Forum Discussion

rvgrammady's avatar
rvgrammady
Explorer
Oct 02, 2015

Battery Charging

Ooops... I left my switch that kills the house batteries on.. now the house
batteries are dead.
Am I correct that if I plug in the RV my whatever thingy will charge my
batteries.?
If so when I plug in will I be able to use the lights and the frig? and the
120v plugs (TV etc.) will I have to wait for my batteries to charge and
since they are dead, dead, dead, how long will it take to charge up 2 batteries.
97 Tiffin Allegro Bay 35' Chevy.
Or am I gonna have to replace them as they are totally dead.?
Does the frig on propane need battery power.. I think so as the buttons and
lights on the front require it.

Am going to a friends on Monday & will have only 110 but can plug in until Thurs a.m.,and then to an event Thurs -Sun where I will have 50 amp.
at an RV park.

Any info will be helpful.

Hope I explained this so you can understand it.
Class A
  • time2roll's avatar
    time2roll
    Nomad
    Oct 02, 2015
    Well if you are always plugged in for ten years... cycling them 20 times (2x per year) will not hurt a bit. But don't run them flat dead. Down to 12.2 volts and plug back in is plenty.

    The 12 Volt Side of Life
  • pianotuna's avatar
    pianotuna
    Nomad III
    Oct 02, 2015
    Mostly false.

    supercub wrote:
    I was just told by an RV tech to leave the lights on every 6 months or so and and discharge the batteries. I have deep cycle, he said charging them and occasionally discharging them extends the life of the batteries. True of False ?? They're Trojans 6 volt deep cycle batteries.
    Brian
  • supercub's avatar
    supercub
    Explorer
    Oct 02, 2015
    I was just told by an RV tech to leave the lights on every 6 months or so and and discharge the batteries. I have deep cycle, he said charging them and occasionally discharging them extends the life of the batteries. True of False ?? They're Trojans 6 volt deep cycle batteries.
    Brian
  • time2roll's avatar
    time2roll
    Nomad
    Oct 02, 2015
    Plug in and keep an eye on the batteries for excessive heat or gassing for a day if they were stone dead. You should be able to use the 12v accessories very shortly after plugging in. Most likely some permanent loss of capacity has occurred. Damage could include a shorted cell and require replacement.
  • wolfe10's avatar
    wolfe10
    Explorer
    Oct 02, 2015
    The batteries MAY come back. Yes, deeply discharging materially shortens life-- we have no way to know if this is the end or if they can be brought back.

    Some converters and inverter/chargers will not start charging a totally dead battery. Plug it in and see what your voltmeter says.

    If your on-board charger will not get them started, use a portable charger to try to get them started.

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