Quote:
Originally Posted by Cardcathrn
... Came back a month later to hitch and no power. After much investigation called the tech help. When we first put battery in, we turned disconnect to on. Thinking, yes! We want to leave disconnected so as not to drain. ...
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Don't be lulled into thinking your battery will be fully charged "after a month" if you rely on the OEM battery disconnect switch to remove all drains from the battery. There are several that remain connected (Propane detector, radio memory circuit, etc) that will drain your battery in as short a time frame as one week.
Also remember that discharging most "marine/RV deep cycle batteries" beyond about 70% will shorten their life. Finding a "completely dead battery" several times will probably destroy most RV batteries in one season. So, if you're going to store your trailer without shore power available, the safest means to protect your battery AND extend its useful life, is to remove all power drains from the system. That means disconnecting the battery terminals (at the battery) or installing a second "battery cutoff switch" on the cables at the battery (or in the cable circuitry).
Many people without power to recharge the battery on site, simply remove their battery and take it home, others disconnect it and leave it in the trailer, the rest find a dead battery "a month later".