent]

Our 5th wheel is only plugged in about 1% of the time even when we are using it. Our solar keeps our batteries charged because I unplugged the converter years ago.

[Jim2007]

Hi..my disconnect switch turns off all the power to the coach.that is what I want when storing the 5th wheel between trips.... During long term storage in the winter I remove the battery and connect it to the maintainer in my garage. I usually get 5 years life from my deep cycle batteries . .. Jim2007...

[laknox]

Dave H M wrote:
My batt switch turns 100% of the power off. I installed myself. :W

My factory disconnect kills all 12v power =except= the slide and landing legs. This includes the battery charger...

Lyle

[Dave_H_M]

My batt switch turns 100% of the power off. I installed myself. :W

[Second_Chance]

dpgerson wrote:
Ok but if you turn the kill switch off, the batteries won't run down will they? Thank you all for your answers.

Yes, they will. There are items (such as the CO detector/alarm) that are powered from a point between the battery and the cut-off switch. Some units keep power on all the time to the entertainment center to maintain memory and the clock. These are low draw, but over time they will run the battery down.

Rob

[Allworth]

Some items are not controlled by the cutoff switch (propane detector, some smoke alarms, some clocks, etc) and will slowly, bur surely, kill your batteries. The only sure disconnect is to remove the connection at the ground side of the battery.

My Titanium is in the backyard and stays plugged in to 50Amps, with an EMS, all the time.

[SH]

dpgerson wrote:
Ok but if you turn the kill switch off, the batteries won't run down will they? Thank you all for your answers.

Mr. Gerson, you may want to visit the Alpenlite Group on Facebook if you do that...pretty good site!

[stickdog]

Ours has been plugged in 365 for the last 7 years unless on the road or the 1/2 dozen nights we've dry camped.

[Bipeflier]

Unless it is winterized, it is plugged in. My reasons are battery charged but more importantly is keeping the frig cold.

Back during the rash of cooling unit failures I was told by a tech at Dometic that part of the reasons for failures was the heat cycle, expansion/contraction from turning off and on. During normal operation the temperature fluctuation is not that great but if you turn it off it goes from hot to ambient.

Don't know if that is true but it doesn't cost much to keep it cold and ready to go.

[laknox]

dpgerson wrote:
Ok but if you turn the kill switch off, the batteries won't run down will they? Thank you all for your answers.

If plugged in, but the disconnect is OFF, you won't charge your batteries. I found this out the hard way. 😞

Lyle

[bob213]

I turn the kill switch off but still have a maintainer on the batteries. I have 30 amp available if I need it.

[dpgerson]

Ok but if you turn the kill switch off, the batteries won't run down will they? Thank you all for your answers.

[Wild_Card]

Mine is at my house and plugged in. During the season I keep a/c set to 90, refer on with groceries in it and I am constantly in it tinkering, snoozing, boozing or what ever else I may find to do in it.

Mine goes to the farm in October and is set up as hunting camp, where it also stays plugged in and heated to 40* with refer and groceries till the 1st of the year.

It then comes home and is completely winterized and shut down...yet still plugged in.

[md_procouple]

Ours is in a storage lot, so keeping it plugged in is not in the question but we do have a solar battery charger hooked up to keep the battery up. Good Luck and Happy Camping !!