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Old 07-08-2019, 07:20 AM   #1
The Waits Family
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Unable to Locate 12v Disconnect Switch

Greetings all. First time Keystone owner and first time posting. Thanks in advance for your time to reply and help out a fellow rv'er.


Just took ownership of a 2019 Keystone Sprinter Campfire 27FWML. I have not been able to locate a 12v disconnect switch. If there is not one, do you recommend installing one? I realize I could just take the battery cables off but wanted to do it right.


Many thanks and I look forward to contributing in any way I can.
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Old 07-08-2019, 07:52 AM   #2
MarkEHansen
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Welcome to the forum and RV family!

The battery disconnect switch usually looks like this:

https://www.amazon.com/WATERWICH-12-...dp/B07H7ZW4L1/

If installed, it will usually be in the forward pass-through compartment.

Note that if installed, the battery disconnect switch doesn't really disconnect all loads from the battery - some will stay connected, like CO detectors, stand-by power on RV electronics, tongue jacks, etc.

If storing the RV without shore-line power for more than a few days, you really need to disconnect the battery - I take mine home and store it on a battery maintainer, like the Battery Tender - to keep it charged and ready to go.
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Old 07-08-2019, 08:21 AM   #3
travelin texans
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If you add one add it the the main + or - cable so it completely disconnects all 12v power, as mentioned if you have/find the factory disconnect it does not totally disconnect.
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Old 07-08-2019, 12:30 PM   #4
The Waits Family
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Thank you all for the information. I will thoroughly look in the pass through area for the switch. If unable to find one, I will install per "travelin texans" instructions. Good to know that even if there is a factory switch, it does not fully disconnect everything so this might be needed regardless.


Again, thanks!
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Old 07-08-2019, 12:42 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkEHansen View Post
...
Note that if installed, the battery disconnect switch doesn't really disconnect all loads from the battery - some will stay connected, like CO detectors, stand-by power on RV electronics, tongue jacks, etc.
Well, on my new 2019 315RLS, it disconnects everything. Which is really what it should do.

I can confirm. Nothing draws power.
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Old 07-08-2019, 01:12 PM   #6
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Is that a disconnect switch like I pictured above, and installed by the manufacturer? Does your camper have an RVIA sticker on the side of it?
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Old 07-08-2019, 01:21 PM   #7
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New Cougar, installed by Keystone and yes I have the sticker. It is stock.
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Old 07-08-2019, 01:27 PM   #8
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Then I think that trailer is in violation of RVIA requirements. @JRTJH just posted this information about an hour ago. I don't remember which thread it was. Perhaps he will respond to this one too?
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Old 07-08-2019, 01:27 PM   #9
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For periods when I would want to disconnect the battery completely, I would also want to take it in the garage and leave it on a trickle charger, so I never bothered with a total shutoff switch (and have no use at all for the shutoff switch that comes with the RV).
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Old 07-08-2019, 01:28 PM   #10
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Here is the post: http://www.keystoneforums.com/forums...2&postcount=20 FYI
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Old 07-08-2019, 01:31 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by LHaven View Post
For periods when I would want to disconnect the battery completely, I would also want to take it in the garage and leave it on a trickle charger, so I never bothered with a total shutoff switch (and have no use at all for the shutoff switch that comes with the RV).
Do you really use a trickle charger? Or are you just using that term to refer to a battery maintainer? A trickle charger can easily over charge a battery, as it doesn't stop when the battery is fully charged. I've always been told trickle chargers are bad.
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Old 07-08-2019, 01:35 PM   #12
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Naw, it's just what I call it. Actually, it's a pretty sophisticated unit that does everything from gel cells to car batteries. Not like the Harbor Freight wall-wart that I keep in my horse trailer.
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Old 07-08-2019, 01:40 PM   #13
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Naw, it's just what I call it. Actually, it's a pretty sophisticated unit that does everything from gel cells to car batteries. Not like the Harbor Freight wall-wart that I keep in my horse trailer.
I see. By using the term, you may convince those that don't know the difference that they actually want a trickle charger
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Old 07-08-2019, 06:13 PM   #14
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Here is the original RVIA statement/announcement about the certification requirement for CO monitors in ALL RV's. It's dated October, 2004, so it's been around for 15+ years. The example they give in the news release, about a camper owner running a generator and asphyxiating people sleeping in the adjacent trailer who were not using a generator is a prime example of why the RVIA requirement for a WORKING CO monitor in all inhabited RV's (without regard to the battery cutoff switch disabling the device) is so important.

The news release:

RVIA: CO Detectors Required on all RVs (10/25/2004)

Story by Sherman Goldberg


All RVs carrying the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association's (RVIA) seal will be required to have carbon monoxide (CO) detectors installed effective Jan. 1.

The RVIA board determined at its meeting Sept. 26 at the St. Regis Hotel, Aspen., Colo., that the matter was so important that it took the unusual step of circumventing the traditional manner in which standards are established to issue the regulation.

Usually regulations are reviewed by the Standards Steering Committee and subjected to scrutiny within the industry before they go into effect.

"There have been a few cases where people using generators were hosing CO into a neighbor's RV who didn't have a detector," said Bruce Hopkins, vice president of standards and education. "The board thought the best way to deal with that was to require all RVs to have CO detectors. It was a safety issue that needed to be addressed right now."

Previously, CO detectors were required in motorhomes, truck campers and towables that had generators or were prepped for generators to be installed.

Hopkins estimated that 150,000 and 175,000 towables currently are sold without CO detectors installed.
https://www.rvbusiness.com/blog/rvia...n-all-rvs.html
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Old 07-08-2019, 06:52 PM   #15
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I certainly understand the position as stated. However, it seems to me to be a bit of a reach to interpret that as requiring bypasses for DC shutoff switches. One would not normally expect people to be inhabiting an RV with the shutoff switch turned to off, any more than one would expect people to be inhabiting that same RV with no battery, and the second set of people would have the same problem.
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Old 07-08-2019, 08:20 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LHaven View Post
I certainly understand the position as stated. However, it seems to me to be a bit of a reach to interpret that as requiring bypasses for DC shutoff switches. One would not normally expect people to be inhabiting an RV with the shutoff switch turned to off, any more than one would expect people to be inhabiting that same RV with no battery, and the second set of people would have the same problem.
All I can tell you "with certainty" is that Keystone, historically, has always wired the OEM battery bypass switch to maintain power to the trailer remote control, awning, slide rooms, landing gear, tongue jack, radio, LPG detector and CO monitor (if it is a hardwire model).

I won't get into the "it seems" or "should" or "what if" or "ought to" scenario, just the "what I've seen in every one I've worked on or inspected.
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Old 07-09-2019, 03:03 AM   #17
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I got the impression you were saying that RVIA required the CO detector not be disconnected using the battery disconnect switch but I see no evidence of that in the statement you posted above.
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Old 07-09-2019, 05:33 AM   #18
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I got the impression you were saying that RVIA required the CO detector not be disconnected using the battery disconnect switch but I see no evidence of that in the statement you posted above.
Well "just maybe" the evidence is the requirement to have the CO monitor ??? An inoperable device is the same as NO device and it requires a "working device" (ie: Powered on) to meet the standard.... At least that's the way I interpret the requirement. Of course, I'm not sleeping in or working on your trailer, so my interpretation of how it works and more importantly, "Why it's wired the way it is" doesn't matter in a "long distance discussion"....

Sort of like seat belts in cars: They are "required to be installed" (and intended to be used) BUT: if you don't put them on, their purpose is nullified.
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Old 07-09-2019, 05:37 AM   #19
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Actually, for seat belts there is a law which says they must be worn. I agree that it's a good idea to have the CO detector powered and operational. It just doesn't look like RVIA is requiring that it bypass the battery disconnect switch. That's the only part of the issue I was trying to determine.
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Old 07-09-2019, 05:59 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by MarkEHansen View Post
Actually, for seat belts there is a law which says they must be worn. I agree that it's a good idea to have the CO detector powered and operational. It just doesn't look like RVIA is requiring that it bypass the battery disconnect switch. That's the only part of the issue I was trying to determine.
You're "conflagurating" two seat belt requirements.

FEDERAL requirements mandate that automobile manufacturers install seat belts. There is no FEDERAL law that states you must wear seat belts. EXCEPT on federal property where state laws can not be enforced....

STATE law requires seat belt use and each state has slightly different requirements (just as motorcycle helmets vary from state to state).

The discussion in this thread (I thought) centered around the question, "Does the battery cutoff switch disconnect the entire 12 volt power system?" The answer, at least in my experience is, "No, the OEM battery cutoff switch does not disconnect the "entire" 12 volt power system." Effectively, if you turn the BCO switch to OFF and store your trailer, the battery will discharge, usually within 4 or 5 days.

I attempted to provide some background on "WHY" the BCO switch is wired that way. If you wish to agree or if you choose to not agree with my reasoning, then that's perfectly OK. Hopefully, those who don't have a good grasp of RV logic and understand their RV systems will gain some insight into how and why things work like they do. Sometimes the background on how things evolve to what we current have is complex, sometimes not. We may not all see the evolution the same way, but the fact remains, Turn off the BCO switch and your battery will still be dead when you go back to your trailer in a week or so.
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