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Old 10-31-2020, 02:42 PM   #1
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Can You Overcharge Your Coach Batteries

This question is for all those that are smarter then I am:

My wife shared a post with me that an individual stated he ruined 4 of his batteries, because he left them plugged in to shore power.

This post was interesting because I do leave my Seneca plugged into shore power and recently when topping off my batteries, I noticed one had split on the end.

FYI, the Batteries are 4 1/2 years old.

Now here in south TX we have not had freezing temps, which is according to the Google Machine is the primary reason for the battery to have crack.

If leaving the rig plugged in to shore power will crack/ruin a battery(s), then what does all the long term RVers do to prevent this from happening?

Asking for a friend 😁.
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Old 10-31-2020, 02:56 PM   #2
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If the charger/converter is defective it is possible to overcharge the batteries but I am not sure that would cause them to crack. Batteries that are 4 1/2 years old are subject to any number off failures.

My prior coach, a 2015 Thor Challenger used the same type of house batteries and that coach was plugged into shore power 95 percent of the time I had it and I never had an issue with the batteries. Those batteries were lead acid so I did check fluid levels at least once a month and top them off with distilled water when needed.
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Old 11-02-2020, 03:11 PM   #3
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The convertor used in most RVs are multi-stage and only provide charging when the battery needs it and at a level sufficient to not overcharge.

If the convertor fails then it could overcharge perhaps. I keep my RV on shore power 24/7 and have never had a battery fail.

I once had a converter die but it did not overcharge - it just didn't charge at all.
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Old 11-02-2020, 03:29 PM   #4
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It would be nice to know more about the post, background.

Newer converters are really good, but if it fails, there could be some type of battery damage.

Only time I have seen deep cycle batteries crack, was due to poor maintenance and a weak charge. A weak battery in a Minnesota winter can freeze, and when they freeze they can crack. A strong fully charged battery will not freeze.

Wet cell batteries need maintenance. Twice a year, I pop the covers and add DISTILLED water if needed. Never any other type of water. The minerals in the water will do bad things to the cells, and they will fail. I would not doubt it could break.

I always keep my TT plugged in between trips. I just replaced my original battery 9.5 years old. I was fairly abusive on that battery. Converter failed when the TT was fairly new, stuck on stage 1 (??) high charge current. Boiled the battery really good. Had the converter replaced, and added distilled water. Lots of accidental to deep of a discharge. I always pull my batteries in the winter and make sure they get on the trickle charge a few time over the winter.

I would say, what ever that person posted was like a lot of stuff on the internet, take it with a grain of salt and do your own research (kinda like this)

https://rvlifemag.com/cracked-battery/
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Old 11-02-2020, 05:51 PM   #5
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What Jagiven said.



I can see undercharged batteries freezing and cracking but charged, properly maintained batteries should not do that. You that live in the north country leave vehicles out all the time with little worry other than cranking power.



There is more to that story than we got or you got.
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