12v Circuit Breaker on outside of frame
I'm organizing the front storage compartment on the old Fifth Wheel and wondering why the circuit breaker in the wire from the trailer plug to the batteries is mounted on the bottom of the frame. They...
Forum Discussion
Alan_Hepburn wrote:
Why is a circuit breaker mounted remote from the batteries? Well, when batteries are recharging they generate hydrogen gas, which needs to be vented to atmosphere. If there is a concentration of hydrogen gas in an enclosed area and you generate an electrical spark in that area, say by a circuit breaker tripping, the spark and the gas make happy sounds together, not to mention fireworks...
While that thought is valid the reason I believe is just the opposite ... i.e. they are mounted close to the batteries for a valid reason. They actually take the place of fusable links and limit the amperage to high amperage items that have a connection direct to the battery. Below are the pics of those breakers on my trailer and where the go/come from and I bet a lot of others have similar setups and probaby just haven't found it yet or it hasn't corroded and failed yet.
CB after only 2 years
replaced and sealed
Larry
