Why Did They Do It Like That? - Page 2

ktmracer · 10-31-2013, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roller4Tan

Through other posts and my own experience the slides and power jacks are exempt from the battery switch. as they do not present a current draw when not in use. So your panel wiring and anything run by the remote will be hot.

In most cases the slides and jacks are fused/breakered in the converter panel. so either the WHOLE panel or NON of the panel is disconnected with the battery discconnect switch.

In my case the tongue jack is not run through the panel so it is not disconnected by the master switch. All the rest of the 12V comes from the converter panel and is disconnected.

If the trailer is wired with the slides not going through the panel, then they could be hot with the disconnect switch off.

Bob Landry · 10-31-2013, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airforceret

Bob,

I replaced the touch panel under warranty and while disconnecting wires from the touch panel, many of the wires began sparking against one another. So apparently the touch panel wiring is exempt from the battery disconnect.

I'm not claiming to know all of the intricacies of how your trailer 12V wiring is installed. I'm just saying that if you are not plugged into shore power, the only 12V source you are going to have is the battery. If your control panel is between the battery switch and the battery, it has power all the time. Personally, I would redo it so that everything in the battery including the control panel was dead. Even though you think the panel is turned off, there are still parasitic loads that will drain a battery such as sensors, radio/TV memory, etc. The only things that have power when my battery is turned off is the breakaway switch and the tongue jack.

**JRTJH** · 10-31-2013, 09:30 AM

What I did with my Cougar (which has a factory installed 12V cutoff switch) is install a second cutoff switch on the negative lead from the battery box to the front wall distribution panel. The factory switch is installed AFTER the first 30Amp autoreset fuse. That fuse is connected to the front landing gear, slide, main convenience panel, break away switch and front landing gear lights. There may be other circuits I haven't discovered wired to that breaker also.

From that breaker, the 12V lead goes to the factory installed cutoff switch and from there to the second 30Amp autoreset fuse which then goes to the 12 volt fuse panel in the converter.

So, in essence, on my Cougar, turning off the battery cutoff switch only disconnects those components that are routed through the converter panel. I believe that's why the front landing gear, slide, etc have "in line" fuses hidden throughout the wiring harness. They aren't protected by the fuse panel in the converter.

Kristi · 10-31-2013, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Landry

Number 3. All of the overheard 12V lights in the living area, kitchen are controlled by wall switches, the bedroom overheads are not.

.

And they put the light right over the bed in our passport where I can't reach it without climbing on the bed.

outwest · 10-31-2013, 05:31 PM

On our vantage, the switch to control the slide is very low to the floor, where a small child could easily reach it. Seems like an accident waiting to happen and a huge liability issue to me, especially when you consider how much little kids like to play with switches.

Would make more sense to have it high up on wall, next to the control panel. I would think it would have saved wiring to put it there too, since that shares a wall with converter and is closer to slide. Where factory put it is just inside the door, on opposite side of trailer from both converter and slide, and about 2 feet above floor.

theeyres · 10-31-2013, 08:38 PM

On my Hideout the shore power cord pushes into it's opening behind the spare tire mounted on the rear bumper. Can't move the tire or it will be in front of the furnace vent. Only choice is to carry the spare tire in the truck bed or fight the cord.

Bob Landry · 11-01-2013, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theeyres

On my Hideout the shore power cord pushes into it's opening behind the spare tire mounted on the rear bumper. Can't move the tire or it will be in front of the furnace vent. Only choice is to carry the spare tire in the truck bed or fight the cord.

Having to work around the spare tire to get the power cord in and out would get to be a PITA pretty quick. Have you considered converting to a detachable cord?

airforceret · 11-05-2013, 09:30 AM

Well in my humble opinion, if it says "battery disconnect" then it really should do just that... or relabel it as "work on it at your own risk as this does not entirely remove the battery from the electrical circuitry of this unit"

Bob Landry · 11-05-2013, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airforceret

Well in my humble opinion, if it says "battery disconnect" then it really should do just that... or relabel it as "work on it at your own risk as this does not entirely remove the battery from the electrical circuitry of this unit"

And a correctly located battery switch will do exactly that. The exception is that the breakaway switch is connected directly to the POS post because you want it functional even if you are towing with the switch turned off. Another item that stays connected to he hot terminal is a power tongue jack, if you have one on the trailer. There's no reason really for doing that either way, I've just never seen the jack connected any way but directly to the positive terminal. Neither the jack or the breakaway switch are going to have any relevance to the interior 12V systems in the trailer.

ktmracer · 11-05-2013, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Landry

And a correctly located battery switch will do exactly that. The exception is that the breakaway switch is connected directly to the POS post because you want it functional even if you are towing with the switch turned off. Another item that stays connected to he hot terminal is a power tongue jack, if you have one on the trailer. There's no reason really for doing that either way, I've just never seen the jack connected any way but directly to the positive terminal. Neither the jack or the breakaway switch are going to have any relevance to the interior 12V systems in the trailer.

I agree completely, however if your Jack has a light and switch on it, make sure the light is turned OFF!! I always double check the jack light to avoid a dead battery.

twstdpear · 11-09-2013, 05:36 PM

Found an interesting one today while attempting to winterize. Here were my low point drains:

Notice how "accessible" the hot water low-point drain is? I must have not noticed it last year and just dumped cold and then did my normal winterizing (blow out & then pump antifreeze) since I was at a campground and winterized as we were packing up. It's a good thing it worked out and nothing burst, but I guess the antifreeze mixed with the water well enough to do its job. I decided to go ahead and take the time to fix it instead of rolling the dice again, plus do an upgrade while I was at it:

I still need to tape it up, but it's somewhat hard to even see the cut and the whole setup is *much* more user friendly now. All they needed was a 8" piece of red PEX instead of a 5" piece, and I wouldn't be writing this. I also would have been able to finish winterizing today.

cwray · 11-23-2013, 12:46 PM

Think about a house. It is built with a wiring diagram but that is an electrical drawing not mechanical so you do not know haw the wires are physically routed. I think RVs are the same, they have a wiring diagram but not a physical layout for running the cables. About the breaker, wire plug issue, who knows what they were doing.

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