Battery Disconnect

[Alderin123]

2022 Rockwood ESP 1910

Question? When my pop up is sitting between trips month or 2 … what is the consensus on disconnecting the batteries / I have a switch that came from factory… I’ve been leaving it connected…

Thanks

[CHICKDOE]

I don’t know your pop-up. Does the disconnect switch remove ALL loads from the battery? In almost every other post about this there seem to be some small ‘parasitic’ loads that do not get disconnected by that switch. These small loads over a period of weeks will drain and kill the battery.

If you are storing it for a couple of months to be safe you should disconnect the battery negative lead. Also make sure the battery is fully charged before it goes into storage.

[5picker]

Properly charged and then completely disconnected is the proper way to store any FLA (flooded lead acid) battery for any length of time, even a month or two.

A pop-up won't have many parasitic drains on it but even a radio memory or CO detector will kill a battery that is not disconnected. Does YOUR disconnect switch completely disconnect the battery? Believe it or not, some don't!

[markcee]

• Battery disconnect switch is not engaged (battery is providing power to trailer) any time the trailer is in use.
  
• Battery disconnect switch is engaged (battery is NOT providing power to trailer) any time the trailer is in storage.

Note that even with the battery disconnect engaged, certain components in your trailer (propane detector, radio/stereo memory) will be live and drawing from the battery, eventually discharging it. If you want to avoid this 'parasitic draw', disconnect the negative cable.

Personally, I always remove the battery completely and keep it on a battery tender/maintainer at home, if storing the trailer for longish periods.

[fipntdot]

I recommend really checking your trailer. Some have parasitic drains even when the battery disconnect is engaged, some do not. On our, all sensors and even the electric jack have no power when the battery is switched off. Many units are different.

[Alderin123]

Originally Posted by markcee

• Battery disconnect switch is not engaged (battery is providing power to trailer) any time the trailer is in use.
  
  
  
• Battery disconnect switch is engaged (battery is NOT providing power to trailer) any time the trailer is in storage.
  

Note that even with the battery disconnect engaged, certain components in your trailer (propane detector, radio/stereo memory) will be live and drawing from the battery, eventually discharging it. If you want to avoid this 'parasitic draw', disconnect the negative cable.



Personally, I always remove the battery completely and keep it on a battery tender/maintainer at home, if storing the trailer for longish periods.

Perfect sense! Thanks!. I have two batteries… along with solar …. To me it just doesn’t make sense to leave not engaged for long periods of time …. I’m not speaking of storage either … just during long periods of downtime,,,,

Cheers

[markcee]

Originally Posted by Alderin123

Perfect sense! Thanks!. I have two batteries… along with solar …. To me it just doesn’t make sense to leave not engaged for long periods of time …. I’m not speaking of storage either … just during long periods of downtime,,,,

Cheers

For our current trailer - which has solar - I just leave the batteries connected and let the solar system's charge controller take care of maintaining the batteries. Previous trailer (no solar) I would do the battery removal/maintainer thing.

My solar setup (I guess, many of them) bypasses the battery disconnect switch so I can turn on the disconnect and still get a charge sent to the batteries.

[latner]

The best way for a disconnect switch to be wired is directly between the Neg side of the battery and the Neg cable going to the trailer.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by latner

The best way for a disconnect switch to be wired is directly between the Neg side of the battery and the Neg cable going to the trailer.

Doesn't matter whether switch is in neg or positive lead. If switch is off circuit is open and nothing flows in or out of battery.

The "disconnect neg cable first" is a safety precaution in the automotive industry as batteries are usually mounted where it's east to short battery due to its location next to lots of metal and easy to short the positive cable/terminal while disconnecting it.

[Alderin123]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Doesn't matter whether switch is in neg or positive lead. If switch is off circuit is open and nothing flows in or out of battery.

The "disconnect neg cable first" is a safety precaution in the automotive industry as batteries are usually mounted where it's east to short battery due to its location next to lots of metal and easy to short the positive cable/terminal while disconnecting it.

[emoji106]

[CHICKDOE]

another reason to put the disconnect switch on the negative cable is that most of the time there is only a single cable running from the negative battery terminal to the frame ground. note that i said most. i'm sure there are exceptions. so by installing the disconnect on the negative side you only have one cable involved.

in many if not most cases there will be several cables attached to the positive battery terminal. there could be many devices wired directly to the positive terminal. if you wanted to install the disconnect on the positive side you will have to relocate these multiple cables off the positive battery terminal and to the non battery side of the disconnect switch or perhaps a buss bar. certainly not impossible.

[latner]

Originally Posted by CHICKDOE

another reason to put the disconnect switch on the negative cable is that most of the time there is only a single cable running from the negative battery terminal to the frame ground. note that i said most. i'm sure there are exceptions. so by installing the disconnect on the negative side you only have one cable involved.

in many if not most cases there will be several cables attached to the positive battery terminal. there could be many devices wired directly to the positive terminal. if you wanted to install the disconnect on the positive side you will have to relocate these multiple cables off the positive battery terminal and to the non battery side of the disconnect switch or perhaps a buss bar. certainly not impossible.

Exactly!