Keep rv plugged in at home?

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Many answers for the question but in general, it is good to keep all the batteries charged. (House and chassis)

It is not necessary to have them on a charger all of the time. Reasonable intervals based on the battery state of charge is fine and it is what I do. I charge for a couple of days then rest the batteries for a week or so. The interval depends on what the batteries are doing when charging is disconnected and what condition the batteries are in.

I personally do not like to leave my batteries charging all of the time. It dosent matter if I am out on the road or the coach is sitting at home. I always use intervals and when I leave the coach home alone, I always shut it down unless it is an extented leave.

Other than batteries, the only other issue is refrigeration. If you continue to use your fridge, then it may be a good idea to plug in but even then, it is easy to run a cord to the fridge which eliminates the need to plug in.
 
The only time our RVs have been unplugged in 17 years is while they were in motion or we were boondocking.
 
Given your location just outside Houston I would suggest keep it plugged in and run the air conditioner set to about 85F to keep the heat and humidity from damaging the interior.
 
Did for over 35 years. Never had a problem. Besides its really nice to have 120VAC inside when I want to work on the trailer. Only caviot, check the batteries monthly.
 
I've always kept my RVs plugged in at home. Especially if you have a 30-amp power source already, I don't see a downside. Power usage should be extremely limited, if you're only keeping batteries topped off and the fridge cold. I also have a 30-amp box mounted low on the exterior of my detached garage, which I had installed when we built that structure for the specific purpose of RV power.

With older units (like early 1990s and before) there was a slight danger of cooking the RV battery by leaving it charging all the time. However, most modern RV converters will be multi-stage, meaning they reduce to "trickle charge" status once the RV battery is near full. Plus you can occasionally check the water levels in each cell, and make sure the lead plates are still immersed in fluid... (P.S. Only use distilled water for that).
 
Thank to everyone. My TT is a brand new tracer by prime time so I should be good on the charger. I will probably give prime time a call on Monday to be sure.
so it’s plugged in for me too.
thanks again!
 
You said you have a 30 amp plug for it -- make certain that it's a 120VAC plug, not 240VAC, since dryers often have a similar plug at 240VAC -- you don't want to destroy electrical stuff in your rig.
 
Larry N. said:
You said you have a 30 amp plug for it -- make certain that it's a 120VAC plug, not 240VAC, since dryers often have a similar plug at 240VAC -- you don't want to destroy electrical stuff in your rig.
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I will definitely wire it up 120v single phase in a 30amp breaker. I am going to move the one I have and install it on the outside of my shop where I am building my new RV cover. In Houston the humidity’s high so probably leave the AC on like you said. Thanks for the input.
 
slharman1 said:
In Houston the humidity’s high so probably leave the AC on like you said.
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The majority of RVs are not well insulated, and constant AC use is gonna result in a big power bill.

I would think that RV interiors can withstand typical humidity levels. You can always leave tilt-out windows cracked if you want to have some airflow and avoid major heat buildup.
 
I hope this does not offend anyone, but

Don't listen to these people that don't live on the gulf coast about humidity control / air conditioning.
 
Humidity and temperature are a couple of concerns I should have included in my original post but had been thinking mostly battery.

The op is about 40 miles northwest of Houston and it's hot and humid there.

It would be wise to keep the RV plugged with ac on and a set point that keeps things in a friendly range. You can use a higher set point of lets say 85f. This would help keep the costs down but once the outside temperature drops below 85f, the ac will stop running and the humidity will rise. This can be avoided with a humidity control which will cycle the ac based on a maximum humidity setting. This type of control allows the user to keep the electric costs within reason and provides humidity control when the temperature is friendly.

The other helpful thing to do is to shield the rv from the sun. For about $1500-$2000 you can invest into a canopy that the rv can park under. This protects the exterior and reduces the heat load considerably.

There is a dollar amount to all of that. The op would need to decide what is most important.
 
Do you have an example of a humidity control add on for typical RV rooftop units? Or are you suggesting a dehumidifier (like portable)?
 
The only ones I am aware of are the ones for homes and condos. I think they are still available out there but newer systems have integrated humidity control into the system. I assume there is stuff out there for RV and low voltage control circuits and I know the cheap houses offer line voltage ones or at least they did. I think they were Honeywell. I have used the line voltage units in homes and condos and they do a good Job after the thermostat set point is reached and I have seen them in condos in the 24 volt circuit.

I have never had the chance to follow through with a RV control but it is on my to do list as I find many nights in the RV uncomfortable because of humidity not temperature. Is it possible that builders have included humidity control in the newer RV 's ? It makes sense.
 
I would not worry too much about it, the only real time a humidity control thermostat would be helpful is during a dry heat, which is going to be very rare for the Houston area, perhaps something that would only be seen during extreme drought years
 
In those circumstances you would want to increase the moisture in the air. In the op's case, removing moisture is needed.

This is accomplished with a humidity control that fires up the ac as it would for cooling but is used for dehumidification.

This allows for a higher set point setting on the thermostat to save valuable kilowatts and then the humidity control will call for the ac if needed thus keeping the relative humidity level in check.

In the high dry heat, adding moisture into the air is good for the interior. New home hvac systems will humidify and dehumidify as needed.
 
I had a 1986 motor home and that would overcharge the batteries if left plugged in. I fixed that by only hooking up a battery maintainer directly to the battery. Unlike a battery charger,these are designed only to keep the battery topped off.
Then I had a 2007 TT with a more modern converter that I left plugged in and that did not over charge.
I now have a 2021 TT that I keep plugged. I will check that when I get back home in August,but I suspect that it will be just fine.
I only leave the fridge on when we are preparing for a trip,or planning to use again in a week or two.
 
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