Plugging in during off season?

[Werty12]

Hi everyone. My question is should I plug the trailer in during the off season? Or is it not necessary? Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Werty

[Tunce the traveler]

I keep mine pluged in and it keeps the battery up and I also have a dehumidifier running 24/7 and it takes out 1 quart of water every 10 days.

[Werty12]

I actually take the batteries out during the winter. Store them in my basement. As far as humidity we basically have none here in the mountains. Very dry climate. Thanks for your response.

[havnfun]

X2 on Tunce's leaving it plugged in. TT sits in the driveway at the house plugged in all winter. Stays completely charged.
Happy RVing,
Jeff

[Werty12]

Should I leave it plugged in even though I remove the batteries?

[aj481x]

I use a Christmas light timer to turn power cord on 1 hour per day, seems to work, and could be adjusted for more or less.

[Dagwood]

I pulled my Battery but remain plugged into shore power. Flipped off all the unused breakers but leave the one for the GFI outlet on so I can run a electronic mouse deterrent. Every now and then when I open it up to check on things, I flip on another breaker so I can turn on the lights and do my inspections. It doesn't seem to be hurting anything by leaving it hooked up.

[Crabman]

I keep mine plugged in during the off and on season. Still using the 5+ year old original group 24 interstate battery.

[eldermike]

Ours is plugged in, slides open and heated. We watch a few movies or just go out and hang out.

[Tunce the traveler]

Originally Posted by eldermike

Ours is plugged in, slides open and heated. We watch a few movies or just go out and hang out.

This is the real reason to keep it pluged in, Terrific spot to " hang out" and in my case, have a beer.

[David472]

Originally Posted by Werty12

Should I leave it plugged in even though I remove the batteries?

I remove the battery and unplug the TT. The battery gets connected to a Battery Tender to keep it charged. Otherwise know as a Float Charger.

[spoon059]

Originally Posted by Werty12

Should I leave it plugged in even though I remove the batteries?

I don't see the need. I keep it plugged to keep my batteries charged in the offseason. I don't use any electricity when its not in use, I open my roof vents and naturally deal with any humidity issues.

For you, I don't really see a reason.

[Grumpy]

We have never removed the battery and our units have been plugged in 24/7 since 1977. If you have a newer unit it probably has a smart charger, if it is an older unit just check the water level about every 6 weeks.

[Werty12]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

We have never removed the battery and our units have been plugged in 24/7 since 1977. If you have a newer unit it probably has a smart charger, if it is an older unit just check the water level about every 6 weeks.

It's a 2015 28BHBE. I don't have to worry about the batteries freezing?

[Grumpy]

A charged battery will not freeze and the charger also warms the battery when it charges. Prime example: How many car dealers remove batteries from their new and used cars during the winter?

[David472]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

A charged battery will not freeze and the charger also warms the battery when it charges. Prime example: How many car dealers remove batteries from their new and used cars during the winter?

Very true.
Also, a discharged battery might freeze, if it gets cold enough.
Moral of the story, keep it charged, and you will be fine.
Without being plugged in, but with the battery connected to the TT, there will be a small amount of drain on the battery, typically from the CO2 detector. In this case, plug it in at about 2 week intervals to keep it charged.

[Werty12]

Thank you everyone for your informative responses.

[redenbacher]

Living in the Midwest, I pull my battery and put in on a Battery Tender (note brand name as it protects against issues related to just float chargers) and do not open vents. I'll wait until it starts to warm up in March to do that. Folks living in more moderate climes will do a different process. No need to do anything different when it is close to zero temps.

[NVGun40]

Most places in the lower 48 don't have regular cold temperatures that get low enough to hurt batteries. (Apologies to Grumpy and David472, but even batteries on chargers will freeze at 25 below zero and colder). The lower 48 states weather people and weather trackers seem to forget that Alaska is part of the United States. We get a nice chuckle when we see headlines like "coldest place in the US" and they name some town in Minnesota and site a temp of -42. While places like Fairbanks or Koyokuk, Alaska regularly go for a week or more at -50 below or colder, in which places we have engine block heaters, remote auto starters and heated battery blankets or gel pack batteries.
Anyway, Werty12, if your temps are not getting colder than -12, your batteries will not freeze. However, they will discharge quicker at temps below 20. If you have the ability, turn everything off and plug it in with a timer, so it comes on for an hour per day. If not, disconnect the battery or remove it and store it in a dry place and off the ground.

[Werty12]

NVGun40. It's not often but it will drop to -10 or -20 from time to time here in the winter. The reason I'm asking is before we owned our own home we had to store our TT in a lot with no electricity. So now that we have an rv pad on the side of our house and I can keep it plugged in during the off season. I figured I would get some opinions and such as to what others are doing. This is a great community it seems, everyone is very helpful and the responses were almost immediate. Again I thank everyone for the input.