Battery

[cjmiller160]

Hello everyone. I have a Eagle 328RLTS. I have it connected to permanent power. I don't plan on moving it for quite awhile since I own the property. My question is, is the battery used for anything when connected to permanent power? It will no longer hold a charge and I don't want to replace it if I don't need it.
Thanks

[GABob]

Originally Posted by cjmiller160

Hello everyone. I have a Eagle 328RLTS. I have it connected to permanent power. I don't plan on moving it for quite awhile since I own the property. My question is, is the battery used for anything when connected to permanent power? It will no longer hold a charge and I don't want to replace it if I don't need it.
Thanks

Recommend this or something similar to avoid any parasitic draws. I've added a small solar panel to help, but recently found the battery dead again. So...getting smarter I ordered one of these:


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


It goes on the negative terminal.

[Vicr]

To answer the question, no you don't need to have the battery in or connected when connected to shore power. Remove the dead battery and then either disconnect the battery charge circuit from your converter or electrically safe off the positive lead from your battery. You don't want a "hot" battery cable in your battery box that may come into contact with the negative lead or with chassis ground.

[JimD]

Just for a bit of extra safety, I would measure the 12 volts going into the system with no battery connected. Many many years ago I plugged in my camper with the battery disconnected. I then fired up the fridge at which time a capacitor blew up on the fridge control board. Apparently without a battery as a load, that old converter sent out higher than normal voltage.

I don't expect newer converters to go too high but it sure doesn't hurt to measure.

[Jagiven]

A good battery, technically is only required if you are towing the camper, so you can engage the e-brakes if the need would arise.

Otherwise the battery is nice if you loose power.

[craigav]

Mine has a label that says not to operate the slide without a battery installed, and my previous RV was a 5th wheel and it stated not to use the electric jacks without a battery installed. So my thought is that your converter (everyone's converter) should be able to provide all the 12v power you need except for possibly any 12v high power demands such as jacks, slideouts etc. In fact other slideouts on other RV's likely require less power than mine as mine has one large slideout which may require more amps. ~CA

[Grumpy]

But it's not recommended......

Many RVers have tried using their built in RV converters without a battery and most people report success for a short period of time. However, if your RV is permanently hooked up to shore power, it is recommended that you still utilize your batteries to ensure proper maintenance and care of your RV’s electrical system.

Converters are designed to work in tandem with batteries, and nearly every RV comes with them, standard. So unless you are struggling with your storage and need the battery’s compartment for an upcoming trip, keep your electrical system happy by leaving it be!

[Marcm157]

Originally Posted by JimD

Just for a bit of extra safety, I would measure the 12 volts going into the system with no battery connected. Many many years ago I plugged in my camper with the battery disconnected. I then fired up the fridge at which time a capacitor blew up on the fridge control board. Apparently without a battery as a load, that old converter sent out higher than normal voltage.

I don't expect newer converters to go too high but it sure doesn't hurt to measure.

This makes perfect sense. I agree 100%...

[Vicr]

Any modern RV converter is equipt with a 120v AC -12v DC transformer that will supply enough amperage for the full 12v DC connected load. The converter doesn't need any "help" from the battery. Most modern converters also have a 3 stage charging circuit to supply enough voltage to a battery to keep it charged other than that there is no electrical function relationship between a battery and the converter.

[RichCarter]

If you are always plugged in, a cheap deep-cycle battery should last years and may come in handy if you lose power for a day or two. The only disadvantage is that you may have to check the water level every year or so and add distilled water as needed. You could spend more and get a sealed battery that you don't need to check. If it were me, I'd spend the few bucks and put one in.
example: Duracell Marine Deep Cycle Battery, Group size 24, Sams Club $80

[Jay2504]

What the battery does is to provide a “buffer” in the circuit to help control Up or down voltage spikes. Like when you first start or stop something like the slide or other heavy load. Will it work without a battery? Sure it will but it will be a whole lot easier on everything if you have a working battery in the circuit. Jay

[Vicr]

Originally Posted by Jay2504

What the battery does is to provide a “buffer” in the circuit to help control Up or down voltage spikes. Like when you first start or stop something like the slide or other heavy load. Will it work without a battery? Sure it will but it will be a whole lot easier on everything if you have a working battery in the circuit. Jay

Please show us a schematic and a narrative of electrical theory of your "buffer' hypothesis.

[Jay2504]

I will freely admit that I don’t explain things well at times. What the battery does is dampen down the effects of the converter being loaded and unloaded during operation of a heavy 12 volt load. The converter has circuits that help with this but the battery acts like a dampening device. Instead of a converter, think of a running car with no battery. Turn the headlights on and the alternator has to instantly react to the added load, if it can’t the engine will quit running. I am sorry that I can’t do a better job of explaining things. Jay

[Vicr]

A battery is nothing more than a storage device. It does nothing to "dampen" down anything. As I stated a converter is built to supply the full connected load of the 12v DC electrical system.