Battery disconnect

[Asroc777]

Do you remove the battery disconnect switch when connected to shore power? If so how often do you charge the batteries ? Thanks in advance

[Donjamin]

I'm not sure what you mean by "battery disconnect switch." Are you referring to the battery switch in the convenience center? I always leave my batteries connect when I'm hooked up to shore power. That way they are recharged. I do pull my batteries when my 5th wheel is in storage and hook them up to trickle chargers here at home.

D.

[1retired06]

When connected to shore power you need to keep the battery/batteries on line both for charging and because some 12v is still required, ex igniters. I never touch the switch which does not completely isolate the battery anyway but do use a blade disconnect directly off the neg battery terminal when the rig is not in use.

[Sparatacus]

Yeah, I don't touch the switch when I'm connected to shore power, why?

[mazboy]

don't touch the battery disconnect, so the answer is NO


if you want to store your trailer, unplugged, just disconnect the negative.


question: what are your referring to on charging batteries? they charge when you are plugged in.

[GreG L.]

I never disconnect the batteries, they charge on shore power and charge on solar when no power. If I didn't have solar I would either disconnect the negative terminal (used a knife switch in the past) or pull and put on a trickle charger.
My last trailer didn't have solar so I bought a solar Battery Tender for storage.

[ejerni]

When you travel, what position is the blade in?

[DutchmenSport]

I never turn my battery disconnect off. It's also never in storage. I do have a second disconnect for the inverter that powers the refrigerator when not plugged into shore power. I do keep that one turned off, unless we are actually traveling on the road. No need for the inverter running when we have shore power. And this has been a good year so far, we've not had any power outages that lasted longer than a few minutes.

[phillyg]

I leave the batteries connected when towing or on shore power.

[ejerni]

Thank you ! Mystery solved.
Liz

[BiggarView]

Sooooo... convenience bay battery disconnect switch on or off? What is not connected or connected when that switch is switched. I can't tell if it even works. Everything seems to be "on" whether the disconnect switch is on or off. What am I missing?

The disconnect in the battery bay clearly is for the inverter running the residential fridge only.

[Carl n Susan]

The battery disconnect in the convenience center should be left ON all the time. It does not disconnect all 12V power as the hydraulic system (jacks and slides), propane detector and other small things are on and constitute a parasitic drain that will empty a battery in a week or two.

If you want to disconnect the battery, remove the negative battery cable or install a real disconnect switch at the battery.

[phillyg]

I don't know what it does, either, and I really don't care LOL. I installed a cutoff at the batteries to totally disconnect everything so the batts won't run down in 2-3 weeks.

[Axleman27]

The battery disconnect in the wet bay cuts off the battery from the main DC system, including the charger. It does not cut off anything that is wired directly to the battery, such as the inverter or the jacks. The inverter has its own separate disconnect.