Battery/shore power question

[Anmacc2]

I keep my TT plugged into shore power. Should I disconnect my battery? I've been getting only about a year out of each battery so I know I must be doing something wrong. What is it? Thanks!

[RDMueller]

A BIG question is what type of camping you do. If you primarily camp with electric hookups, then a single group 24 battery and the converter that came with your camper (probably the ubiquitous WFCO) should be fine.

However, if you do much "off grid" camping, that setup is not going to cut it. Even after just one night, you are most likely pulling the battery below 50% which is really hard on the typical marine battery. Then, when you recharge, if you are counting on the WFCO to do so, the battery will most likely never reach 100%. That is a recipe for battery sulfation which will eventually kill it.

[Slate_CM]

My TT came with 2 Interstate batteries. According them, the charger should be left on.

[hohenwald48]

I used to live in an off grid house. 48 6 volt batteries. I left my charger on for 9 years with no problems. As far as I know, the charger is still on after 15 years if the new owners stayed off the grid. Leaving a good charger on is not a problem. Failure to maintain battery electrolyte level and keep connections good is a problem. A good multi-stage charger is a necessity.

[beemerphile1]

seaeagle2 wrote:
Boat guys leave their 3 stage on board chargers plugged in all the time and don't have problems.

They must use awful long (and waterproof) extension cords. :B

[westend]

On your way home from work, tomorrow, stop in at one of the big box stores like Lowes or Home Depot, Sears, or a large auto parts store, or Harbor Freight and buy a cheap hand-held multimeter. It's almost a necessary tool for operating an RV and it's two electrical systems.
If you don't know how to use it, don't get scared. It is an easy thing to learn and Forum members can lead you. It is basically two wires with probes attached and a digital screen.

[seaeagle2]

Boat guys leave their 3 stage on board chargers plugged in all the time and don't have problems....

[gmw_photos]

My camper is coming up on five years old. Original "marine AGM" battery. I travel 4 to 8 months a year, and almost always stay where I have shore power. At home, I plug it in as soon as I get there. So it's been plugged in constant essentially the entire time. Original "wfco" three stage converter/charger.
My point is, leaving it plugged in has worked for me.

[KRumm]

You should also monitor how much you discharge (use) the batteries when not on shore power... If you are using them down more than 50% of their capacity their life span will be greatly reduced...

[Anmacc2]

Slow down..... You're asking me a lot of questions and clearly I have no idea what I'm doing. :S I asked the question at 7:00pm on a Wednesday night because I was hoping to do something about it this weekend but it's dark outside and my battery is dead and I can't see anything and I'm afraid of the dark and now I'm scared of all of you like I was my second grade teacher Mrs. Seagull who used to make me wet my pants by asking me a bunch of questions all at one time when I didn't know!!! 😮 perhaps I've said too much...

I don't know the answer to most of your questions but I'll do my best :? I keep my TT plugged in because I live in South Florida and the interior gets up to 140 degrees and the inside melts. I don't know what a converter is or where it is and I don't know what charger I have or where it is either. I will look tomorrow when I get home from work when it's light outside. Now if it's okay I just want to have a cookie, go pee pee and go to bed. Nite nite.

[toedtoes]

What battery do you have in it? deep cycle or starting battery? lead acid or AGM? That might help folks provide more specific info (for instance, if it's an AGM, you don't need to check water levels).

[time2roll]

What is the battery voltage after a week? Has the water ever been low?
Do you camp off grid and let the battery go down real low?

[korbe]

I treat my 5er as a camper. And to me that means it is used only when we go camping, about 30 days a year. When sitting there at the side of the house, waiting for the call to go and see the world, it is unplugged, frig off, and the batteries disconnected. I will check those batteries throughout the winter to make sure they stay fully charged. I may plug the rig in a couple of times a winter and also connect the batteries for about 24 hours each time to charge them up. That's it. My current Trojan T-105's were purchased in 2008.

[Got_Dirt_]

Been there done that. Your onboard charger most likely is a single stage charger. Replace it with a 3 or 4 stage charger like a Progressive Dynamics Inteli-power 4600. I finally got tired of the short life span of improperly charged batteries. Your charger is cooking your batts because it only puts out one continuous voltage. Keep us posted.

[K_Charles]

We kept our last TT 5 years and if we were at home it was plugged in. I checked the water in twice and it was good both times. You have something wrong.