General Boards > Technical Support
Battery cut-out or disconnect switch(es)
Joel Ashley:
I suspected your coach might not have a cutoff, but didn't want to believe it. That being the case, Steve, you might want to get over to Troutdale or Wilsonville Camping World and pick up a couple switches, one for your chassis set and one for the coach set. I put simple scissor type disconnects on our old gas Pace Arrow's batteries decades ago - it's a simple job that made storage easy, and additionally I used a Battery Minder to keep all the batteries charged and conditioned. Our Beaver coach doesn't require those applications. The open-air scissor disconnects can spark a bit when opened or closed, so I wasn't nuts about them being so close to the battery caps.
You could go with scissor disconnects at the battery posts or buy rotary switches and mount them in the battery bay; the enclosed heavy-duty rotary switches will involve a bit more effort and cost, but will not spark and will more nearly emulate new coach design.
Steve Adams:
John, Gerald and Joel, it's easy to understand why this is such a great forum! Thanks to everyone for your help. I was hoping someone would say, did you look here and that would be it but I do believe that you guys hit the nail on the head, there isn't one! We're deciding now who to take it to and when to do it. Most likely camping world in March or April. We'll head out every 10-14 days in the mean time and fire her up just to keep everything topped off.
Thanks again for your assistance, Steve
Joel Ashley:
Steve-
If your storage is outside and you have a solar panel, that can help keep the batteries up. It certainly does for my rig parked by our home during the summer. I do notice some drop in voltage (shown on our inverter/charger control panel) as more cloudy Portland winter weather and shortened days take over, so I winterize things and plug the coach into AC then, and put an electric dehumidifier and a couple Dri-Z-Air units inside.
If your storage isn't configured to allow plugging in, as it sounds, just check your digital panel or Aladdin to monitor battery voltage. Barring that option, take a small voltmeter with you to storage and check the voltage directly off the battery banks after a week or two, just to be sure there isn't some significant parasitic drain going on. The reason I say that is that if you don't want to attempt a rotary switch install by yourself, I'd rather see you take your rig over the mountain to Bend after snow season and let them do it. Camping World can do it, but my experience is they can muff even a relatively simple job - depends on which tech you get. Though probably more expensive, the great team at Beaver Coach Sales/Service Center will not only do the job right, they'll help you fully understand your system. Since it sounds like your DC electric system is storing just fine so far, I see no rush to get this job done, and would rather see you get it done properly over at Bend if you can. As long as you're taking the rig out regularly this winter, you'll be just fine battery-wise anyway, so just get it done at your convenience this summer the next time you get over that way (but call for an appointment). You and I are very fortunate to live so close to the finest and most reliable motorhome service facility there is, so why not take advantage of it.
You are certainly welcome to come by anytime and I'll try to answer first hand on our coach any questions that come up, and demonstrate any system you're unsure of; though our rigs our somewhat dissimilar. I'd be happy to come and try to decipher anything on your own coach, so don't be afraid to ask. I'm by no means an expert after only 3 years with our diesel Beaver, but have been motor homing for 25 years and often have been-there-dun-that. I also can recommend a local mobile tech for "emergencies".
Nevertheless, you are correct in that this Forum is a great resource, with plenty of experienced people eager to help when the inevitable problem crops up.
Joel
Steve Adams:
Joel, thanks for all the advice and offers for assistance. It seems that every day I learn there is even more stuff I don't know about this coach. I had thought about going to Bend to get the work done as I've got a short list of items that need to be addressed so I think that's what I'll do as soon as the snow melts!
I do have another electrical question. My inverter control panel inside the coach is beeping and flashing a "warning" light. If the "Coach Power" switch is off where would the inverter be getting power from? I've turned off every breaker I can find with no change. Any ideas?
Thanks again, Steve
Joel Ashley:
Hmm. Not sure about the warning light. If your Coach Power switch is off, that only cuts off the basic 12 v. features inside the house portion of your rig. It doesn't take your inverter offline. Pending input from Gerald or others, more familiar with your model and year, I'll have to check my manual to see what might be going on with your "warning" issue. Most likely it is a low voltage alert, but I can't be certain.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version