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Old 02-21-2022, 12:14 PM   #1
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Disconnect battery while full-timing on shore power?

I've been full-timing for close to a year now and a neighbor just mentioned to me that I should disconnect the battery while being plugged into shore power for extended periods of time. They said that the constant shore power would continuously trickle charge the battery and overcharge it, causing the battery to fail prematurely. This person has been full-timing for years and I respect his insight and I do not want to fry my battery.

Should I disconnect the battery while full-timing on shore power? Will my shore power be converted to DC to even run without a battery? Rig in sig
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Old 02-21-2022, 12:18 PM   #2
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Check the manual on your converter for your trailer. Most modern converters are smart enough not to overcharge your battery.
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Old 02-21-2022, 12:24 PM   #3
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Okay, thank you - that gives me some solace. I will need to find that manual online as it is not in the stack of paper manuals that came with my camper. And hopefully, the converter information is accessible without tearing the place apart.
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Old 02-21-2022, 12:39 PM   #4
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The only time I have had battery problems is when I did NOT leave them plugged in and they ran down from the parasitic loads. I have left RVs plugged in all summer long at the house and all winter long while living in them and never had a battery problem. As Acadianbob said, new converters have circuitry in them to prevent overcharging a battery.
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Old 02-21-2022, 12:55 PM   #5
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With a 2021 camper, I'd imagine converter is new enough/smart enough to charge appropriately.
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Old 02-21-2022, 01:23 PM   #6
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Leave the battery right where it is and connected. It is actually BETTER for the 12v system to have a battery as a 'load' absorber than just using the output of the converter.

Unless your converter goes bad, it is smart enough to not fry your battery. R/Vs have changed since the early years! Once upon a time the advice you received was OK but no longer.

With that said, even smart chargers will provide enough charge current during heavy 12v use that some outgassing of lead acid electrolyte will occur. You should check your electrolyte levels every few months, regardless of full timing.
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Old 02-21-2022, 01:25 PM   #7
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Newer is better?

I contributed to another thread saying that I had an older trailer that when plugged in would wear the batteries out prematurely. When I put solar cells and a charge controller and didn't plug the trailer in, the batteries lasted for a very long time. Now thinking more about it, I think there are probably more parasitic loads on newer RVs and I would bet that newer higher quality converters would compensate for the times when in storage and parasitic loads.

I have used Harbor Freight trickle chargers on motorcycle batteries and on those the battery life was short. I use a Battery Tender brand charger on my old Camaro and never unplug it, the battery lasts virtually indefinitely.
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Old 02-21-2022, 02:09 PM   #8
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Thanks, all. I will leave it alone and keep up with the electrolytes levels.
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Old 02-21-2022, 02:12 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pacifictime View Post
I contributed to another thread saying that I had an older trailer that when plugged in would wear the batteries out prematurely. When I put solar cells and a charge controller and didn't plug the trailer in, the batteries lasted for a very long time. Now thinking more about it, I think there are probably more parasitic loads on newer RVs and I would bet that newer higher quality converters would compensate for the times when in storage and parasitic loads.

I have used Harbor Freight trickle chargers on motorcycle batteries and on those the battery life was short. I use a Battery Tender brand charger on my old Camaro and never unplug it, the battery lasts virtually indefinitely.
Yep... agree with what you've said.

Folks just need to know that "trickle chargers" and "battery tenders/maintainers" are two different horses and charge differently. Just as "older" converters and "newer" converters charge differently.
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Old 02-21-2022, 10:36 PM   #10
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Here's a snippet of my converter's manual - sounds like I should be good to leave the batteries alone:

"In order to maximize battery life, it is best to charge batteries slowly, keep them topped off with a trickle-charge when the RV is not being used. The 3-Stage “smart” charger continuously measures the battery voltage output and regulates the amount of charge using three modes of operation; Absorption, Bulk and Float modes.

All WFCO power converters are automatic three-stage switching power supplies. The converter senses which mode it needs to be in by checking the RV system voltage.

The converter normally provides a constant target output voltage of 13.6 VDC (nominal) to power all the branch circuits. However, it is current limited, and if the output (load) current reaches its maximum, the output voltage will drop as necessary to hold the converter’s maximum output current level (the Amperage rating) without exceeding it.

If the output current reaches its maximum (normally caused by a discharged battery), this will cause the converter to go into Bulk Mode, which means the target output voltage will change to 14.4 VDC and a timer will start. Although the converter is outputting 14.4VDC, you will not be able to read that on a voltmeter due to the voltage-current relationship. From the paragraph above, as load current increases, output voltage decreases. The actual output voltage will not rise until the load current is reduced, which happens naturally as the battery charges or if 12 VDC appliances are turned off.

Bulk Mode will be maintained until the current draw drops to approximately five Amps, or until the timer reaches four hours (whichever happens first). Then the target output voltage is changed back to 13.6 VDC for Absorption Mode. Lights that are powered from the output may change brightness slightly at that time."
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Old 02-21-2022, 10:42 PM   #11
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In addition to trickle charging my deep cycle batteries, my Progressive Dynamics converter also does an equalizing charge for 15 minutes every 21 hours. This is recommended for deep cycle batteries to keep the electrolyte from stratifying and to minimize sulfation. My two US Battery XC2200 batteries have been connected to a Progressive Dynamics converter, plugged into shore power, for at least 95% of three years. I have not noticed any reduction in capacity when I do boondock for 8-10 days per year.
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Old 02-21-2022, 11:05 PM   #12
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As mentioned above, the older chargers could overcharge. That should not be a problem with the chargers in newer rigs.
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