Should I Shut Off My RV's House Batteries When My RV Is Hooked Up To Electric?

by Fred
(Belfair, WA)

Hi, I was once told that when I have my RV connected to 110 that I should have my battery switches turned off. Is it ok to keep the battery switches turned on while plugged in to household power?...many thanks,

Fred

ANSWER: Greetings Fred thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

I am not sure why someone told you to shut off your house batteries when your RV is plugged into electric. When your RV is plugged into electric, your RV's Converter takes over the job of supplying 12 Volt DC electric to your RV, basically bypassing the house batteries on your RV. This also holds true when you are running the generator on your RV.

You also need to realize that when your RV is plugged into electric the converter also starts to charge your house batteries. The only step I would recommend when you are constantly hooked up to electric is check the electrolyte levels in your house batteries at least once a month. Depending on the type of battery charging system your converter has there is a possibility that your batteries can be boiled out by the charger.

When you check your batteries monthly you should use Distilled Water (not tap water) to top off the batteries. Aside from the routine maintenance I mentioned above I see no reason to shut off your house batteries, unless your RV is unoccupied and in long-term storage.

I hope that this information has been helpful to you.

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Happy RVing

RVing Al

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