I know I have searched and searched, store or use?

[THEPILL]

I have read and read and cannot get a straight result.

Today I had a 30 amp outlet installed and I am planning on keeping my AS plugged 24/7.

So question is the switch by door where should it be? Store? or Use? for best battery results.

Thank you, been awhile since I was on.

[dznf0g]

I keep mine in store unless I am working in it or loading/unloading. No problem either way, just saves a bit of electricity in store.

[wulfraat]

With a 2010 international you can keep in store mode while on shore power. Once a week turn to “use” for 24 hours to top up and float the batteries.

[THEPILL]

Well just discover won’t go into store while plugged to shore power, so never mind.

[wulfraat]

Yes it will. The light stays red when on shore power, but the batteries will still get disconnected by the relay.

You can hear it “click” when the relay connects / disconnects the batteries.

[GMFL]

^
What wulf said

[rmkrum]

The red light only indicates you have 12 volt power to your 12 volt accessories. It does not and cannot tell you what the latching relay is actually doing. Press store or use, and you will get a similar-sounding ‘klunk’ as the relay opens and closes.

If you press store, the relay made the noise, and then you unplug shore power the red light will go off if the relay is actually in store position.

Wulf is absolutely correct.

[pteck]

There's another piece of the puzzle.

Neither position, "store" or "use" is good for the battery over extended time.

Store - will deprive the battery of any maintaining charge, and they will self-discharge over time.

Use - will tend to overcharge the batteries over time, drying them out, and needing to water them more regularly

Several options:
1) One can get a more advanced multistage converter/charger, but even these don't guarantee ideal battery maintenance depending on what 12V device is being used
2) Turn on/off the store regularly as someone mentioned above.
3) Use "store" and plug in a separate float/maintainer charger on the batteries directly. These chargers can be had super cheap with a nice pigtail that would be easy to plug in the batteries. Same as one would use to store a car.
4) Install solar to maintain the batteries, and use the "store" position.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

With a 2010 international you can keep in store mode while on shore power. Once a week turn to “use” for 24 hours to top up and float the batteries.

Originally Posted by dznf0g

I keep mine in store unless I am working in it or loading/unloading. No problem either way, just saves a bit of electricity in store.

These are fairly simplistic answers IMO. Nothing more to advise about battery management? Suppose he goes away for a month, with the unit in Store mode? Is there something unique about this Use/Store switch I am missing?

pteck's recent advice is good, but it is also possible to manage the batteries when plugged in at home, as here.

THEPILL -- Make sure battery water is full, and specific gravity of each cell is OK. [separate discussions]

Unplug from shore power, wait an hour, and check the battery voltage. If below 12.5, plug in for 2-3 days, and repeat the process of checking voltage, until the battery voltage gets up to 12.7 volts +/-. At which point you can unplug from shore power and hit "Store," and you should be good for a week or so.

As you get familiar with the process, you might get 10 days out of the batteries before they go down to 12.3 volts. Never let them go below 12.3, or risk damaging them. If your trailer has lots of phantom loads on the batteries, this could change the analysis. [separate discussion]

If you upgrade the charger/converter to a smart one, the analysis would also change.

If it ain't broken, don't fix it. You can work with what you have at home.

Good luck,

Peter

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Nothing more to advise about battery management? Suppose he goes away for a month?

I am not sure if his is wired like mine. I have a manual store switch which does not shut off the converter...only most all the 12v circuits. Battery is still online with converter when switch is off. I have a 4 stage converter so leaving shore power connected keeps batteries charged. My converter is not hard wired. It plugs into a standard 120v outlet. In addition, I have 200w of solar, so I unplug the converter, let the solar keep the battery up, 12v switch off. That way, I can run a heater or dehumidifier with everything else off and isolated.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

. . .
. . . I have a manual store switch which does not shut off the converter.
. . .

That is what I was asking about. Thanks, Rich, for the clarification.

THEPILL -- you will have to verify that your converter/battery charger is working, even when you go to "Store" on the switch. If so, you will still have to actively manage your batteries per my last post, or get a smart charger per pteck.

Does your owner's manual go into the specifics of your Use/Store switch, which may be different than what most Airstreams have IMO.

Peter

[wulfraat]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

These are fairly simplistic answers IMO. Nothing more to advise about battery management? Suppose he goes away for a month, with the unit in Store mode? Is there something unique about this Use/Store switch I am missing?

I also mentioned that the OP should charge / float the batteries for a 24 hour duration every 7 days. With stock lead acid batteries on that 2010 trailer you will burn down 10-15% of AH capacity based on phantom draw of the LP detector and self-discharge of the batts.

Was trying to keep it simple if it’s going to be on shore power more or less permanently. [emoji4]

The alternative is just completely disconnect / remove the batteries and give them a good 48 hour charge / float once a month.

Pteck laid this out better than I did lazy poster over here

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

I keep mine in store unless I am working in it or loading/unloading. No problem either way, just saves a bit of electricity in store.

^
X2

Originally Posted by wulfraat

With a 2010 international you can keep in store mode while on shore power. Once a week turn to “use” for 24 hours to top up and float the batteries.

We charge in 'store' mode👍.

YMMV

Bob
🇺🇸

Screen shot...switch in store mode, no power in trailer, Lp detector switched & turned off.

[wulfraat]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

^

X2







We charge in 'store' mode[emoji106].



YMMV



Bob

[emoji631]



Screen shot...switch in store mode, no power in trailer, Lp detector switched & turned off.

That’s because your solar connection bypasses the store/use relay and connects upstream along with the trailer brakes, etc. I did the same thing in my 2008 when I added solar.

Now the OP said nothing about solar, only that he is leaving the unit on shore power.... so my assumption is that he has a stock unit without aftermarket panels as solar wiring.

I had the same setup in my 2008, and without solar the batts will not charge if the store/use switch is in store mode. [emoji4]

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

That’s because your solar connection bypasses the store/use relay and connects upstream along with the trailer brakes, etc. I did the same thing in my 2008 when I added solar.

Now the OP said nothing about solar, only that he is leaving the unit on shore power.... so my assumption is that he has a stock unit without aftermarket panels and wiring. I had the same setup in my 2008, and without solar the batts will not charge if the store/use switch is in store mode.

I don't have a solar relay, it's always charged that way, hence the title of the post. 🤓

Bob
🇺🇸

[wulfraat]

OP made no mention of solar. That was my only point [emoji4] OP had a question about his 2010 model year trailer with a store / use relay and shore power / converter as the charging source.... [emoji851]

[ROBERT CROSS]

Are we sure the OP has a relay?🤔
Ours does not.

Bob
🇺🇸

[dznf0g]

From the factory, my converter was upstream from the store switch. It had no effect on 120v to the converter nor converter to battery. Add on solar or not.
The switch is downstream from the positive and negative 12v junction blocks and only shuts down the 12v breaker box.

[rmkrum]

Mine is slightly customized. The solar panel controller is connected directly to the battery side of the Airstream OEM use/store latching relay. Rest of the wiring is bog standard from the factory. Propane detector runs all the time. In the summer heat in the high desert areas of Southern California I leave s fantastic fan with a cover running on the thermostat to keep the interior temperature reasonable. There is plenty of solar power alone to keep the batteries properly charged.
I do check battery water levels every month to be sure the plates are covered. I have a battery watering system on my two Golf Cart batteries that makes it easy to check and fill. So far, it uses very little water. The solar controller has a temperature sensor on the batteries and is an MPPT type with a 150 watt panel. The kit came from AMSolar and was self-installed 5-6 years ago by my son and me.

[dznf0g]

Maybe if THEPILL can shoot a pic of his switch and electrical center, it would clear up our analysis.