Master electrical shutoff??

[s21ken]

Hi all,

We just purchased a "new-to-us" 2005 Challenger 29RLS. Other than having decals that are in terrible condition, it seems to have had excellent care by previous owners. This is a 50-amp unit and I will be installing a Progressive surge protector.

1. If you have installed a surge protector where did you install it at??
2. Is there a "master electrical shutoff" in the stock unit? What I mean by that is a switch of some type that enable you to totally isolate the batteries. When I leave the unit I would like to isolate the batteries so appliances with small draws do not draw down the batteries. I will not be able to always keep a batteries monitor hooked up.

[chuckster57]

:wlcm:
1) surge protector. Couple of options here, portable that plugs into the pedestal and trailer shore cord plugs into it or hard wired. In the hard wired version it is mounted inside the trailer between the breaker panel and the plug that the shore cord attaches to. You can get a "remote" monitor panel that you can mount on a wall that will display information. It is connected to the surge protector by a communication cable so a little pre planning would help if you went that route.

2) Battery cutoff. Not all units came with them from the factory. Most common place for factory switch is the front compartment, most often on the curb side. You can easily install one, just figure out where you want it. Then its just a matter of splicing it into the lead from the positive side of the battery(s) leading to the trailer, common color is black or red. Marinco makes a real nice one and I have installed many.

[gearhead]

Just me, I prefer the portable Progressive. The thought of troubleshooting a hardwired unit that is buried behind a wall is not pleasant.

[14george]

I got the portable one

[s21ken]

The portable makes a lot of sense but I was worried about two things:
1. They are weather resistant but not weather proof. Do you do anything supplemental to your portable units to add to the weather resistance?
2. Does the security feature of the portables really work? I am assuming you are to use a pad lock. What does it lock to?

[dcg9381]

Factory "battery disconnect" does not disconnect everything - at least in my experience. You need a real disconnect.