Toggle switch, what is it for?

[JLD475]

I have a 2014 Class C Lex 265. Inside the entrance door left of the battery compartment/steps, is a toggle switch. It is separate from the battery cutoff switch which is a rotational knob. I bought this unit from a rental company, and was under the impression this toggle switch had something to do with the solar panel connection to the batteries. It is not labelled, and there is no ON/OFF markings. Can anyone confirm its' purpose? Solar, generator, etc.?
Thanks

[grumpy0374]

Toggle switch or rocker switch? If it's a rocker switch it's probably switch for your yellow outside entry light. At least it is on our Lexi 283ts.
Grumpy

[JLD475]

Thanks grumpy, but not a rocker switch. It is a steel toggle switch and not associated with any lights.

[HerveVR]

If your MH is made similar to our 2012 Lexi 265DS you should be able to unscrew the CO Detector and have a look under the cabinet. You might find the answer by following the wires connected to the said toggle switch.

Keep us informed.

[markb422]

I installed a red led step light on a toggle switch so we did not have to turn on the over the door light to exit the tt at night.

[RFLLambert]

I have a 2014 Lexington 265DS and the switch located where you say is for the exterior porch light. Mine is plastic red and has a small light in it that lights when the switch is on so I can know that my porch light is on even if my door and curtains are closed. If yours is not for the exterior light, then how do you light it? May be the original switch broke and they replaced it by the steel toggle.

RFLLambert.
2014 lexington 265DS.

[JLD475]

Thanks RFLLambert. I also have the red light you mention, one for the porch light and another for the patio lights. This is a separate steel toggle switch with a green plastic hood over it. No matter which way you flip it, nothing seems to happen, so I'm still confused as to its' purpose.

[JLeising]

Sounds like a "mod" to me. On our Solera I added two toggle switches to that area. One disconnects my solar system from the batteries, the other disables the auto extension of the steps when the door is opened (useful when parked close to a high curb). Someone trying to determine their purpose by turning them on and off would likely see no effect of either switch.

[JLD475]

Finally confirmed its' purpose. It's a switch for the solar panel to batteries. I'm not sure why you would need it or ever turn it off, since there is a regulator that controls the trickle charge to batteries.

[lulubulu]

We recently bought a 2015 Lex 265DS ex-rental from CanaDream Vancouver The salesman told us the toggle switch with green hood is for the solar panels, although he didn't know why you'd need a switch if there is a built-in regulator to prevent overcharging. Perhaps you need to turn off the circuit if doing maintenance on solar panels?

More important question is whether switch should be up or down for solar to be charging?

Did an experiment on a sunny day with 120V house/shore power disconnected. The Convenience Center panel showed our voltage at 14.7 when switch was down. Voltage dropped to 13.3 when switch was up. After reconnecting to shore power, voltage fluctuates when the switch in the down position, whereas the voltage stays steady at 13.3 when in the up position.

Would appreciate confirmation on why we need this switch and which switch position is "on".

L&D

[RFLLambert]

It seams clear to me that when the switch is down the solar panel is charging the batteries, so it is ON. When the switch is up there is no battery charging, so it is OFF.

I think the purpose of that switch is to make battery maintenance easier and safer. I do not have a switch like that. So, when I physically disconnect the batteries, I must be careful and put something around the connector (the one fixed at the end of the wire coming from the solar panel) to avoid making a short circuit.

You are talking about the voltage you read at the Convenience Center. In my case, I have another panel associated with the solar system and located near the batteries. It gives me the actual voltage on the batteries or, by selecting it with a small sliding switch, the actual current entering in the batteries. This is the regulator that controls the trickle charge to the batteries. If the switch is OFF, the actual current will be 0.0.

If you have a cutoff switch (a rotational knob) used to isolate the batteries, you should put it OFF and look at the voltage on the regulator panel when your toggle switch is up or down. I am not sure about this, but I would think that if the cutoff switch is ON and if you are connected to shore power, there may be some interaction between your main motor-home voltage controller and the solar panel controller. The voltage fluctuation you mentioned may be caused by that interaction or it may be just the normal trickle operation of the controller if the batteries are fully charged. I am not saying that the interaction is wrong. I just don't know how it works exactly.

[lulubulu]

Thanks RFLL - you confirmed our assumptions for the on/off switch position and that its likely only required to be off for maintenance. Will look for the other panel associated to solar. We do have a cutoff switch to isolate the batteries.

[RVnwithCarter]

I have the same toggle switch and have been wondering the same thing! Thanks for starting this thread, I too would like to know if it should be in the up or down position to be trickle charging the batteries.

[lulubulu]

RVnwC, we concluded that the toggle should be down to close the circuit and charge the panels. We leave it down all the time as our converter prevents overcharging. Will only move the toggle to the up position if we need to do maintenance on the solar panels. As a related note, we spent Dec, Jan and Feb in California, Arizona and Rocky Point, Mexico. Accumulated a lot of dust on the RV so washed it a few times but wasn't able to reach the roof as we only have room to store a half height ladder. Arrived in a Havasu Lake camp yesterday. Husband borrowed a taller ladder from our neighbour and washed heaps of dust off roof and solar panel. The solar panel will produce a much better charge now!

[RVnwithCarter]

Wow! That sounds like an amazing trip lulubulu! Thanks for letting me know that it should be in the down position to close the circuit and allow the solar panels to charge the battery. I have been going on the apparently incorrect assumption that up is on! I will also keep in mind to wash the roof next time I get the chance! Safe travels!

[lulubulu]

Hmmmm ... we were told by our salesperson at CanaDream that the up position was on for charging. We figured he had it backwards as he was new to the company and it didn't make sense based on our limited testing. You could test it yourself by disconnecting your shore power, then checking your power levels after the switch is up for some time. Then try the switch down to see what the results are. The higher average voltage will determine the connection position. Let us know your results if you do this test.

[lulubulu]

Did some analysis while boondocking with only solar charging. Confirmed toggle switch (with green cover) needs to be in down position for solar panels to charge. Will only use the up position if doing maintenance on panels.