Battery Disconnects
by P Truesdall
(Garden Grove, CA)
Question: How long can I store the RV with the battery disconnect on? In other words, if we aren't going to use the RV for one or 2 weeks or 3 weeks or one month, can I leave the battery disconnect on? What is the recommended time from for storing the RV without turning off the battery disconnect?
Robbie: Simply put, anytime you store the RV and are not using it you should turn off the disconnects. If you've left them on you are drawing down voltage and, in time, they will go dead. How long they will last is hard to answer without knowing how many batteries you have and how much draw you have on the system. A travel trailer is going to last a lot longer than a full sized motor home. Newer units have a lot of monitoring systems that will draw a battery down.
To answer your question: The recommended time to store a vehicle without turning off the disconnects is that it is not recommended at all.
NOTE: If you have electronic disconnects they will disconnect automatically at around 10.5 volts. It will be necessary to get the batteries above 10.5 to turn them back on.
Hope this helps,
Robbie
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