Emergency brake switch

firedudeat1 · 05-15-2017, 12:47 PM

Went camping this week, I forgot to disconnect cable to the emergency brake switch, the pin was pulled out of switch. I did not notice for 4 days.
Switch was very hot, put pin back in and it cooled right down. The trailer brakes seem to be working ok. My trailer battery will not charge, assume it was damaged by the switch. Could you please let me know what ALL could be damaged by the pin being out of the switch for that period of time? Wondering if charging system or inverter was damaged? Thanks

**bikendan** · 05-15-2017, 01:03 PM

Battery could be permanently damaged.
Maybe some brake damage.
The CONverter (not INverter)should be fine.

FirstTracks · 05-16-2017, 09:55 AM

Another noob question here -- pulling that pin draws current or causes brake damage?

NMWildcat · 05-16-2017, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FirstTracks

Another noob question here -- pulling that pin draws current or causes brake damage?

Yep, pulling the pin activates the switch that applies current to your electric brakes. So your brakes were applied until the battery discharged or the pin was reinserted. Might have your brakes and battery looked at.

FirstTracks · 05-16-2017, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Yep, pulling the pin activates the switch that applies current to your electric brakes. So your brakes were applied until the battery discharged or the pin was reinserted. Might have your brakes and battery looked at.

It's only been a couple of days and while on shore power. I'm therefore not too worried about it, but I won't be doing that again.

5picker · 05-16-2017, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FirstTracks

Another noob question here -- pulling that pin draws current or causes brake damage?

Could be both.
For sure it definitely draws current as the break-away switch activates the circuit (by pulling the pin) to apply the electric trailer brakes in a emergency situation.

Because the brakes are applied using an electro-magnet, there could be damage to the electro-magnet itself (overheating) that could have caused damage to it.

NMWildcat · 05-16-2017, 10:38 AM

Yep, 5picker is right. Better safe than sorry. Do some research and you will find lots of instances where wiring or magnets melted, especially if it's been several days and your battery is dead.

5picker · 05-16-2017, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FirstTracks

It's only been a couple of days and while on shore power. I'm therefore not too worried about it, but I won't be doing that again.

Several things could have happened even if 'only a couple of days.'

One your converter was working overtime to keep up with the demand of the current draw of the brake system. It may or may not have been able to do so.

Two, (and because of one) your battery may have went to a low voltage state.
Hopefully it will recharge and hold a charge.

Three see my post above about overheating the electro-magnets.
They can be damaged in hours let alone days if left on full time.
But then again, depending on the amount of current draw available, ambient temps and so forth, they may not be damaged at all.

FirstTracks · 05-16-2017, 10:44 AM

I was actually working on the trailer both days. It never went below 13.46 volts.

NMWildcat · 05-16-2017, 10:47 AM

So why did you say it won't charge? Very confusing. But several folks have given advice. Take it or leave it.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

**wmtire** · 05-16-2017, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

So why did you say it won't charge? Very confusing. But several folks have given advice. Take it or leave it.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

The member you are replying to, is not the OP who made that statement.

NMWildcat · 05-16-2017, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmtire

The member you are replying to, is not the OP who made that statement.

Ah, my bad... Just saw both names started with an 'f'.

firedudeat1 · 05-16-2017, 11:09 AM

It killed my battery, will not hold a charge. Brakes seem to be working though. Any way to check each magnet in each wheel?

llr · 05-16-2017, 11:10 AM

since the switch was hot and cooled down when put back in that tells me at least some of the magnets are ok and the battery wasn't dead at that time. I would stil check the magnets as some may be bad

Could be a fuse between the converter and the battery, can you try a separate battery charger directly on the battery. If you have a voltmeter how low did the battery voltage get?

firedudeat1 · 05-16-2017, 11:13 AM

One other thing has me confused, the breaker for the washer outlet tripped and will not reset. Nothing was ever plugged into the washer outlet. Could that have been caused by the brake switch or is it just a fluke in happened on same trip?

llr · 05-16-2017, 11:19 AM

I assume any washer would be 110V AC, absolutely no connection to any issues on the 12V DC side which includes the brakes

FirstTracks · 05-16-2017, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

So why did you say it won't charge? Very confusing. But several folks have given advice. Take it or leave it.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

We're two different people. I just glommed onto the thread with a question.

NMWildcat · 05-16-2017, 12:57 PM

No problem, I wasn't paying close enough attention before I shot my mouth off

boondocking · 05-16-2017, 04:40 PM

**Flybob** · 05-16-2017, 05:06 PM

Check the two large current fuses (30-40 amps) in the fuse panel. They are there to protect against mis-connecting the battery, but if you draw a significant amount of power for long enough, they could blow. You brakes are designed to be applied to stop and sit at a light or toll, not be on full for 4 days. The magnets get hot and can be damaged. I would check each one carefully. If the battery is indeed dead, you should have it load tested. A damaged battery will appear to charge, but will not support a load for any length of time.

You may also like: