Anyone keep their B plugged in for winter storage?

[reppans]

Wondering if this would be detrimental for anything in my '08 RT170 for the week to month long periods that I cannot drive due to inclement weather (road salt is my primary issue). I understand the batteries go on trickle charge like a battery tender, but would this damage or wear anything (inverter/charger/batteries) if done on a longer term basis like a month or so?

[Rede2]

I was lucky to find indoor heated storage for my Pleasure Way the last couple of years so I don't winterize. Last year I just turned my batteries off and when I picked it up 4 months later they still had a good charge. They are the sealed type but now I am wondering if I was just lucky or if turning them off will work again now that the batteries are a couple of years old.

[retraite]

We keep our "B" plugged into "house power" whenever it's home. 50 degrees for winter using an aux heater; 78 degrees for summer using the A/C. That way the interior never freezes in winter nor does it "roast" in the summer.

I also keep a wireless thermometer in the "B" with a readout in the house - just to keep an eye on whether everything is working correctly.

Been doin' this for a number of years.

And, yes, even with the heat, I do winterize as appropriate.

Cheers.

[Tutorman57]

Trimetric monitor fancy stuff.
I got this.

I wired an on off slide switch to it. Mounted the whole thing under the dash so I can see it. Mostly its annoyingly bright so I turn it off.
Not to fancy but at least I can monitor the voltage.

[Tutorman57]

This looks real good. I looked at there video and specs.
I also did a search and found on for 179 dollars. Not to bad.
Now my only problem is I hate fixing something that's not broke. My converter is old but it has never given me a problem. So do I do a preemptive strike, or wait till it goes bad.
In the mean time I may plug the camper in for a day just to top off the battery.
On a side note I don't have a camper battery just the main , I removed the camper battery. I'm going to relocate it rearward. It was in the engine compartment but it was a very small emergency lighting type battery. I want bigger so I have to move it somewhere.
Oh thanks for the INFO and the link.

[steveh27]

Tutorman,

I replaced the magnetek converter/charger on my 1997 Xplorer 230XL with a 35 amp PD4635 bought from Bestconverters. It makes a huge difference and can fully charge the battery which the old one never did without worrying about boiling it.

http://www.progressivedyn.com/pd4600_converter_replacement.html

It was quite easy to do. I also added a Trimetric monitor.

[Tutorman57]

I have wondered about this also. My 1988 xplorer has the original converter. I can see on my battery monitor it is charging when plugged in. ( a dash mounted volt meter I installed) But this old converter seems to charge at a fairly high rate. It's probably not a maintainer. I sure don't want to cook the battery. Should I put it on a timer like one poster said? It's really cold here in N E. Illinois.

[reppans]

Thanks so much for the comments folks, that puts my mind at ease. I'll keep an eye on the batt fluid levels. Also really like the timer idea to keep things well charged, but not too over done.

[pasusan]

Yes, we do. We did replace our converter though to keep it from boiling out the water. It'll be plugged in and stored for 5 or 6 months. 😞

[You_can_t_take_]

Our 'C' is plugged in through a timer. The timer is set go on so that the batteries charge 3 nights a week for 2 1/2 hours each night while we are gone to Florida.
That way I don't have to worry about overcharging or battery water levels getting too low. I've been doing that for years and it works well.

[donn0128]

Not a "B" but I sure keep mine plugged in when not on the road. Omly thing you need to do is check the battery water level monthly.

[davepcpowernet]

Yes, we do keep it plugged in. The Alde heater in our Roadtrek is set to 55 to help keep it dry inside and not so warm as to encourage critters looking for a warmer place even though it is stored inside our large shop with critter traps and/or munchies for mice.

[lucytravel12]

We keep our's plugged in and keep a small electric heater set on low so the interior won't get too cold. Also keeps the fridge running. We just assume it's best to keep the interior temperature from getting too cold and/or hot. It's at home, and we drive it at least once a week as our second vehicle so it's convenient. Will be interested to hear what other's do.