To plug it in or not what's the benefit

K9Piper · 11-22-2017, 05:17 AM

Hi Folks I'm new at this and it's our first MH. We purchased a 2018 Axis 24.1 about two weeks ago. It is winterized and my question is:
Should I plug it into our home electric power and if so why and what would be the benefit of doing so. Or should I just disconnect the batteries and take them inside? I have been reading that some folks plug them in while other do not so I am a bit confused.
Where I live in NY it can get nasty freezing cold for long periods so any advice someone will give me might help me out a lot in understanding what needs to be done in the winter months. I thank you in advance for your assistance and help.
Have a nice Thanksgiving folks!
K9piper

MichFigs · 11-22-2017, 11:39 AM

Being new at this game myself, I may not be the best to answer! We winterized last weekend and are going to pull the house/coach batteries and store in the garage. put in some of those anti-crtter packages, then wrap ours up with a good Adco-Tyvek cover for a long winters nap!
My question to all is should we leave the coach up on the Big-Foot Levelers or drive the tires up onto wood blocks or is there another option ?

JamieGeek · 11-22-2017, 12:03 PM

For the battery question: A fully charged battery will not freeze and thus if you have access to 120V where you store the coach you're better off simply leaving it plugged in with the use/store switch on "use" (otherwise there wouldn't be any benefit to leaving it plugged in).

Note that the converter/charger usually isn't the best so there are some folks who only plug it in on weekends, or for a few days every month. In those cases you would put it on "store" while not plugged in and "use" while plugged in.

Another option (also leaving the batteries in) is to get a good battery maintainer and hook it up to all the batteries (in this case you'd want the coach in "Store" because you don't want the maintainer powering the coach).

Confused yet? There are many options for leaving the batteries in the coach (I didn't even mention solar).

Removing the batteries is also a good option, but removing the chassis battery in an Axis/Vegas unit can be a real pain in the....

In my case we don't have 120V access so I put disconnects on both batteries (even in "Store" there is a small current draw on the batteries) and visit the camper regularly during the winter to run the engine(s) charging up the batteries (and to hug the camper).

be happy · 11-22-2017, 12:10 PM

I am in favor of leaving the coach pluged in all the time. I have lived in cold and warm places and have always keep the coach plugged in. The idea of removing the batteries to me is just hard work that is not needed if you can plug in. I have always liked to go out and start the coach at least once a month to let it run, start the generator let it run. With out batteries that would be hard. If you can keep plugged it do it.

I will put the tires on wood planks with the levelers up.

SuperD · 11-22-2017, 12:13 PM

There will be lots of opinions about this but here is my humble opinion.

I leave the batteries in, use/store switch in the use position, and coach plugged in. Top off with distilled water so batteries don’t get dry during the winter. The batteries will stay charged and a charged battery will not freeze. If you have access to 120 there is no need to remove the batteries. Unless cables are well marked it’s very easy to connect incorrectly and cause some expensive damage, my cables are marked but I still don’t remove the batteries.

Jacks can go up or down, I leave mine down and spray the legs liberally with silicone.

50/50 on using boards to park on, really depends on where you park. On concrete no boards because it doesn’t hold water. On grass or dirt use boards to keep moisture away from the tires.

Bob Denman · 11-22-2017, 01:01 PM

Here's another vote for plugging it in, and letting the batteries gather up some power from your house...

Don't forget to add some Fuel Stabilizer to your tank...

jabrabu · 11-22-2017, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichFigs

Being new at this game myself, I may not be the best to answer! We winterized last weekend and are going to pull the house/coach batteries and store in the garage. put in some of those anti-crtter packages, then wrap ours up with a good Adco-Tyvek cover for a long winters nap!
My question to all is should we leave the coach up on the Big-Foot Levelers or drive the tires up onto wood blocks or is there another option ?

Last winter I did similar. I winterized, put in some anti-rodent packs, put in a few Damp-Rid containers, and covered it with the ADCO-Tyvek cover. However, I did not remove the batteries and I kept it plugged in most of the time.

I now have a new RV and don't have a cover for it, so I will probably do the same except it won't be covered.

Bob Denman · 11-22-2017, 01:26 PM

I'm reluctant to cover mine...
All sorts of critters are outside, and looking for quiet dark places to den-up...

I'd rather not create one underneath a cover!

VegasinDallas · 11-22-2017, 01:32 PM

I️ leave mine plugged in less so for the batteries than for health of the interior building material. We love our Vegas and feel it fits our needs/price point perfectly but went in with our eyes open with respect to possible build quality compared to high end RVs. Living in North Texas with highs in the low hundreds and lows in the teens and twenties, I️ keep the ac set at 85 in the summer and the heat at the lowest setting in the winter to protect the interior materials and adhesives.

And a big second to Bobs comment on fuel additive

SuperD · 11-22-2017, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

I'm reluctant to cover mine...
All sorts of critters are outside, and looking for quiet dark places to den-up...

I'd rather not create one underneath a cover!

Learned my lesson a long time ago, high winter winds not only tore up my cover but also scratched up up the trailer I had covered. The cover was tied down tight and bungee cords used to keep things tight.

jabrabu · 11-22-2017, 01:46 PM

Yeah, I'm kind of undecided on a cover, but currently leaning toward no cover. I have a lot of trees over the driveway, so the cover was good to keep the leaves, sap, bird droppings, etc. off the RV. But I got the trees trimmed so this should be less of an issue now. I'm also expecting to use the RV about once a month during the winter, so it's easier to not mess with installing and removing a cover each time. Applying a good polymer sealer to the RV keeps it pretty well protected and makes it easier to clean.

Bob Denman · 11-22-2017, 01:54 PM

I agree: a good sealer, and a whole lot of wax and elbow grease...

JamieGeek · 11-22-2017, 02:47 PM

Ours is covered.

We did have a cover on our 5th wheel for 1/2 a season but a big windstorm ripped it off and made it mate with the cover of the RV next to ours (which also was removed). We found both covers a few hundred yards away in a big ball and they were inseparable.

Having said that you're thinking: "Why do you cover your Axis?"

Our Axis is parked in a storage lot packed in with other RV's and surrounded by trees. I've noticed that the cover hardly flaps in the wind--the RV is pretty well protected against the wind from the neighboring RVs and the trees around the lot.

Another datapoint: There is another Axis 24.1 parked in our lot who doesn't use a cover over winter. That Axis is a good 18 months newer than ours but looks like its about twice as old due to the finish fading, etc. Not sure if this is due to us covering ours for 6 months or we/I just take better care of our Axis than they do (maybe a little bit of both?).

croused · 11-22-2017, 03:54 PM

I am fortunate to have my 2018 24.1 parked in next door lot with a cover and ran an extension cord over to keep batteries charged. I also like going over and hanging out in the man cave - can run TVs and heater and it picks up WIFi from my house - home away from home!

Bob Denman · 11-22-2017, 03:59 PM

THAT sounds like fun!!

Travelin' Texans · 11-22-2017, 04:58 PM

NO COVER, good wax job, & plugged in if available. I've seen toooo many covers waving like flags in storage lots beating the crap out theirs & all rvs parked next to it, not to mention being a royal PITA to install/remove.

Ewok · 11-22-2017, 05:49 PM

This is for the Goodyear tires. Hope it helps

Bob Denman · 11-22-2017, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ewok

This is for the Goodyear tires. Hope it helps

Thanks!

bevedfelker · 11-22-2017, 07:58 PM

If you are going to let it -plugged in and keep shore power on -- I highly recommend you have an electrician add a 30 amp line and plug. I would not let it plugged in and have power on using an extension cord and 15 amp to 30 amp adapter to which you have your 30 amp cable plugged in. Whenever I have plugged into a 15 amp outlet in the garage using a 15 amp/30 amp adapter the adapter and plug can get pretty hot.

The picture I added is what happens when the 30 amp connector on the power pedestal in a campground shorted out internally and caused a surge through my 20' cable fusing the pins in the connector on my RV to the power cable plug. Wouldn't want that same thing to happen if the 15 amp/30 amp adapter internally shorted.

Bob Denman · 11-22-2017, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bevedfelker

If you are going to let it -plugged in and keep shore power on -- I highly recommend you have an electrician add a 30 amp line and plug. I would not let it plugged in and have power on using an extension cord and 15 amp to 30 amp adapter to which you have your 30 amp cable plugged in. Whenever I have plugged into a 15 amp outlet in the garage using a 15 amp/30 amp adapter the adapter and plug can get pretty hot.

Wouldn't it depend on how much power you're trying to suck out through that 15 amp adapter?
If you've got it hooked up, and are just using it to keep the batteries happy: it should be okay...
(At least that's been my experience...

)

You may also like: