Best Way to Keep the House Battery on an RV from Overcharging

by Anonymous

I have had problems with the battery overcharging when my camper is not in use. Can I disconnect the positive cable on the battery? This will keep the battery from charging but also keep the refrigerator running, are there any downsides to disconnecting the battery this way?

ANSWER: Thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

Rather than going to the trouble of always disconnecting the battery, you can purchase and simply install a Battery Terminal Disconnect Switch on the battery.

Using this Battery Disconnect Switch should cause no problems with your RV as long as you understand that when the battery is disconnected and you are not plugged into shore power or running a generator you will not be able to operate your RV's 12 volt accessories. So just remember to turn it back on when you are ready to go down the road.

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Many RVers use these after-market battery disconnect switches on their RVs. Quite a few RVs come with these switches from the factory. The difference is the factory switches are usually located inside the RV itself so you do not have to go into the battery compartment to turn them on and off.

If this overcharging or boiling out of the batteries is something new that just started happening you might want to have someone look at the battery charging system on your RV's Electric Converter. This should not be happening if you have a Converter/Charger with a Smart Charging System.

I hope this helps.

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RVing Al

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