Blue Sea Systems Disconnect Switch Installation

[Avenger61]

I just purchased a Blue Sea Systems battery disconnect switch to install on my camper with two 12 volt batteries. The switch has three posts labeled "1" "2" and "common". I am assuming the positive wire from each battery goes to terminals 1 and 2 but common has me confused; is this the location for ground wire from the camper frame position?

[ironj]

No!!!..its the positive output of the switch....DO NOT GROUND IT

[ironj]

The common goes to the camper wiring....it is a positive output selected by the switch. (1,2, 1+2, or off)

[Avenger61]

MMMMmmm so now I'm really confused. Good Ole Websters dictionary says the term "Common" means ground or neutral, so if the ground doesn't go there what does? Am I correct in assuming the positive wire of each battery goes to terminal labeled 1 and 2 on the switch? Can you be more specific on how this is wired?

[onetonford]

That could have been BAD!!!!!!
: blowup:

[Avenger61]

Okay we've established that I'm pretty dumb when it comes to wiring and electricity. So anyone know how to wire this switch that can give me directions in VERY simple terms before I create a mushroom cloud over PA?

[onetonford]

POS + wires from batteries go to the 1 and 2 on the switch and the common is the wire that goes back to the camper. when you remove the pos wires from the batteries where they connect to the camper you would have to remove them from that terminal and move those to the new switch. then from the common from the switch you need a wire from the common on the switch back to that terminal.

[Avenger61]

I'm feeling really dense right now. When you say common wire is the wire that goes back to the camper are you saying that a wire goes from the post labeled common on the switch to each positive terminal on the battery; so there are two wires going back to the batteries (one to each positive post)? So bottom line it would be battery 1 + goes to switch post 1, battery 2 + goes to switch post 2 and then a separate wire from each battery + post back to the switch common post?

[ironj]

Just take the wire from the camper that was on the + positive terminal and stick it on that "common"...never mind the name....then the positives from each battery to 1 and 2....

There will be only 3 wires coming from the switch. .1 from the positive on each batt to post 1 and 2...then think of the "common" as an output....where the switch selects which source is the output...bat 1, bat2, both, or neither....

[Avenger61]

Okay, I think I got it. This would mean I need to purchase another wire because once I remove the camper wire from the positive side of one battery, and put it on the common side of the switch, that battery will no longer have a wire on the positive terminal. Sorry to be such a pain in the rear, but I really don't understand electrical connections at all. Thanks for the help - Let me know if you smell smoke!

[ironj]

U got it.....use battery cable...same size as your 2 batteries are connected together.....

[Avenger61]

Thank you so much, you probably just saved me from having to spend bunches of bucks and a really bad Saturday!!!

[Avenger61]

One more question - I have a jumper wire between the positive posts on the battery; does that stay as it is or can I use it to run to the switch?

[Avenger61]

Nevermind - that was another dumb question.

[ironj]

Yes...its connecting yiyr your 2 batteries...it stays...assuming your only going to use one side of the switch to control BOTH batteries....

The switch is actually designed to control each battery independentantly.... (hence the 1and 2 inputs)..

[Avenger61]

Uh Oh you lost me. The way this is wired now is: Ground from camper to negative post on battery 1 with jumper wire to negative post on battery 2; positive wire from camper to positive post on battery 2 with jumper wire to positive post on battery 1.

I thought I could take the positive wire from the camper to the common on the switch and the jumper wire from the positive post on battery 2 to the #2 post on the switch and get another wire to run from the positive post on battery 1 to the #1 post on the switch. That would leave no jumper between positive posts on the two battery's. Am I still confused or is this correct?

[VTX Al]

OK .... making an assumption here. Since you have two 12V batteries installed, I will assume that you have them connected in parallel to your trailer system. If this is the case then simply treat them as "one big battery". The negative side of one of the batteries goes to trailer ground (frame). The positive side of the other battery goes to either terminal 1 or 2 of the Blue Sea switch. The common terminal of the switch goes to the wire previously connected directly to the positive battery terminal. The Blue Sea switch then disconnects or connects BOTH batteries simultaneously. This link might help you understand the system a little better The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1) .
Good luck.

...VTX-Al

[dan-nickie]

Is the switch you have something like this?


Tell us which model you have.
Sounds like you have a marine switch that is used to switch between batteries, or connect both with a flip of the switch?

[Avenger61]

So then what goes to the other terminal of the switch? The blue sea switch I have has selector positions for 1 battery, 2 batteries, both batteries or off. I want to be able to control the batteries independently or have them both on. The negative side of one of the batteries does currently go to the trailer ground (frame), but the other battery goes to the trailer positive side.

[Avenger61]

I have the Blue Sea Systems 6007 m-series switch.