Apex Nano 208bhs breakaway battery location

[chrisjhiebert]

Hi all,
Running through my first ever camper winterization with our 2020 Apex Nano 208BHS. I'm trying to find the breakaway switch battery, which I assumed would be on the a-frame, but it is not. I see the switch, and 2 thin black wires coming from it. One is ground, the other one I lose at a junction box underneath the front of the camper just behind the a-frame. I looked up and down the length of the wire harness and do not see a breakaway battery.

Is it possible the breakaway is simply wired in to the main 12v battery? That seems like a cheapo solution but based on some other "cut corners" we've come across since owning this camper, it also wouldn't surprise me.

[babock]

Yes....the breakaway battery is your main battery. All travel trailers are built that way and its been that way for years.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by chrisjhiebert

Is it possible the breakaway is simply wired in to the main 12v battery? That seems like a cheapo solution but based on some other "cut corners" we've come across since owning this camper, it also wouldn't surprise me.

This has been the standard setup in the RV Industry for decades, on towables.
Not sure why you consider it as a cheapo/cut corners solution. Definitely saves some tongue weight over having two different batteries.

[SeaDog]

Welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. As you see.

[chrisjhiebert]

Thanks! I'll stop looking for the invisible battery.

I've seen a lot of campers with smaller, dedicated batteries for breakaway switches but maybe those are aftermarket kits for campers that didn't come with brakes from the factory.

And to my mind, let's say I just camped off-grid or for some other reason I've drained my main 12v, and while towing home my trailer goes rogue. The breakaway system is now useless, right? So it seems like having a separate battery dedicated to the brakes would make sense. That's my reasoning for calling it "cheapo".

All of that being said, I'm the first to admit that this is all new to me. My last camper was a featureless 8' pop-up so the complexity has ramped up considerably.

Anyway, thanks again.

[bikendan]

If you depleted the battery, while camping, then your tow vehicle(if setup properly), the charge wire in the 7-pin connector, should provide enough power to the battery to power the breakaway switch.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by bikendan

If you depleted the battery, while camping, then your tow vehicle(if setup properly), the charge wire in the 7-pin connector, should provide enough power to the battery to power the breakaway switch.

Hopefully the trailer battery gets charged enough to function during the tow home before the trailer breaks away.

(The OP has overlooked the fact that if a separate battery were used, no one would ever check and maintain it--no outward symptoms--and it would be worthless after the first 2-3 years.)

[chrisjhiebert]

I asked where the separate battery might be precisely because I intended to check and maintain it. So I didn't overlook that fact at all.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by chrisjhiebert

I asked where the separate battery might be precisely because I intended to check and maintain it. So I didn't overlook that fact at all.

You are one in a thousand, my friend.

[babock]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

You are one in a thousand, my friend.

Plus you would have to have some special charging circuitry to charge this second breakaway battery. Not going to happen!