Battery switch

[MarkTwain]

Should the battery switch be left on while your are RVing and only turned off when you put your trailer into storage???

[StirCrazy]

pianotuna wrote:
Steve,

Usually solar is direct connected to the battery bank.

ya I suspect it is, I didnt install it on the 5th, but they way they installed some of the other stuff makes me wonder. this spring I am going to take off pannels and try trace it and see exactly how they did it and if they put any disconects on the pannel side of the controler.

still for some one who leave there rv pluged in when ever they are not using it a disconect switch is useless as it doesnt disconect everything, and if you don't leave it pluged in you shoould be thinking about takeing the bateries out anyways depending how cold your winters are.

Steve

[way2roll]

pianotuna wrote:
Steve,

Usually solar is direct connected to the battery bank.

Mine also. I use the disconnect switch in storage and my solar still charges the batts.

[Lynnmor]

Dave H M wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
Wrong, the battery switch has nothing to do with trailer brakes. Trailer brakes are not wired through the switch.

Mine are.

X2

Since a trailer breakaway system has no fuse and some batteries are hard to access, I wire the battery disconnect to shut off everything quickly. Ask yourself how you might shut down power when the wires are smoking. I don't care what others repeat about the "proper" way to do things.

[Dave_H_M]

Lynnmor wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
Wrong, the battery switch has nothing to do with trailer brakes. Trailer brakes are not wired through the switch.

Mine are.

X2

[pianotuna]

Steve,

Usually solar is direct connected to the battery bank.

[StirCrazy]

i call it the useless switch, all it does is mislead people into thinking there batteries wont drail while they are in storage. personaly mine has never been turned off because I am not sure how they ran the solar on my 5th and I dont want to risk disconecting the battery with out disconecting the pannels first.

Steve

[pianotuna]

Retired JSO wrote:

He could be right but I doubt it.. The trailer breakaway should be wired hot at all times even when the coach battery switch is off, just like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. When stored, a battery terminal should be disconnected to kill all power.

In my class C the hard wired smoke detector is switched by the main disconnect. The CO monitor has it's own 9 volt battery.

[dougrainer]

way2roll wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
It ought to be called a storage switch.

This. Not sure how misleading terms like "salseman switch" get coined. It's a battery disconnect to prevent your batteries from being discharged when you aren't using the RV. If you are using it , you need your batteries. As far as if you need them while towing, the answer is, it depends. Example, if you have a residential refrigerator and want to keep it cold and running on the inverter, then it needs to be in use/connected mode. If your brakes or anything that needs to be working is dependent on batteries while you are towing then the batteries need to be on. So it depends on your specific trailer and your needs. Some will charge while towing from the tow vehicle and need to be connected to do so. Lots of variables.

And not all disconnect switches truly disconnect. I had a Class A once that the batts would drain even when disconnected. Obviously some phantom draw. As stated, the best method for long term storage is to physically disconnect a terminal.

It got called a Salesmen Switch by some yahoo on an RV forum. They saw the Salesman turn the switch ON when they looked at the RV and then OFF when they walked out of the RV. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SALESMEN:B Then others started calling it a Salesmen switch. AS to using the Disconnect for storage, It all depends on the OEM. Some wire all 12 volts thru the disconnect(except trailer brake away). Almost ALL wire the 12 volt tongue Jack straight to the battery, which means if you leave the Tongue jack light ON(if yours has one) it will drain the battery. Some wire the CO and LP detector direct bypassing the Disconnect. It is BEST to just disconnect the negative cable from the battery for long term storage.
IF YOUR TRAILER BRAKES ARE WIRED THRU THE DISCONNECT, IT IS WIRED WRONG. THE BREAK AWAY SYSTEM MUST BE WIRED DIRECT TO THE TRAILER BATTERY. Doug

[way2roll]

pianotuna wrote:
It ought to be called a storage switch.

This. Not sure how misleading terms like "salseman switch" get coined. It's a battery disconnect to prevent your batteries from being discharged when you aren't using the RV. If you are using it , you need your batteries. As far as if you need them while towing, the answer is, it depends. Example, if you have a residential refrigerator and want to keep it cold and running on the inverter, then it needs to be in use/connected mode. If your brakes or anything that needs to be working is dependent on batteries while you are towing then the batteries need to be on. So it depends on your specific trailer and your needs. Some will charge while towing from the tow vehicle and need to be connected to do so. Lots of variables.

And not all disconnect switches truly disconnect. I had a Class A once that the batts would drain even when disconnected. Obviously some phantom draw. As stated, the best method for long term storage is to physically disconnect a terminal.

[Retired_JSO]

Lynnmor wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
Wrong, the battery switch has nothing to do with trailer brakes. Trailer brakes are not wired through the switch.

Mine are.

He could be right but I doubt it.. The trailer breakaway should be wired hot at all times even when the coach battery switch is off, just like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. When stored, a battery terminal should be disconnected to kill all power.

[Lynnmor]

azdryheat wrote:
Wrong, the battery switch has nothing to do with trailer brakes. Trailer brakes are not wired through the switch.

Mine are.

[beemerphile1]

Closed (connected) when in use
Open (disconnected) when stored

I know the switch says off/on, but that is inaccurate nomenclature.

[pianotuna]

It ought to be called a storage switch.

[azdryheat]

Wrong, the battery switch has nothing to do with trailer brakes. Trailer brakes are not wired through the switch.