Plugging in at home

[Meffrig]

Should I plug my 50 amp plug into my home when I am not using my motor coach? I have the proper adapters to do,this.

[calamus]

We leave ours plugged in all the time. we have 2 campers one at the lake and one I use for work and we take to the state parks around here. They are both plugged in and have been since we got them. Never had any issues. Once in awhile I will take a space heater out to the 5th wheel and watch a movie or something in the winter it makes for a nice get away!BTW our 5th wheel sits in our shop

[pianotuna]

Hi reubenray,

Yes, it will keep the battery bank charged. You may wish to check to see if the converter (battery charger) is a 3 stage unit. If it is not, it is possible for it to overcharge the batteries and destroy them.

You may wish to find out if the converter charges the chassis battery. If it doesn't, add a trik-l-start or amp-l-start unit.

Running an absorption fridge uses about 5 kwh per day. Where I live that would be a cost of $18.25 per month. So, in your shoes, I'd turn off the fridge--and start it 24 hours before a trip.

reubenray wrote:
Will having it plugged into only a 15 amp outlet keep the batteries charged up? I am getting ready to get a slab installed at my house.

[RLMiller]

I used to keep my motorhome plugged in when not in use. However when I installed my home solar system, I noticed something was drawing a constant 7.2 kwh per day. I traced the consumption to the gas/electric refrigerator in the MH, which as it turns out, if very inefficient when operating on AC. There was nothing in the user manual about the electrical demand.
The electrical heating element that essentially produces the same energy as the propane flame consumes a constant 300 watts. Hence, the 7.2 kwh/day or 216 kwh per month. At the Tier 5 electric rate, that translates to $70/mo to keep the frig running in the MH, or after the solar, it effectively reduced my Net Metering production by 216 kwh/mo.
So I now turn the frig off when at home, but still power the MH on a timer that charges both the house and engine battery 1 hour/day. The arrangement keeps the batteries fully charged without boiling off the electrolyte.
BTW, I calculated the size of the solar array to essentially balance out my annual demand, without over producing. I just got my first annual electric bill which was $10 for the entire year. With the federal tax credit, the return on the solar investment is 2.5 years, which I achieved by doing the engineering and installation myself.

[wolfe10]

PapPappy wrote:

wolfe10 wrote:
Agree.

To which one of the two above? They have completely different answers.

Sorry, you are correct, not much of an answer. I went back and filled in the details. We have "proper" equipment and it is plugged in 24/7.

[JamesBr]

From start to season to end I am usually plugged in, both the Monaco and now the 5er. End of the season I always unplugged until a week prior to my vacation trip. If you stay plugged in, just make sure you check your batteries monthly as they will boil off. For me its frequency of use, sometimes every weekend or every other. With that it just does not make sense to clear out the fridge and shut it down every single week only to start it back up.

[OhhWell]

We keep ours plugged in all the time. I don't leave the fridge on but do run it every once and a while overnight. Being down here in FL, I also put the front AC on it's hottest setting to keep the humidity down during the summer.

[Mike_M2]

I also always keep mine plugged in.I use mine about twice a month and it's always ready to go. I do the same with my boat...

[SolidAxleDurang]

reubenray wrote:
Will having it plugged into only a 15 amp outlet keep the batteries charged up? I am getting ready to get a slab installed at my house.

Yes.

[reubenray]

Will having it plugged into only a 15 amp outlet keep the batteries charged up? I am getting ready to get a slab installed at my house.

[SolidAxleDurang]

Oh and BTW, mine is plugged in 24x7x365

[SolidAxleDurang]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I would not plug in until 3 days before a trip.

Why not?

[jerseyjim]

Plug in at home (110) OK. Don't use the a/c. But...unless you need the room in the fridge to put food in, why have it connected? All that ($$$) electronic stuff working when it does't have to? Plug it in for guests, of course.
Where my motorhome is between trips, I have no access to electricity. Two days before I leave for a trip, I turn the fridge on (gas) and a few hours later, it's cold. Bring it up to the house, THEN plug it in (orange extention cord from the garage) and pack the thing up.

Works for me.......

[gbopp]

I keep our Southwind plugged in 24/7 when it's parked at home.

[ArchHoagland]

tiffinboy wrote:

ArchHoagland wrote:
When you say you have the proper adapters to do this I wonder what you mean.

You shouldn't need an adapter if you have a 50 amp RV outlet.

50-30-15 pretty simple. Use em all the time allows u to plug in at home.Good nuff to run inverter charger is all
I don't see where he indicates he has 50 amp home outlet?

You are correct...he didn't say and that's why I asked the question.

You are assuming he has those adapters but there have been people on here who have plugged into 220 volt dryer outlets which will create a real problem.

Hence my question.

[Pangaea_Ron]

I keep mine plugged in 24/7 with a "smart" charger. I also use a timer on the outlet so that it only charges about 8 hours a day. We like to have the MH ready to go at any time, and we use it regularly throughout the year. We also do not "winterize" and keep a bit of heat and ventilation operational to keep things from freezing. We also lose power at home, and need to use it when there is a power outage.