how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

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how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

November 29, 2011, 08:55:57 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 126977

When I store my 2003 24ML, I would like to disconnect the house batteries from the solar panels. I'm not sure if I can just remove the cables or if a switch is better. If the latter, what switch should I get and how do I install it.

Bill & Stevi Chatsworth, Ca

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Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #1 – November 30, 2011, 12:07:19 am

Yahoo Message Number: 126985

The simplest and easiest is to manually disconnect the battery.
Open the battery compartment and observe. There is a cable between two of the batteries. That is the jumper that connects the two batteries

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #2 – December 01, 2011, 03:11:14 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 127047

Thank you Linley,.Two more questions. I can disconnect the house battery negative cable. Do I need to do anything special with the solar panel or its control unit? And if so, what is the reconnection process?

-- Best Regards,

Bill

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Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #3 – December 01, 2011, 05:35:32 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 127050

In principle, once you disconnect the battery no other actions need be taken. If the coach is sitting outside on a sunny day, the solar panels will power up the 12VDC system but the controller will keep the voltage from going too high.
But, being the cautious sort of person I am, I would wonder if the controller's control loop will be stable with no battery load. I don't want there to be any voltage spikes on the DC bus. Therefore, I would open the fuse panel door and find the pigtail fuse holder near the big square terminal that has the red wires going into it. There should be a label around that wire that says it is the solar panel fuse. Pulling that fuse will keep the solar system from powering up the coach's DC power bus.

Linley

Quote

Thank you Linley,.Two more questions. I can disconnect the house battery negative cable. Do I need to do anything special with the solar panel or its control unit? And if so, what is the reconnection process?

-- Best Regards,

Bill

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #4 – December 01, 2011, 08:32:42 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 127055

Linley,
My 2005 26' RK came with a battery disconnect (installed by previous owner) which is the "jumper" between the two house batteries. Do you view this location as a potential problem? I also have dual solar panels.
Last winter he left it outside with both the disconnect and dual solar panels active and did not seem to have a problem. Your thoughts please.

David

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #5 – December 01, 2011, 11:05:20 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 127061

Quote

Linley,
My 2005 26' RK came with a battery disconnect (installed by previous owner) which is the "jumper" between the two house batteries. Do you view this location as a potential problem? I also have dual solar panels.
Last winter he left it outside with both the disconnect and dual solar panels active and did not seem to have a problem. Your thoughts please.

David

Not Linley here David...
Are you sure it was a "previous owner"??? The reason I ask is that my disconnect switch is located in precisely the same location and was installed there by the factory. I've never had a problem with that arrangement. It really doesn't matter whether you break the ckt. between the two batteries or at the negative side. The object is to open the ckt. so that no current flows, charge or discharge.
I typically store my '04 30'IB outside in my side yard summer and winter (when I'm not using it) and I alternately have it connected to a 30A house circuit or only on solar as the circumstance occurs.

Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Jiggs

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #6 – December 01, 2011, 11:21:26 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 127062

Lazy Daze also installs the battery disconnect switch

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #7 – December 02, 2011, 06:05:37 am

Yahoo Message Number: 127063

Steve, The disconnect may very well have been installed by LD. I just assumed they didn't since LD doesn't mention it in the owners manual. I have so much to learn. Thanks for your input.

David

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #8 – December 02, 2011, 06:10:21 am

Yahoo Message Number: 127064

Linley,
Sounds like the battery disconnect is just a convience option. Lifting the ground lead is not that difficult either and probably more effective since there is not another potential of failure with

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #9 – December 02, 2011, 09:11:35 am

Yahoo Message Number: 127065

The factory recommends against installing a battery disconnect switch if you ask them, particularly if you have solar panels. The reason is that if you happen disconnect the battery

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #10 – December 02, 2011, 09:44:45 am

Yahoo Message Number: 127067

"His switch was definitely going bad"
Just out of curiosity, Linley, do you have a feeling for what the mode of failure was? Oxidation, perhaps? If so, would contact cleaner (.g., DeoxIT) help?

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #11 – December 02, 2011, 10:28:41 am

Yahoo Message Number: 127068

Quote

Lazy Daze also installs the battery disconnect switch in the jumper >between the batteries. That's an ideal spot for it. I have one >there in our coach. But, if I were to do it over, I wouldn't buy >that option again. It has been of little use and, for the few times >one needs the battery disconnected, lifting the ground lead is an >easy alternative.
The switch LD uses is a good one but a couple of years ago I ran >into one that was failing.

Folks, I like my battery disconnect switch! I use it fairly often and feel that it is safe and reliable.
I cover my rig for the winter with an RV cover. When I want to exercize my genset during the winter, I can easily lift the cover enough to switch the batteries to on so I can start the genset. No need to actually see the batteries so I can remove cables. Turning the batteries off is just as easy. I can't imagine having to take a wrench out, lift the cover enough to see the batteries and fuss with cables.
As far as Linley's comment about a switch that had a problem; well.. just about any component can and will develope a problem; that doens't mean the disconnect switch is a bad idea.
I've seen too many sparks around batteries from making bad or faulty connections; for me, turning a switch is far easier and safer. Heck, one of the earlier messages about the "chirp" sound shows how easy it can be to hook cables up incorrectly and cause problems.
Maybe if the person who had a defective switch had cleaned the connections it would have not had a problem?

Steve K.

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #12 – December 02, 2011, 11:22:59 am

Yahoo Message Number: 127070

Dave,
I would never recommend someone removing one end of the jumper between the two batteries to disconnect the batteries. Insulated wrenches are not very easily obtained, and while disconnecting any of the four terminals on the batteries will serve the same function, the only real safe terminal to disconnect is the negative terminal of the battery whose positive terminal goes to the jumper between batteries. If you slipped and contacted the chasis with a metal wrench while on any of the other terminals you would be shorting out one or both batteries, not a situation you would want to experience.

Rich Gort - 2000 MB - Birch Bay, WA

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #13 – December 02, 2011, 12:22:41 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 127071

The extremely well made switch LD uses was designed for marine use; at least that's what the web site said. The only place we could find one locally was at a commercial marine supply company. As such, it's so well sealed that one could not tell what was going on. And, so well sealed that one would not expect contact cleaner to get inside; at least

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #14 – December 02, 2011, 12:36:09 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 127072

Rich,

You are correct. I was thinking the negative terminal was

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #15 – December 02, 2011, 02:47:14 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 127074

A potential problem with a disconnect switch that is used very infrequently (or never) is corrosion gradually builds because it doesn't get the wiping action on the contacts from using it.

Eric

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #16 – December 02, 2011, 07:00:54 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 127078

"The extremely well made switch LD uses was designed for marine use... As such, it's so well sealed that one could not tell what was going on."
Ah, I see. That sounds like a good design. I remember at one time seeing a knife switch mounted between the batteries of an older Lazy Daze. Unless that one was a retrofit, that suggests the company didn't always use the sealed type that you saw.

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #17 – December 02, 2011, 07:03:05 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 127079

"A potential problem with a disconnect switch that is used very infrequently (or never) is corrosion gradually builds because it doesn't get the wiping action on the contacts from using it."
Good point, Eric! Sounds as if this is one of those things that benefits from occasional exercise.

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #18 – December 03, 2011, 11:50:45 am

Yahoo Message Number: 127088

Those marine switches are sealed to assure no spark. They are typically installed

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #19 – December 03, 2011, 10:25:47 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 127098

My coach was delivered

Re: how does one install a house battery disconnect switch

Reply #20 – December 05, 2011, 02:37:12 am

Yahoo Message Number: 127120

I would like to chime

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