Leave TT plugged in or remove battery?

[mleekamp]

In the past I've always removed the battery from our TT and put inside on a battery tender. Can I just leave the TT plugged in all winter to our RV outlet or is it best to remove?

I assume being plugged in will keep it charged. Any issues keeping in plugged in?

Thanks.

[temccarthy1]

SoundGuy wrote:

mleekamp wrote:
I assume being plugged in will keep it charged. Any issues keeping in plugged in?

IMO, yes - IF you're not protecting the trailer's electrical system with an EMS / surge protector that will disconnect power to the trailer anytime an error may occur with incoming source power. Believe it, although you may not be aware of it, this happens with regularity so I personally only leave our trailer plugged in 24/7 during the camping season because it is protected with a Progressive EMS-HW30C ... during winter storage I put my battery in the workshop where I can periodically put it on a charger. Your trailer, your choice ... how lucky do you feel? 😉

X2-- you are absolutely right on how you do it! And I also have a Progressive EMS 30A portable and would never be without it on the road! It has saved our TT several times due to high and especially LOW voltage!

[Atlee]

I keep my Jayco 23RB plugged in 24/7/365, unless on the road, obviously. But, it sits at the rear of my driveway during that same time so I can keep a close eye on it.

We can, from time to time, get some really cold weather, but nothing like our friends up in the really northern states.

[Rover_Bill]

Besides charging your battery, keeping the TT plugged in also provides power to your tv, radio, and any other power parasites that may be built into the trailer. I unplug the TT and pull the battery.

[Bmach]

I remove my battery, put it in my cellar and put in on the charger every couple of months. Why run a charger all winter? Seems to meleaving it on the trailer and plugged in would be a waste of energy and a risk to the trailer.

[Duane4238]

Sounds like most members who leave the battery in all year either have their TT at home or they live in a somewhat milder climate. My TT is kept at my camp about 65 miles from home. It is also in the snow belt South of Buffalo, N.Y. Lots of snow and no way to get to the trailer unless I take my snowshoes and that's too much work now that I'm "older". I just bring the battery home at the beginning of November and put it on the bench on the tender. I'm going out to pull in the slides and pull the battery this weekend.
Duane

[beemerphile1]

No way I am going to drag 4 batteries that weigh about 70 pounds each in the house for charging. I let the Iota three stage converter take care of them.

If you want the RV unplugged and want to use a battery maintainer, just hook up the battery maintainer and plug it in directly.

[Sam_Spade]

jarata1 wrote:
In cold weather like the northeast I unplug it and take battery out

Absolutely totally unnecessary.

A fully charged wet cell battery does not freeze until something like -60 F.

And anything short of freezing is actually good for them; it slows the aging process.

[rbpru]

I have done both, the problem with leaving it plugged in is if the power fails or gets disconnected, the battery can run down and freeze.

My WFCO charger did a marvelous job of keeping the battery topped off, but the TT is in my back yard so I could check the water easily. It never really lost very much.

From past experience we have learned that the phantom loads will pull our battery down in 4 or 5 days so I disconnect a battery wire if it is going to sit a few days.

In the winter I pull the battery, charge it up and it sits in the laundry room under the sink till spring.

Some folk use a battery tender when not in use, I don't but it is probably a good idea.

Come spring I charge it up and put it back in the TT. It never sits for long because we push the seasons. We store it late and use it early. Three or maybe four month in the winter at most unless we decide to dry camp.

[SoundGuy]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Do you keep your camper plugged in when you are camping? What's the difference then?

There isn't, ergo all the more reason to do what you can to protect the trailer's electrical system no matter where it's plugged in.

[DutchmenSport]

Do you keep your camper plugged in when you are camping? What's the difference then? Ours has been plugged in non-stop since the day we bought it, so was our previous one, and the one before that (except when actually traveling on the road).

[Ron3rd]

jwandvassie wrote:
Yep 24/7/365 if you have a three stage charger.

While that is certainly true, if there is any chance of freezing, I would take the battery out and put it on the Tender.

[jarata1]

In cold weather like the northeast I unplug it and take battery out

[jwandvassie]

Yep 24/7/365 if you have a three stage charger.

[hbrady]

If you have the stock (junk) WFCO distribution center I'd pull it. I boiled off a new battery my first winter by leaving it plugged in. One of these days I'll buy one of these but until then I pull the battery when the TT is not in use for extended periods. I also pull the + terminal after a few hours on shore power (camping or at home).

[ReneeG]

Sandia Man wrote:
We leave ours plugged in 24/7 when stored in our sideyard at home, during the active RVing season we have our fridge on and fully stocked. We have a smart charging Iota IQ4 converter that keeps our pair of GC2 6 volt batteries very happy, even with a smart converter water levels should be checked monthly.

Yes, as stated, check the water levels monthly.