Plugging in all the time

[JosieNurse]

We have a 2017 AS Interstate and are newbys
Our AS is in covered storage with all the power turned off. We have it plugged in but I am wondering if we should be plugged in all the time? Would that have any effect on battery life over time?

[OTRA15]

You might get a more-focused audience in the Sprinter and B-van forum IMO:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f240/

. . . plus there are a variety of battery use threads there already.

I have added the headline above, and the bold comment below, in hopes that the replies here will be on-topic for your specific unit. Recent motorhome threads have wandered off-topic fairly dramatically IMO.

Welcome to the forum, Josie, and good luck!



Attention future posters -- this thread is about an Airstream Interstate motorhome.

[gaylejoe]

I keep mine plugged in all the time.

[JosieNurse]

Thanks for the info.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Yes, keeping it plugged in all the time will impact your battery life. Better to disconnect both sets of batteries when in long term storage. If storage is < 1 week, don't worry a lot about it, just make sure everything is turned off. For storage > 1 week and < months, plugging in for a few hours a week is a pretty good idea. A 7 day timer can help do this for you ....

The gotcha is that (depending on how. your van is set up) this does very little for the chassis battery. If you do not already have some sort of trickle charger on the chassis, adding one for storage isn't a bad idea.

Bob

[StreaminGeo]

Ours is in the side yard and is plugged in all the time.

[Ndcctrucks]

Charger plugged in 24/7:

Besides battery life reduction, having power applied increases fire risk. Batteries, being containers full of metal plates and chemicals, present a system which can become unstable; left unattended, the prevention of catastrophic failure (by detecting smoke or chemical smell) is greatly reduced.

Lastly, as the batteries age, it takes more power to keep them charged. Your electric bill will suffer. In the 1990’s, I was called to a customer’s home for a complaint of a regular electric bill exceeding $300/ month. They had a travel trailer plugged in 24/7.
Finding nothing wrong with anything else in the home, I suggested unplugging the trailer for a month. The next bill was $128 less.

This isn’t really advice, but maybe some things to consider.

-Ken

[Mollysdad]

I don't.

[WellSaid11]

Originally Posted by JosieNurse

We have a 2017 AS Interstate and are newbys
Our AS is in covered storage with all the power turned off. We have it plugged in but I am wondering if we should be plugged in all the time? Would that have any effect on battery life over time?

What kind of batteries? AGM? Lithium?

[jondrew55]

I do

[Sneakinup]

My trailer has been plugged in 24/7 for the last 6 years or more... only because I run a dehumidifier constantly (Florida humidity). I don't leave the converter on though. Since I am in and out of my trailer all the time, I check the voltage on my two 6volt batteries, and when I need to, kick it on for a day or two. I previously had one 12v battery, and I checked on it once and it was cooking. So glad I was checking on it regularly as it was getting dangerous. My trailer is plugged into a dedicated 30 amp line on my 1000 sq. foot woodworking shop, and my electric bill rarely goes over $40/month. I wouldn't leave my trailer plugged in for long periods of time unattended.