Sneak Circuit in 2022 337 RLS

[CDoherty]

We keep our unit in a covered storage area and the last two times we went to use it the battery was dead. I have the battery disconnect removed and we have the 12V compressor fridge turned OFF. There must be some type of a sneak circuit that keeps drawing when the Bat Disconnect is removed? Its getting alittle old, gonna end up ruining this house battery. Any thougbts?

[FlyStar]

Yep. Propane alarm is one. Best to pull the leads off the batteries or install a switch at the battery.

[Country Campers]

There are a few things that draw on the battery with the battery disconnect in the off position , propane detector, stereo memory to name a couple. To be sure there is not drain it is best to disconnect the battery cable or cables from the battery or install another battery disconnect switch between the battery and the coach, this is usually done on the positive, red wire, that comes off of the battery before it connects to the breaker panel that is near the battery. The dealer installed battery, lead acid, should last a while if it is totally disconnected. You could add a battery maintainer like a Battery Tender, these plug in to a regular 120 v outlet and clip on the battery to keep it charged while not in use, it is best to disconnect the battery from the coach and described earlier.

Brian

[howson]

CDoherty -- welcome to the forum. Check out the Welcome Letter when you get a chance as it (hopefully) will allow you to get the most from your time here: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members

A couple of notes from your Reflection manual:





Howard

[TucsonJim]

There are a few things that draw on the battery with the battery disconnect in the off position , propane detector, stereo memory to name a couple. To be sure there is not drain it is best to disconnect the battery cable or cables from the battery or install another battery disconnect switch between the battery and the coach, this is usually done on the positive, red wire, that comes off of the battery before it connects to the breaker panel that is near the battery. The dealer installed battery, lead acid, should last a while if it is totally disconnected. You could add a battery maintainer like a Battery Tender, these plug in to a regular 120 v outlet and clip on the battery to keep it charged while not in use, it is best to disconnect the battery from the coach and described earlier.

Brian

Brian - I've always understood it's best to disconnect or switch the negative cable. Could my info be wrong?

Jim

[FlyStar]

Either positive or negative will do the job. One advantage to switching the negative is that when you are working on the positive terminals , saw with a wrench, it can’t short out to the frame.

[Country Campers]

Brian - I've always understood it's best to disconnect or switch the negative cable. Could my info be wrong?

Jim

Either or is fine with me, I usually disconnect both from the battery, negative first then positive as mentioned above. I mentioned positive because all disconnect switches are usually on the positive wire.

Brian

[CDoherty]

Thanks for the suggestions. I figured there was something that was wired direct to the battery that bypassed the DC distribution and BAT Disconnect, Removing or disconnecting the battery isn't really an option and sorta nullifies my solar charging system. I' thinking of doing some research and figuring out what exactly is direct wired then moving this items over to spare open blocks on the DC fuse panel. Also looking at getting a small solar panel to keep the battery charged and topped off. We had one on our travel trailer and if worked really well. This way I could temp mount it where it would get sun. My large roof mounted panel gets no sun when we have it parked in storage.

[howson]

CDoherty

Many of us have added a "true" battery disconnect. I have two disconnects, one that mimics the OEM behavior when turned off and one that disconnects everything. If the trailer's in storage, turning off the true disconnect is the same as removing the battery cable (and a lot quicker). Ready to take the trailer out of storage? Just flip the switch back on.

[jbt816]

Regarding the disconnecting of the batteries: my new 303 has a solar package. I’ve gone over the instructions but cannot find how to turn off the controller first. Is it safe to disconnect the batteries while the solar is still sending juice? There is no ON/OFF switch on the controller.

[howson]

Regarding the disconnecting of the batteries: my new 303 has a solar package. I’ve gone over the instructions but cannot find how to turn off the controller first. Is it safe to disconnect the batteries while the solar is still sending juice? There is no ON/OFF switch on the controller.

Not recommended to leave PV going to the controller without battery power. From v5 of the manual, page 3.



It is unfortunate GD does not follow Furrion's recommendation to install a shutoff switch (Furrion uses the term "breaker" in their diagram) between the panels and controller (see the diagrams on page 9 of the manual). Most all of us that have installed our own systems have added one. What will work depends on the size of the array (maximum voltage) so there's not a "one size fits all" answer to the question, "Which switch should I install?"

Bottom line: to turn on the controller, it's battery power first, then PV. To turn off the controller, remove PV then remove battery power. (If you remove the PV wires from the controller do so at night so there's no voltage on them, and don't forget to cap them securely!)

If you'd like more information or discussion on that shut off switch topic specify the exact configuration of the system on your trailer.

Howard