Installing Master Switch on Camper Trailer | RV Kill Switch
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- Опубликовано: 14 июн 2021
- Installer a master switch on a camper-
Having a kill switch on your RV is absolutely essential. Unfortunately, more and more campers are coming without them. Whether it's boondocking or storage, having the ability to quickly and safely disconnect your camper battery will save you money and keep you camping out longer!!
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Finally a guy who sticks to the subject matter at hand, explains it in detail and layman’s terms, doesn’t pause, and doesn’t feel the need to give his resume’ ahead of time and doesn’t have a pet bird he’s always talking to. I wish there were more videos like this on all topics and people would just get to and stick to the task at hand. Great video. This guy would make a great teacher at a trade school. I subscribed. Thanks much.
LOL, Thank you. It's actually hard to do! I'm always tempted and sometimes succumb to the side story😂 Thank you for watching and subbing, I appreciate it.
Hey Brian. Other videos show the installer using the negative terminal on the switch, not the positive. Is that correct?
@@scottswannie2500 it's not incorrect, but not how I would do it. This can get complicated, but it's not that hard to follow.
I believe the confusions comes from the idea that when you remove a battery, you should remove the negative terminal first. If you want to stop your car battery from dying, when you're not going to use it for a while, you disconnect the negative side. So when people go to install a kill switch, naturally some throw it on the negative side. It seems logical, it works, and most will never experience a problem. However, the truth of "shoulds" & "should nots" with DC has to do with the highest likelihood of inadvertent short circuits. When removing a battery, the most frequent is touching + to the chassis while it's bonded to the -side of battery.... ~ZAP~ Therefor you remove the NEG first.
None of this applies to a disconnect on a camper. The likelihood of short, in this case, is breaking the continuity of the ground when the positive side is still energized. For instance, changing a switch or light in the camper with the kill switch in the disconnect position - no problem if it's positive switched- really high chance of throwing sparks and fuses if you have the switch on the negative.
I know this is a long answer, but I get asked a lot, so maybe I'll copy and paste it...lol
There's a reason why almost 100% of industry pros put the switch on the positive in this application. They will put it on the negative in "floating" systems like phone systems because they're grounded differently.
- -In short, BOTH work fine, but the data is strongly on the side of the positive switch team. When you ask someone why they do negative, they usually say, "bc that's the way I've always done it..."
Hope this helps!
@@DIYOutdoorLife
Thanks much. Great explanation
you are correct. back in the old days I was a M1 turret mechanic.expensive gear in there. we killed pos term for same reasons you mentioned.
In all my 42 years of being a nationally registered professional fire & explosion forensics Investigator, where electrical analysis is critical, I have yet to work with an electrical engineer who could explain systems better than you did. Truly impressive.
Thank you for the kind comment and encouragement. The channel has been a lot of fun.
I work with professional engineers on a daily basis. Some of the most talented brains with no functional ability I have ever known. Thanks for the tutorial Brian!!
A must-watch! Brian is meticulous with his instructions on this installation process. He really thinks things through and is able to communicate the process in a way that a layperson can understand. Thanks again Brian Smith
Thank you, I appreciate everyone supporting the channel and will try to keep the videos coming. The more people getting outdoors the better!
very well done- sounded like my 9th grade shop teacher! Good Job
Haha... thanks for watching!
As a licensed electrician I can appreciate such a nice thorough video . Well done .
Thank you ⚡️
Thank you for getting right into it and not wasting time with silly introductions, distractions, and stuff I don't need!
using the plywood and short wood screws is great advice. clever. thanks for the tip 👍🏻
Thank you- good luck with the project!
As evidenced by several of the other comments, thanks for sticking to the stuff we need to know. No unnecessary commentary and not trying to sell us on your sponsored brand. Easy to follow and much appreciated. Thanks!
Thank you, really happy you swung by!
Thank you so much for throwing this together! Super clear, concise and easy to follow. I have a bushwacker 10fb and have been wanting to do this as my first mod. Now I feel confident enough get started!
you got this! feel free to circle back with any questions. I appreciate you watching and commenting.
SUBSCRIBE: ruclips.net/user/DIYOutdoorLife
Thank you! This covered exactly what I needed. Well explained and no fluff.
Thank you, I appreciate you watching!
It is amazing how easy you make all this. You are a great teacher.
Thank you for that. I’m excited to see people tackling these jobs themselves.
Your videos give me confidence to tackle almost everything on my camper myself. Fellow BW owner here and feel like I’m in over my head sometimes so finding your channel has been a game changer. Thank you so much!!!
You got this! Feel free to reach out if a question comes up or you have a request for vid.
Man this series saved me hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars. Thank you so much!
That's great, I really appreciate reading comments like that.
Amazing and well spoken video! You know your stuff. Way more helpful than the other videos I’ve seen of people guessing how to set a switch up
Thank you so much, I really appreciate you swinging by. Check out our other videos and subscribe!
Thanks for this video. I just installed this Saturday prior to our second trip out in our Free Solo. Really appreciate you and your channel. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and showing us other BW and FS campers for ideas.
Thanks Jason, I appreciate you tuning in!
Seriously awesome. You explained electrical concepts very clearly, especially the reasoning behind switching the positive side of the battery. Bravo.
Thank you!
Just did this step by step after watching the video. Awesome video. Up next is the switch to the radio
Nice, Thanks for watching!
Best & most useful & easy to follow how to video - exactly what looking for to fix issue with trailer draining battery when not in use or plugged up. Thanks for making this easy to follow.
thanks so much for swinging by and commenting, glad it was helpful!
I have had one of these switches for years that came with a Terry house trailer that I used for accommodation when I built my house. I never installed it because I didn't understand it's purpose. I am going to install this on my new teardrop now. Thanks again.
That’s great, good luck w the project. Thanks for watching!
Solid, straight to the point and very helpful!
Thanks for watching!
I'll spare the details but when I picked up my camper, not a thing was said about it draining the battery and we were baffled. I have a switch in my to-do box and feel completely confident in installing it. You are a godsend. I really like,"here's what I'm going to do" and then it's done videos. Thank you!
That story is all too common, they mostly want that commission check... lol Thank you for watching!
Thank you for this great video. Installed it with the plywood spacer which was a great tip. My r pod had 4 wires on the positive post and I had to move 3 to the switch to turn off all the power. You might add this to your video. Thanks again Larry
So glad it helped! Great idea about addressing multi wire systems in a video, thanks!
I’m going to agree, your explanation was really great! I knew most of this already but didn’t fully understand why you must wire the switch on positive side. Thanks
Thanks for tuning in!
I’m so happy I found tutorial…thanks for the easy directions
I’m glad you did too, thanks for watching.
Ok, subscribed. Thanks for an easy straightforward explanation. You’re easy to listen to.
Thank you, good luck with the project and I appreciate the sub!
Thanks! You made it easy for a newbie to feel confident to install a master switch.
Thank you, I appreciate you watching!
Outstanding demonstration and analysis! Thank you
Thank you, I appreciate you watching.
Thank you for the clear informative video. I installed a switch on my Jayco Baja. In order to fit a piece of wood between the battery and the bolts I had to install the nuts on the outside of the box. I had to add stainless washers so I could tighten the unit, otherwise the nuts were inaccessible in the recessed area. Easy fix and it works like a charm.
Great improv! I appreciate you swinging by and commenting!
No "begging" needed! I actually subscribed prior to you mentioning that! I thought gee if this guy can explain a simple battery switch hook up so well then he must do a great job with everything else! I have watched so many videos on how to hook up a master switch and wasn't happy with them. Finally I came upon yours and as someone mentioned, it is through and detailed for the layperson. Thank you for your time and effort on this, your desire to educate is spot on! I have two batteries, parallel . My only question to you is why the positive terminal, when everyone else says hook it up on the negative terminal?
Glad it helped and thank you for subscribing. Gotta do some begging early on to get the channel off the ground…haha
-as for the switching side w DC, the debate has been going on forever. The truth is either side works and gets the job done. When working with DC, it comes down to which is “best” - usually related to avoiding short circuits. With a system that is bonded and grounded to chassis, like an RV, you do not want to break or switch that ground. With phone systems or “floating” systems it doesn’t matter. Take for instance servicing a light or water pump on the rv, if the positive side was intact and you touched a wire to metal, you would complete the circuit and the appliance would turn on… this wouldn’t happen with positive switching. It’s complicated and easier to do demonstrations to show the difference. Hope this helps and good luck with your project!
Power on, power off switch ... going to give that one a try tomorrow ... excellent tutorial, thanks so much for sharing! 🎥👍👍🍻
Thanks for watching!
I found you 5 days ago. immediately subbed. as Scott Swannie posted - you have good practical knowledge and you're delivery is thorough and efficient. I'm learning a lot
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that youre watching the channel!
@@DIYOutdoorLife - installed same switch last week on my pop up. thanks again.
@@donoimdono2702 nice!
Nice video! You made it simple and to the point with some great advise!! Thanks!
Thanks Jack! Hope the project goes well for you, check my other videos and subscribe for more!!
Incredibly clear video with great tips. Thanks for the details.
Thank you, I appreciate you watching!
Excellent simple straight forward video.....I will watch any made by you
Thank you, that means a lot!
Great video. Simple and sticks to subject matter.
Thank you, I appreciate you swinging by.
Great video!! Straight to the point and no nonsense!!!
I’m glad it helped. Check out our other videos to see if it’s worth subbing!
SUBSCRIBE:
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@@DIYOutdoorLife how long is your short wire going to the switch?
@@ryanwalsh5305 it’s the one in vid description… off hand I think it was a foot
THANK YOU SO MUCH..!! I was waiting for this video, thanks for your time to help with all this information... 😊
Happy to help! Let me know how you make out with the project.
Thank you so much you just taught me something incredibly valuable. I just purchased a new trailer so this was incredibly important to know
That's great to hear, thank you for watching!
Really simple and enjoyable. Thank You
Thanks for tuning in, I have to catch up on some destination unknown!
Great video! I learned a lot and will be adding one of these and the Luxpro thermostat after watching that video as well. I am new to the channel and love the knowledge and experience you are sharing. Thanks and keep the content coming.
Welcome, really happy to have you on board! I know you’ll love those mods, feel free to reach out if you run into any issues 👍
Damn that’s what I call a perfect video!!! felt like I took a class. Amazing
Thank you, I appreciate that.
I really appreciate this video. Concise and to the point. I am a single senior gal and want to add this to my RV battery. Following your explanation I know this will be an easy job for me. Thanks for the information..
Comments like this make my day! Thank you for watching and good luck with your project.
Just did this MOD and this is AWESOME!!!
Nice!
wow, this is the best video out here on RUclips, thanks for such a great explanation.
Thank you for watching and commenting!
I watched another YT video how to install this very switch, and he ran the switch off the negative side...stating his automotive background the negative gets the switch and he had a very sound explanation. However, your equally sound reasoning for running the switch off the positive side is also quite convincing. My switch gets here tomorrow from Amazon (thanks for the link) and I want to make sure I do it the best way.
Hi Alan, I used to try to not offend people, "Which ever way works best for you..."
The truth is, the negative side switch is wrong, plain and simple...lol
An RV has a chassis ground, when you switch the negative side, you introduce an elevated risk to appliances by maintaining "potential" at the device, when the battery is turned off. It can get complicated, but the evidence is clear that switching the positive and removing that potential, while maintaining a pathway to ground, is superior in this situation.
The reason people get this mixed up, is due to the simple rule that you learn when working on cars. When removing a battery, always take the negative off first. This is a rule to reduce the risk of short circuits. If you took the positive off first, you risk bridging a metal tool from the positive to any of the metal under the hood. It all has to do with the highest likelihood of short circuits. If you're installing a switch, it is different than removing a battery. The risk is of shorts downstream, you're not moving the battery through a tight metal space. The industry puts master battery switches on red 100% of the time, when the negative side is the ground. I hope this makes sense, sorry if I took me a page to respond 😀
Great job 👍 you are plain and honest learned a lot thanks
Thank you, I appreciate you watching and the kind words!
Thank You; I really appreciated the way you explained everything. Your video really helped me out.
Thank you, I’m glad you found us!
Great video, can't wait to watch more! Thanks
I'm glad it was helpful. thank you for watching!
SUBSCRIBE: ruclips.net/user/DIYOutdoorLife
Thanks so much for this simple video!
Thank you for watching!
That was an amazing explanation - thank you so much!
Thank you, really glad it was helpful.
Great video man. Really helped me with my new camper. You just got a new subscriber. Cheers!
Welcome aboard! Thanks for swinging by and subbing.
Well explained video. Just getting into pop up camping.There's lots of information I need to know about batteries, control panels, battery monitors, solar charging the battery and of coure the master switch.
Thanks for watching. There’s definitely a lot to learn but it can be fun 🤩
So glad I found you! You cover everything I’ve been looking for! Binge watch time! 😝 Your style reminds me of Norm, from This Old House! 😝❤️
I'm so glad you found the channel! We're really happy to have you...and I love Norm! haha thanks for watching!
Rarely we see a video so detailed and with someone who’s so well spoken. I’m impressed and am a new subscriber
Thank you, I hope you like the other videos on the channel. We’re trying to organize vids in playlists.
Indeed, I have. I watched tons last night since we purchased our first trailer. Learned a lot! Thank you for what you do
@@cdawgRJ Thank you, that means a lot. Congratulations on the trailer, what did you get?
Thank you! Got a Coleman Lantern 17B. Small and more affordable but excited to create memories with the family
@@cdawgRJ Nice, let us know how you make out!
Bless you Brian. 🎉
Thanks for tuning in Mickey.
Great video. Just got my camper yesterday and going to instal this ASAP! Thank you…
Congratulations on the new camper! Feel free to reach out if any questions pop up.
@@DIYOutdoorLife will do. Already ordered the part and will have it tomorrow. Looks pretty straight up after watching the video. Have to find a piece of wire and a few connectors, I’ll find out the gauge when I get home from work today. Have a great weekend!
@@TwoCaptainsOneShip you too!
Thanks for the focus on the switch
thanks for watching!
thanks for a clear concise video tutorial.
Thank you for watching!
I hope you are engaged in some teaching capacity as you do an excellent job. Thank you for such a concise and thorough tutorial, very well presented without the usual ramblings and promo. Much appreciated!
Thank you so much. I used to be a teacher full time, I still like making some instructionals on RUclips.
Thank you so much Brian!!!! I did it!! I can’t believe I actually did it 😂
Congratulations! I knew you could do it!
Yes, sir, agreed . Very well explained in layman's terms. New sub here.
I appreciate you swinging by, thanks for subbing!
What a great teacher. Thank you. I love that you stuck to the subject and didn't try to make things funny. Please continue to do these type videos. Definitely subscribed to channel and shared with friends that are new to travel trailers like me.
Thank you, I appreciate that. Feel free to request videos on helpful topics too!
@@DIYOutdoorLife I looked at my battery today and I have two wires coming off positive side. A 10 AWP to the trailer and a 14 AWP going to my tongue jack. I’m assuming the AWP is the wire gauge? Which gauge should I get for the bypass and how do I wire both red wires into the disconnect switch. Thanks.
@@lauriewhittle3452 you’ll want to attach a 10 gauge to your new switch. You can then attach both the tongue jack wire and the camper wire to the other side of the switch -or- you can attach your tongue jack wire to the positive side of the battery. In the first application, the switch will turn everything off, in the second, your jack will work whether you’re switched on or off.
For me, I like to have everything switch off, so I attach both jack and camper wire to one side of switch and use 10 or 8 gauge from other side of switch to battery positive. I hope this helps, feel free to email if you want me to draw you a crude diagram.
@@DIYOutdoorLife I understand. Just moving both wires to the same terminal on the disconnect switch and the new wire to the other terminal on switch and run it to the positive side of the battery. I have looked high and low for a 10 guage wire with the ends. Any idea or a link to where I can order it?
@@lauriewhittle3452 I make them on the bench, they’re probably tough to buy on Amazon. Just use an eight gauge, marginal price difference, easy to use and find.
amzn.to/35mks6o
Hope this helps!
Love your videos! I just added a battery disconnect on my popup but put it on the negative so it interrupts the ground path for ALL connections like my lift winch and trailer brake plus eliminates any possible shorts.
Thanks for watching the channel. Lots of fun outdoors!
Great Video!!! Great Explanation!!! Thank You!!!!!
I really appreciate that, thanks for watching!
Excellent video and instructor.
Thank you for watching!
Really good stuff. Thanks !!
Thanks for watching!
Very well explained! Thank you.
Thank you, I appreciate you watching.
Excellent instructions
Thank you for watching!
Thank you! Great Video.
Appreciate you tuning in!
Thanks! I got the same switch yesterday and had to figure out how to install.
Nice, should be a fun project.
@@DIYOutdoorLifesuch an easy thing to do. Thanks for the tutorial.
You have excellent presentation skills sir. Very good and simple video
Thank you, I appreciate the kind comment.
This was so good. Thank you!
Thank you for watching!
Another good video Brian! Very useful. Thank YOU! =Cosmo
Thank you Cosmo! Keep me in the loop about getting together again...more Catskill sites to show you!
Very good explanation
Thank you for watching
Excellent video! Subscribed!
Thank you, glad to have you on board!
Hey Brian, thanks for another good, practical video.
I did have to chuckle, though... When I first started looking at videos about RV modifications, I found that there are some strong opinions regarding whether the power disconnect switch should be on the positive or negative side. This sent me down a geeky rabbit hole of learning about Ben Franklin and J. J. Thomson - and common current versus electron flow.
In the end, it seems that either way works - and the trailer I'm buying comes with a power cutoff switch anyway. But hey, I learned some things, so it's all good!
Haha, I’ve been down those rabbit holes with projects as well. It starts with, “what kind of paint to…” -then it’s 3 am and you’re reading about 19th century lead poisoning.. haha
Thanks for watching and commenting! What trailer are you getting?
@@DIYOutdoorLife We had this conversation in another comment thread. :-)
I'm getting an Aero Teardrops, Steel H/C trailer.
Have a great day!
Haha….as the channel grows I lose track, I guess that’s a good thing! Awesome trailer, hope you love it, send pics!
Happy to see your channel growing faster and you having fun. I looked in mine TD and it ia more complicated. There is one line to the solar controller, one line going to charger/inverter and another to the switch board. In theory this last one is the one to interrupt but in inverter is turned on then there is another way out.
No problem, leave the line to your solar charger connected to the battery.
Connect BOTH of the other wires to one side of the switch
Next connect the short new wire from the other side of switch to battery +.
Then when your switch is turned off, it leaves your solar on and shuts everything else down.
If you need more help, feel free to email me. Thanks for watching, I’m excited that the channel is growing too!
@@DIYOutdoorLife thank you for explaining to this commenter... go my new TD with solar in June... now I can check to see if wired properly... lots of us needed this advice
@@bikingal4283 glad it helped out 😀
Just picked up my trailer today from storage. Went to use the electric tongue jack...dead. Hooked up the truck thinking I'd use it to power the jack, nope. Busted out the 7/16 socket and began cranking. First thing that popped into my mind, I need a kill switch. Great video...thanks man!
I've been there, it gets costly. How long was it in storage?
SUBSCRIBE: ruclips.net/user/DIYOutdoorLife
@@DIYOutdoorLife, ~6 weeks. That said, we try and go camping about every 4-5 weeks, the batteries are always drained, but I've always been able to hook up the truck and use the tongue jack.
@@beaujossel3791 definitely time for the kill switch install! It's fast and will save a lot of money.
Nice lid too. I can relate.
Very practical!... 👍
excellent video
I really appreciate that, hope it helps!
Very well describe with out all the bs Nicely done
Thank you for watching.
Great stuff. I need to dedicate a circuit to my rv fridge, but want to use a 100 ah LiFeP04 battery for that.
Nice, some dual battery setups are really nice. Best of both worlds.
Well done!
Thank you!
I've been installing my battery kill switches on our RV Fleet since 2017 on the negative side and have never had an issue. It has the same effect, kills the power and does not drain the batteries. In fact I do it because any mechanic will tell you to always attach the positive terminals first to avoid arching your tools. You make a good argument and you're correct that the positive side is the hot side, but nothing is flowing unit the circuit is completed. Also in-fact all of the units we have that came factory installed are on the negative side. That said, great tips on installing the switch, and you definitely do a nice job with producing your videos! Thank you!
Thank you for tuning in.
If you go through the comments, we talk about this in greater detail.
There is still potential at the devices if you switch the negative, while you open up your pathway to ground. There is no situation where this is advantageous over switching the positive.
Every governing body that inspects or regulates DC electrical systems has mandated that you switch the positive and maintain on interrupted, and on fused pathway from chassis to the negative, the rest is urban legend.
When you’re adding and removing a chassis ground battery, you definitely remove the negative first. For some reason people think that applies to DC master switch, it doesn’t, it’s a completely different situation.
great how to video!!
Thank you for watching!
I should have watched this video before I did myne. Hope there is not a hole in the battery. Thank you for video.
Easy to fix, happy you watched!
Nice job!
Thanks!
thank you !
Thank you, I appreciate you watching the video!
Really found the video useful as I just picked up my new 2021 Bushwhacker yesterday. It looks like the overall fit and finish on the Bushwhacker has improved somewhat. I think it will serve my needs well enough. I'm looking to replace the K2 cooler with a mini refrigerator - any suggestions on one that fits in the cooler space. Keep up the enjoyable, informative and easy to follow videos.
Congrats on the new BW! I have been hearing really positive things about QC improvements. Did you get the SS of FB?
I have a DC fridge in mine that I'm testing and really like so far. Video will come out in August. Shoot me an email and I'll get you a promo code on it. DIYOutdoorcontent@gmail.com
Great video, you got a new subscriber!
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Thanks so much!
You're welcome! Thank you for watching and commenting!
Awesome! I needed this vid. So when plugged into shore power, just leave it in the On position for charging correct?
That's right, also when you're driving and charging off tow vehicle. There are some fancy things you can do to do both at once, but I don't wanna scare anyone away!! ...lol
Thank you for interacting with the channel and let me know how your project makes out!
Thank you SO much!!!!!!!
You’re welcome, glad it helped!
Thanks for the good job and the great explanations.u are a good teacher .very logical and I will wire my very old jeep in the way u did it with ur beautiful van🇩🇰👍🙏
I sure love old jeeps.. what do you have?
@@DIYOutdoorLife thanks allot my jeep is M38a1 from Korea W
@@melvis2017 can you tell me what Jeep this is in this video?
@6:45
ruclips.net/video/_NnOJmgWspw/видео.html
@@DIYOutdoorLife Hi Brian thanks allot for the answer. Those beautiful cars you have in the back yard 1 the orange is a old dodge from 40s the blue is cj5 from 50s and of course the old blazer Cad.great on place on earth that reminds me my oncle place back to Tunisia (north Africa)when I was Kid I spend all my school vacations to his place. He was a car anthousist had so many beautiful old vans from early years. Brian you are so inspiring person positiv and energetic.
Actually am spending the most of my time to rewire my old truck for to make it ready to the summer.
The last am gonna ask you is tha kill switch and as far I understand from your video is to let that battery negative post away from the business and those 2 post on the kill switch only for the battery positiv (such fuses and engine). I will try to send you some photos when the project is done and of course hoping not catching fires 😀 🙏.
I love us panorama in the 80 was to Lockheed Georgia as a navigator on c130 Hercules. (Was flying nearly the hole US. Was driving route 66 and I wish to make it happen again .
In the end I wish a good luck and am sorry for my English because am French speaking 😇good Luck
@@melvis2017 excellent, thank you! As for your question, yes, run the negative to your chassis/ground and place positive on switch. Be well!
Oh my. I so thankful for your simple and clear explanation. We just bought a 5th wheel. The battery died during storage. We had the battery charged and bought a solar charger for the battery. Soooo if I put this switch on will the battery be able to charge when the switch is on the off position? Do I leave the red switch in the camper in the on position at all times?
Hi Gwen, hook you solar charger directly to the battery. Then it will charge, no matter the switch position. If you plug the solar into the “solar on side“ port, then this master switch will turn that off as well. I would have to see a photo or description of what switch is inside your camper, each one different. Do you have a master switch inside as well? Thanks for watching, I hope you will subscribe😀
Thank you SO MUCH for this! I have a quick question please! I recently purchased a bluetti ac200max and plugged my 30 amp shore power into the 30 amp socket on the power station. Even with having nothing plugged in or running on the Bluetti there was still a 200 watt draw. My question is that draw coming from the house battery and if i install a kill switch like you showed here will it fix the unwanted power draw? My husband and I are new to all of this and your videos are so helpful to us!!!
Thanks for watching! You are exactly right, that draw is coming from the onboard charger charging the battery. If you install the Killswitch, you can shut that switch off when plugged into your power station and reduce the draw.
You’re videos are awesome! I do have a question though…a lot of sources say to hook a disconnect to the negative? (For safety) what say you?
That’s incorrect and unfortunately a lot of people continue to say it. Both + & - switches work, you can even say that the difference between the two is marginal but there are more advantages to positive.
Every single professional body that governs DC wiring mandates positive master switch. You see it in stock cars, military vehicles, aviation, NASA etc…
The people that are switching negative, when the positive is available, are typically confusing the safety guidelines for installing a battery in a metal compartment like a car. You always remove the negative first, so that you don’t short circuit the chassis. They then assume that means you should switch the negative for safety but it’s a completely different scenario.
this debate has going on in backyards for years but if you do a little homework, the debate doesn’t exist amongst professionals- master switch on positive, eliminate potential at the device, while maintaining a pathway to ground. This is the superior way to interrupt the circuit.
What a great video! Thank you! I just purchased a camper with a two battery system. Do I just need to attach the jumper to one positive cable, and if so, do I just need a single cut off switch? I looked at your link for the cut off switch and they had one for two batteries. Do I need the double cut off switch, and two jumpers? Thanks for your help.
Thank you for watching, you're gonna be fine with one switch.
Just placed the master switch on the wire going to your camper. In other words, your two batteries will be linked together with wires, one battery will have a red wire running to the camper, put your switch on that wire and it will disconnect both batteries.
Love this video. Ordering a cable. What’s the difference between 3/8 and 3/8+5/16? I’m unsure which to get. Thanks. Definitely got yourself a new subscriber
Thank you so much! I believe you're referring to the ring terminal size. This would correlate with the size of the post on your battery for secure fit.
Your videos are great. In this case, would you use the placement in a dual battery setup? Instructions that came with my switch show placing the switch on the negative side.
Ignore those instructions...lol If you comb through the comments, I've explained why positive is best here, its the better way for this application.
As for duel battery, you are placing this switch on the wire going to the camper, after the two batteries. By doing that, youll be switch both batteries off with one switch, same installation procedure.
Thanks for watching DIYOL!