If you are among the many people who have recreational vehicles also known as RVs, then like many, you may not be using these vehicles very often. Most of the RVs are stored for lengthy periods within a storage facility or within your property. It is only being used when you are going out on a vacation trip. In time, the battery of the RV will be drained and eventually, the battery will go flat entirely.
But you are lucky if you have an RV battery disconnect switch with you because it will prevent power from draining from your battery. In this article, i’ll be sharing with you some of the important things that you should know about these disconnect switches for your RV battery.
What Is A Battery Disconnect Switch?
The disconnect switch is normally installed to your RV so as to prevent power drainage from your battery. Even if you do not use your RV to power your engine, the RV still uses the battery for providing power for other electronic devices such as appliances and lighting.
At a time when the trailer is being stored, the electrical devices that remain to be plugged into the outlets have the ability to drain the power of the battery slowly. This happens even if the device is not turned on. The devices in your RV takes energy from the battery; this trickles the power slowly from the battery towards your devices up until such time that the battery has been drained completely.
With a battery disconnect switch, there is a separation created between the devices and the battery. This effectively blocks the current flow and preserves the power of the battery.
RVs And Their Batteries
Each of the RVs is being towed behind your vehicle. This is because the RVs do not have their own separate engine that can propel them forward. For many users, they like this kind of trailer because with having the RV towed by the vehicle, the RV can be disconnected from the vehicle when they want to drive around the areas where they are vacationing.
However, the RV does have the usual engine battery that is connected to an alternator. This allows the battery to be recharged. With the battery disconnect switch, it is much more beneficial for you because you can preserve the power of the battery without having to use the alternator of the engine.
How To Install The Battery Disconnect Switch
It is fairly simple to install the battery disconnect switch onto your RV. The procedure is quite simple. The positive part of the switch should be attached directly to the positive part of the battery. With the negative part, it should be attached to a circuit breaker or a fuse so as to prevent any electrical surge from happening.
Some installation processes attach the battery disconnect switch to the negative part of the battery. However, with this process, electricians have not verified it so better stick with the other kind of process we’ve shared with you. Remember not to get confused with the positive or negative parts.
Variations Of Switches
A lot of the battery disconnect switches have different features. This includes having to switch to another battery bank. This way, the switch is disconnecting the battery and then activates the other battery without having to stop the supply of power to your appliances. With this feature, you can prevent any temporary loss of power to your electronic devices when the power source is being switched from one battery to the other.
Another variation with the battery disconnect switch is one that comes with a key. When you remove the key, the battery disconnect switch becomes activated. This blocks the current flow. This feature is very helpful when your RV is in storage. No one but you can activate the switch because only you have the key.
Now you will not have to worry about the batteries of your RV. They will be ready anytime you will be needing them for your next trip, camping, or adventure.
Conclusion
What do you think about the many benefits of having an RV battery disconnect switch? Pretty nice to have, right? You don’t have to worry about your battery being drained of power. Whenever you decide to go out on an adventure, you can be sure and confident that your RV along with the electronic devices and appliances in it will work smoothly.
