Is It Bad to Leave Your RV Plugged In All The Time?

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Last Updated on March 23, 2022 by Ted Mosby

Just like your laptop or cellphone, do you always leave your RV plugged in all the time? Read on the post to know whether it is a good idea or bad to leave your RV plugged in all the time?

I’ve seen a massive number of RV owners asking whether to leave your RV plugged in all the time is a good idea.

Unfortunately, to answer this question is not that simple, and to find the best answer regarding whether to leave your RV plugged in all the time, we have to go back to the RV power basics. RV power is not as simple as it seems, especially for those just getting started with RVing.

While I’m writing this post, my only intention is to give you the best possible answer regarding is it ok to leave your RV plugged in all the time?

Whether you have your own RV or considering renting one out, this post will let you know the steps that will help you keep your RV in its peak condition, run it smoothly, and extend its life span.

So, let’s get started!

Is it Bad to Leave Your RV Plugged in all the time?

In a nutshell, Yes and No. It totally depends on the generation type of the battery. Note that you shouldn’t worry about leaving your RV plugged in all the time when it is in use.

However, it doesn’t mean that you can leave your RV plugged in all the time when you are living in it for a longer period or when it is not in use at all. But, if your RV has a battery tender or a modern RV converter, you can leave your RV plugged in all the time since the contemporary RV converter will make sure to deliver a smart charging option and to keep optimal voltage.

Lead-acid batteries’ amount of power that they lose over time depends on when, where, and the temperature at which they are stored. You shouldn’t be worried about these batteries if you overcharge/undercharge them.

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RV Battery System

Besides other essential components of your RV, one of the most critical components in your RV is the battery system, which is crucial to the whole of your RV’s internal setup. RV battery system is intended to power the appliances that require electricity inside your rig.

It includes your RV AC unit, overhead fan, refrigerator, microwave, etc.

You should know that your RV battery system consists of two systems,

120V AC system
12V DC system.

If you have a motorhome, which is not a towable vehicle, it has its own battery used to start the engine.

The 120V is a powerful battery system that is used to run appliances that need more power, such as AC units and refrigerators. So, to keep running your RV appliances, you have to hook it up to a shower power (when at a campground) run the generator to charge the battery.

While on the other hand, the 12V system starts charging itself when your RV is hooked up. The smaller RV battery system power appliances that need less power, such as interior lights, overhead fan, etc. It can be used when the rig is not hooked up until the battery runs out.

Short Term RV Battery Usage

So, can you leave your RV plugged in for short-term battery usage?

Well, when you are on the road or want to use your RV battery for the short term, there is no problem if you leave your RV plugged in all the time. Moreover, if you have rented an RV from a well-known RV rental company, such as Cruise America, you don’t have to worry about overcharging if you want to leave your RV plugged in all the time.

Reputable and well-known RV rental companies have RVs equipped with smart, modern inverters that are intended to slow down the charging rate of the batteries when they are topped off.

However, the scenario is entirely different if you have an older RV with a smart battery converter. In that case, I recommend you to not leave your rig plugged in all the time.

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So, is it ok to leave your RV plugged in all the time?

In a nutshell, the answer is yes. However, it isn’t as innocent as it seems.

What Factors Play a Key Role to Affect RV Battery Life?

Here are some key factors that are critical and heavily affect RV battery life,

1. Overcharging

If you leave your RV plugged in all the time, even when the battery is fully charged, it will milk the cell’s electrolyte levels. As a result, this will compromise the RV battery life unless you have a battery tender or a modern RV converter with a smart charger.

Moreover, if you have overcharged a lead-acid battery and its electrolyte cells drop below average, you can fix it using distilled water.

However, the battery life will still be compromised. Leaving your RV hooked up all the time is common when it still doesn’t have a battery tender.

You should be careful when soring your RV, especially in winters.

2. Undercharging

Like overcharging, undercharging your RV battery can also shorten the battery’s life span because of the chemical process (Sulfation)—this chemical pileup when an RV battery remains undercharged for a longer period.

This process blocks the chemical conversion that is necessary for RV batteries to stay functional. As a result, the batteries lose the ability to store the charge.

However, the Sulfation process can be eliminated if you charge the battery promptly after they are undercharged.

When storing your RV, it would be best to make sure the battery is charged between 75% to 90%. In this regard, a battery tender or battery tester is a useful tool to have.

3. Temperature Changes

Another common factor that plays a vital role in affecting battery performance when the RV is stored is temperature. Both too cold and too hot temperatures can affect battery performance when it is held for a more extended period of time.

As a result, the battery will lose its voltage capacity which will lead to a shortened lifespan.

The best way to keep your RV batteries protected is you should remove the batteries when storing the RV and keep charging them occasionally.

Do not freeze the batteries because you heard someone saying freezing the batteries can extend their lives.

What is the Best RV Battery Type?

You will find a vast range of RV batteries in the market. However, the most used and best RV batteries types include;

1. Lithium Batteries

In fact, Lithium Batteries are considered as an alternative to lead-acid batteries. These types of batteries can be found in almost all the modern RVs replacing the Goldilocks (lead-acid batteries). Travelers who upgrade their rig to solar power generation are also upgraded to Lithium batteries.

Although Lithium batteries are expensive, they have many benefits as well. They are compact, tighter in weight, and don’t require you to keep checking electrolyte levels over and over again. They are kind of set and forget batteries.

Moreover, these batteries are also intended to run for years than others. The cost of Lithium batteries is about 3x more than lead-acid batteries.

2. Deep Cycle Batteries

Deep Cycle batteries are a type of their predecessor (lead-acid batteries). They are somewhat similar to batteries used in golf carts and boats, and function identical to a standard car battery to create and store the power.

However, what sets them apart from car batteries is the steady amount of current that they produce.

These types of batteries are available in several sub-categories, such as Absorb Glass Mat or (AGM) batteries, flooded wet-cell batteries, gel-type batteries, etc.

Final Thoughts

That is all about the RV battery power system and whether it is ok to leave the RV plugged in all the time.

I’ve discussed the effects of overcharging/undercharging, RV battery usage, and the best RV batteries.

I heartily believe that you will find this post useful, and it will help you to extend your RV battery life span.

FAQ

Does it help to extend the battery life span to remove it when storing RV?

Yes, temperature, overcharging, and undercharging are the main causes that affect the RV battery performance. It is a good practice to remove RV batteries when storing your RV for a more extended time period. Moreover, it would be great to charge the batteries occasionally.

What happens when you leave your RV plugged in all the time?

Leaving your RV plugged in all the time when not in use means the battery will compromise on its life span. It drains the wet cells of the battery which affects battery performance.

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