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Good Sam Roadside Assistance

Should I Leave My RV's Battery Disconnect Switch On When Going Down The Road In My RV?

by Ron
(Chicago, Il)

How to Properly Operate a Battery Disconnect Switch in an RV

How to Properly Operate a Battery Disconnect Switch in an RV

Should I leave the battery disconnect switch on my fifth wheel in the on or off position while driving on the road? I've been turning it to the off position and have noticed that the battery is not fully charged when reaching my destination.

ANSWER: Hi Ron, the way most Battery Disconnect Switches are wired in RVs is that when the battery disconnect switch is in the "batteries off" position the house batteries will not receive a charge from your tow vehicles charging system or in the case of a motorhome the batteries will not receive a charge from the motorhome's charging system. Also when you are plugged into shore power with the battery disconnect switch in the "batteries off" position in most cases your house batteries will not receive a charge from your RV's converter/charger.

Furthermore, depending on the age and make of your RV with the Battery Disconnect Switch in the "batteries off" position your RV's 12 volt lights and accessories may not work even when plugged into shore power.

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The only time you should keep the Battery Disconnect Switch in the "batteries off" position is when you are storing and not using your RV. Keeping the batteries off during storage helps prevent your house batteries from being completely discharged during storage from constant drains from such items as TV antenna amplifiers, Propane Detectors, etc. Also if you keep your RV plugged in during storage keeping the batteries off will prevent your house batteries from being overcharged by your RV's converter/charger. This helps prolong the life of your RV's house batteries.

For those RVers that own an RV without a battery disconnect switch you can purchase and install an after-market battery disconnect switch.

I hope that this information has been helpful to you.

Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic? You can add them to this page by clicking on the "Click Here To Post Comments" link located near the bottom of this page.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

Comments for Should I Leave My RV's Battery Disconnect Switch On When Going Down The Road In My RV?

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starstarstarstarstar 		What if you have solar
by: Anonymous

If there is a solar panel for the batteries, do you ever need to turn the switch off?
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Battery switch
by: Anonymous

Hello. My father lives in an RV and we are trying to locate the disconnect battery switch but we cannot seem to find it. Where can it be located? He lives in a Catalina Coachman 1989.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Battery
by: Bobby N

We’ve had new trailer 1 week & battery is dead. Now we know we should have turned off switch. But should it have drained that quick from just antennae & smoke & gas detectors? All major appliances have been off. Did we ruin this battery already?

Frustrated in Florida
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Question
by: Ryan

My RV has two battery disconnects. One on the compartment wall behind batteries and another one on the side by the Water hook-up hubs. Do both disconnects have to be in "open" position while driving to recharge the batteries? Or just the one behind the batteries?
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Leave switch on when towing.
by: Don

Battery power must be on while towing in case of emergency disconnect. This provides power to electric brakes if trailer becomes unhooked.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Thanks - Info about Disconnect Switch!!
by: Vic Schmidt

Thanks for clearing this up for a brand new Motor Homer!!
😎
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Red Light On or Off on Disconnect Switch?
by: Vic Schmidt

Should the Battery Disconnect Switch's Red Light be On or Off during normal operation or when on Shore Power.

Seems like that light should be On except when you are storing your rig between outings, correct?

Note From RVing Al: The red light should be on during normal operation. When you use the switch to disconnect the batteries from the system, the light will be off.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		answer t converter inverter Question
by: Anonymous

An inverter takes your battery power 12V DC and produces AC 120V output. A converter does just the opposite it steps down your 120 v Ac input and feeds it to a diode bridge whose output is 12v DC.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		auto park brake
by: Anonymous

problems with thee auto park brake, so i disconected the whole system, and use the foot emergency brake. but now i have all kinds of electrical problems, do i need to disconnect a fuse, relays , sensers, etc?
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		converter
by: Emily

My husband had a stroke in 2011. We have a 1995 Newmar Kountry Star motor home. I am learning all I can, but need some help.The box located on the underside of the bed.Is this the converter, and the power box in the outside storage,is tthis the inverter. What is the function of each one? Any help appreciated

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