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Old 03-09-2022, 04:43 PM   #1
jivey
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Default Battery Care and Shore Power (Vista 23RSS)

Good afternoon,

We just bought a new Vista 23RSS, and I have a question I've been unable to verify. There are a ton of articles about leaving your RV plugged in to shore power long term or not, most refers to the battery. Does this unit include a quality battery manager, or do I need to do something else if I am leaving the RV home for weeks at a time?
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Old 03-11-2022, 12:00 AM   #2
Bike Dr
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My recommendation would be to contact the dealer and have them go over your particular model with you due to the fact that there are many configurations to systems in rvs. Unless you have all of the manuals that give the details you will need to know as in how to maintain your style systems..
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Old 03-13-2022, 12:36 PM   #3
RY469
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Default Converter

Your unit has a converter (as do most all RV's, if not an inverter/charger). The converter is basically a 12VDC power supply with battery charge protocol built in. Meaning it will ramp up the voltage to charge a low/weak battery then level out to a "float" level to maintain your battery. The enemy of a battery is extreme temperatures (hot and/or cold) and low state of charge. The converter will keep your battery fully charged giving it a fighting chance to survive the latter. So with all that being said. Leave your RV plugged in (to a 15 Amp "standard" outlet at home is fine) or pull your battery and bring it inside with a trickle charger hooked to it. Boy, that's a lot of typing . . .

BTW: I work at a Gulf Stream dealership as a Service Tech., your converter is suitable to properly maintain your battery safely. You most likely have a sealed lead acid group 24 deep cycle battery, right?
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Old 03-13-2022, 12:57 PM   #4
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One thing to watch for with long times on the charger built into most converters, as they are not typically sophisticated 'float chargers - maintainers" but rather just bulk battery chargers with a known top voltage limit, is that they can cause electrolyte loss due to out-gassing. Periodically (at least every month or two) check the battery cell liquid levels and top up with distilled water as needed. If you have 'maintenance free' sealed batteries you might think about a true battery maintainer build for such chemistries so as not to shorten the life of the expensive batteries.


There are some modern/more recent converters that have better battery charging technologies, but verify you have one of these before just walking away for any length of time from a plugged in RV in storage...



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Old 03-20-2022, 09:33 AM   #5
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I have a Class-C, but leave it plugged in 100% when home. Check battery water every 90-days? No issues for years, batteries replaced at 8-10yrs.
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Old 05-17-2022, 11:28 AM   #6
jivey
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So here is the converter mine came with:

https://wfcoelectronics.com/product/wf-8935-35-amp/

It says it has a 3 stage charger. Does this seem decent, or should I look into updating the converter?
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Old 05-17-2022, 07:31 PM   #7
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TIP: You do also need to LEARN HOW to disconnect all loads and TURN OFF BATTERY so that phantom loads so that rig can be STORED WITHOUT SHORE POWER WITHOUT killing the battery.
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Old 05-23-2022, 12:50 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jivey View Post
So here is the converter mine came with:

https://wfcoelectronics.com/product/wf-8935-35-amp/

It says it has a 3 stage charger. Does this seem decent, or should I look into updating the converter?
That's an OK converter. It will not overcharge your batteries and it can be left plugged into shore power indefinitely. The only downside is that true deep cycle batteries like to see an equalizing charge periodically to extend their life. I upgraded my 8935 WFCO converter to a Progressive Dynamics converter and I gained two advantages: it recharged my 2x 6-volt golf cart batteries to 100% much quicker than the WFCO 8935, and during long-term storage while plugged in, it automatically performs an equalizing charge for something like 15 minutes every 21 hours.
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Old 05-27-2022, 12:41 AM   #9
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Not to be one of those guys trying to "one-up" anybody, but thought I'd post a few follow up comments to this thread. Using an "equalizing charge" is OK (and needed) for wet cells. A lead acid wet cell will stratify, meaning the chemistry inside the battery separates out and needs mixed back up. This is ONLY true for wet cells, the kind you have to check water levels in. AGM and sealed lead acid are different. An equalizing charge will cause out-gassing that pops the relief valve for venting, and actually shortens the life of the battery. If you use a charger with this feature and you have lead acid batteries other than a wet cell, set the charger to your correct battery type, it will disable the equalizing charge feature and save your batteries. Most (modern) converters in the RV's sold today have three stage chargers that meet requirements for sealed lead acid (which most new RV's come with) and AGM (normal upgrade many RV'ers opt for). The float level they revert to is safe to maintain your battery.

Off-line with me Commander, don't mean to counter your post. Just add to it.

Respectfully,

Master Chief
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