Quite frankly, I have never fretted over the ECM parasitic drain. It's not large enough on its own to be of consequence except in a long storage situation, indoors where a solar system can't help. Whether plugged in or on generator power, our BIRD controls charging of the house bank first, then at about 13.4v it passes charge current over to the chassis set. Older rigs rely on Echo units. If my chassis set is perpetually low, the ECM would not be my first suspect. Even new batteries can have bad cells, etc., and one bad battery can drag its partner(s) down with it.
You're right... I can't speak for older Beaver coaches. But we had an '84 Pace Arrow bought new, and I prefer forest service camps, so I have a little experience with dry camping. We dry camp regularly, often for weeks at a time (3+ weeks near Lake Louise, Canada, in 2012) and I don't mess with the disconnect switches. I habitually monitor the Aladdin and the Magnum remote panel during each day, but I'm not fanatical about it. If we want to use the microwave or TV, etc., I have a good idea what I can get away with without starting the genset.
I'm also cognizant of ambient shade and the coach position relative to the solar panel's potential input during the day, though it is not a lot. Most beneficial of course is running the genset each day an hour or two to get the Magnum readout up to "Float" charge or close to it. I try to do this at whatever time of day is optimal for where we are, cognizant of campground noise rules, proximity of other campers, etc.
The Beaver's genset is significantly quieter and less smoky than the old Pace Arrow's, which makes us less annoying these days
. It can be difficult to prepare for the road if you like leaving very early, because you need to boost the chassis bank prior to engine start so as to save wear and tear on your alternator. Neighbors may not appreciate an early genset, even if modern ones are relatively quiet, but then starting a big CAT too early is not particularly courteous either; we do neither since as 30 year graveyarders, we are usually pushing checkout times pretty hard when leaving.
So many ambient factors affect this that I can't give a strict guideline or routine to go by. Each owner has to develop his own confident habits according to his experience, but most would just keep an eye on the inverter's or Aladdin/Silverleaf monitors and run the genset accordingly each day. I often do that midday habitually because we may run the AC's if it gets super hot anyway. I sometimes start the Genny mid morning for a short period to use the electric coffeemaker instead of stovetop drip brew, microwave or toast some breakfast, and by consequence do some charging then. Each to his own habits.
Joel
