Use for Battery Disconnect?

[Red-Rover]

Waiting here in Northern Indiana for the weather to improve before taking delivery on a new 5er.
During my extensive shopping for a new unit, I noticed that all trailers had a battery disconnect switch. My 20 year old present unit has no such provision and I don't understand the need. Except for the times that my old trailer went into indoor winter storage, the battery never was disconnected. Is there parasitic power loss in the 12 volt system?

[Atom_Ant]

For some reason, the last 3 rigs I had still had power to the landing gear and slides with the battery switch off. Those two items appeared to be fed directly off their own from the battery, bypassing the switch.

[DutchmenSport]

I could be wrong, but when we got our new Outback last September, I played around with the battery disconnect switch. With it "off" I could not find anything that had power going to it (shore power was unplugged also). Even the CO2 detector was dead. I then plugged into shore power and the CO2 came back on, as did everything else, and the battery was not charging.

I'm pretty confident, when my switch is "off" and I'm unplugged from shore power, my battery is 100% disconnected. According to my dealer, he says everything is "off", and I can't find any evidence to prove otherwise. I suppose different manufactures do different things there.

I do want to test this further by testing the battery charge when the cables are removed from the posts, vs the shut off over a specified length of time. That's a "Spring" project, once this horrid cold and snow goes away!

[glazier]

Thanks CB

[C_B_]

glazier wrote:
If you have the switch turned off, and plugged in to shore power, are your batteries being charged?

If all wires to your battery/ies are connected to your disconnect switch, your battery/ies will not charge.

C.B.

[glazier]

If you have the switch turned off, and plugged in to shore power, are your batteries being charged?

[rhagfo]

I added one roatary in design mounted on the bulk head above the batteries! Very much dislike the blade type.

[Hondavalk]

clicky

[Mfar1234]

I use this - works great for me

Amazon and Camping World carry them

http://www.elearnaid.com/badiswwivesw.html

[TomHaycraft]

One of the first additions I made to my trailer. Two weeks between bringing it home and my first trip, battery was dead. Now, along with turning the propane bottles off, I flip the switch to disconnect the battery. Easy enough, one less worry.

[2008Wildcat]

Yes.

With all the electronics now, and also hard wired LP detectors, there is always parasitic loss.