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Old 01-22-2006, 08:40 AM   #1
Doug Bandy
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Default Intimidated newbie question on water heater..

Sheri and I just purchased a 2006 2720SL and we can't wait to hit the road. I have to admit I'm a little intimidated by all the ways you can run the different appliances. I have a question..If we park our TM in the garage is it ok to leave the power hooked up all the time and run the water heater on electric to keep it from freezing? Any advice/suggestions is appreciated very much!!!!!
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Old 01-22-2006, 09:07 AM   #2
rtcassel
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This would not keep any water in the rest of the system from freezing. It's best to drain everything: fresh, black, and gray water.
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Old 01-22-2006, 09:41 AM   #3
BobRederick
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Doug,

I agree with Tim that you should drain all the water for freezing. This can be done on the TM safely and you don't need to use antifreeze. Lots of posts about that, so do a search. Also, the owners manual tells you how. Basically, TM put drains at the low points in the water system, a very nice feature. Also, draining the water heater preserves its health as water in there causes electrolysis which in time will move enough metal off the walls of the heater to result in a leak. Draining the heater eliminates this expensive "wear-out" factor.

Leaving the TM plugged in requires knowing what the converter is doing to your battery. The older converters (e.g., Magnatex 6330) placed a continuous trickle charge on the battery that was harmful and eventually boiled the cells dry. So you had to as a minimum frequently check the water level in the battery. The newer converter is a mystery box and I don't know of anyone who knows what it does. One thing you can do is to remove the battery covers and see if it is bubbling. If so, it is continuous trickle charge. My 6330 trickle charged for more than a month. I don't know if it ever shut off. {BTW, I removed the 6330 and replaced it with a much improved 4-mode Progressive Dynamics PD9160 which has been documented on this site as well as others. Now, I can leave the TM plugged into shore power and it is better for the battery than unplugging it.}
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Old 01-22-2006, 10:29 AM   #4
Bill
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Tim and Bob have it right, so let me just amplify a couple points to make sure they are quite clear.

1. Yes, drain the water system, for all the reasons they have said. It also prevents water in the tank from getting "stale" and developing an off taste.

2. Draining is easy, as Bob said. BEFORE you drain, make sure that the ELECTRIC switch to the water heater is off. This switch is outside - if you don't know where it is, check in your owner's manual (page 27 in mine) to find it. Or the same Search that Bob suggested will turn up postings about it.

3. Unfortunately, the issue of leaving shore power attached to the TM for long-term storage (more than a couple weeks) is a push-me/pull-you. If you DON'T leave power connected, then the battery will eventually go flat, which is not good for the battery. If you DO leave power connected, then the converter's built-in charger may overcharge the battery, which is even worse for the battery. To complicate matters, the battery in the 2720SL is inside the rear storage compartment, where you can't get to it without fully opening the TM. This makes it impossible to casually check the water level, or check for bubbling. The best answer - really the only one in my opinion - is to make sure that the battery is fully charged BEFORE you close the TM, and then disconnect it. A fully charged battery can be left alone for several months, and cold weather is actually better for it in this case.

Disconnecting the battery is easy. Open up the rear compartment, take the cover off the battery, and remove the fuse from the holder that is in the battery wire. Or loosen the wing nut on the positive (+) terminal, and pop the ring lug off the battery connector.

Finally, Bob mentioned the "new" converter from American Enterprises (a Chinese importer, ironically enough). As he said, there is very little info available. What little there is hints at a third stage of charging that won't overcharge the battery. But there is not enough info to confirm and I don't know of anyone who has accumulated any real-world experience. Until I know for sure, I won't trust it. The only real answer seems to be the Progressive Dynamics retrofit that Bob performed. There is plenty of information available on this unit, and Bob has accumulated a lot of real-world experience.

Hope this helps.

Bill
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Old 01-23-2006, 04:44 PM   #5
ameridan
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If you use a "deep-cycle" battery, it does not hurt them to go dead, unlike a car battery. Most RV & Marine batteries are deep-cycle and as far as leaving the charger on all the time, I've done that for 5 or 6 summers now with no problems or boilouts - original battery yet.
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Old 01-23-2006, 05:08 PM   #6
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Be careful, Dan. True deep-cycle batteries, like golf-cart batteries and fork-lift batteries, are reasonably resistant to problems from deep discharge. But RV / Marine batteries, including the Interstate batteries supplied with the TM, are NOT true deep-cycle batteries. They handle deep discharge a bit better than standard car batteries - but not much. It is wise to limit depth of discharge to around 50%.

Several reputable sources for lead-acid battery info (not manufacturer's claims) agree on this. One is
http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/...tm#differences
At this site, you read the following:

"Car batteries are specially designed with thinner (.04 inch or 1.02 mm) and more porous plates for a greater surface area to order produce the high amps required to start an engine. They are engineered for up to 5,000 shallow (to 3%) discharges, which is over four engine starts per day. Starting batteries should NOT be discharged below 90% State-of-Charge. They use sponge lead and expanded metal grids rather than solid lead. Marine starting batteries are a comprise between a car and deep cycle battery and are designed for starting and prolonged discharges at lower amperage that typically consumes between 20% and 50% of the battery's capacity. Motive and stationary deep cycle batteries have much thicker (up to .25 inch or 6.35 mm) plates, more lead, and weight more than car batteries the same size. They are normally discharged between 20% and 80% at lower amperage."

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