RV park long-term storage

[Larry Tiner]

For the first time, I am considering leaving my RV parked at the RV park between uses. The cost to do so would differ depending on whether the electricity is left plugged in or not. If I choose to leave it not plugged in, the frig loses coldness, but my real concern would be how quickly my battery would go dead. Any input would help in my decision.

[Dave_Monica]

Unless you have a battery disconnect, the battery will be dead in less than a week. A solar battery charger may keep it topped up if not disconnected.

Dave

[Triguy]

Larry, do you have a battery disconnect on your trailer? Disconnecting a battery when not in use eliminates the parasitic draws in your camper that will deplete your batteries in a couple of weeks (or less depending on the size of your battery).

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Triguy

Larry, do you have a battery disconnect on your trailer? Disconnecting a battery when not in use eliminates the parasitic draws in your camper that will deplete your batteries in a couple of weeks (or less depending on the size of your battery).

Mine is way less.. Like Dave, less than a week.

My battery disconnect

[Larry Tiner]

I haven't seen this. Where would I likely find it?

Is this one week with the frig turned off?

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Larry Tiner

I haven't seen this. Where would I likely find it?

Is this one week with the frig turned off?

If you don't have a battery disconnect, you can also just unhook one of your battery cables...........but this may require a little effort to get to depending on where your trailers battery is located.

People wire in an easy accessible disconnect switch, so they don't need to disconnect the battery terminal wiring, or have to fool with getting into the battery box.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by wmtire

If you don't have a battery disconnect, you can also just unhook one of your battery cables...........but this may require a little effort to get to depending on where your trailers battery is located.

People wire in an easy accessible disconnect switch, so they don't need to disconnect the battery terminal wiring, or have to fool with getting into the battery box.

Yep. My battery is under the floor of my storage hatch. The battery box itself is screwed shut. Disconnecting the battery by cable was a huge pain.

And yes- a week with the fridge off.

[Triguy]

Originally Posted by Larry Tiner

I haven't seen this. Where would I likely find it?

Amazon.

In general, a battery disconnect is used to simply isolate a battery from its load OR to switch between banks of batteries.

The first picture below will allow you to isolate and that is it. This works well for one 12-volt battery or a bank of two 6-volt batteries.

Blue Sea Systems 6006 m-Series





Some disconnects allow more functionality. The second picture shows a disconnect that allows you to switch between batteries, use both batteries or disconnect all. This works well with two 12-volt batteries or two banks with each bank containing two 6-volts. There are several combinations.

Blue Sea Systems 6007 m-Series




Again, this is a great way to isolate to avoid the parasitic draws mentioned earlier such as the fridge, radio, CO detector, etc. The battery will still deplete over time but at a much slower pace. The parasitic draws on my trailer would run my battery bank down to a 50% SOC within a couple of weeks, but my batteries will last several months if disconnected.

Originally Posted by Larry Tiner

Is this one week with the frig turned off?

This is dependent on your battery bank. A typical group 24 battery will last less than a week. A bank of deep cycle batteries will last longer.