House power switch on or off in storage?

Birddogman · 02-07-2012, 05:33 AM

I have a 2008 Winnebago Journey 39Z. I "store" my MH on a seasonal site at a nearby campground when not on the road, so it is plugged into 50 amp shore power when not in use.

In what position should I leave the switch by the front door that turns the interior 12v power on and off when the coach is not going to be used for months? When that switch is off, none of the interior 12v things (lights, etc) will work but the 110v stuff still gets power. Of course, I do want the batteries to be kept charged, especially during cold winter weather. I have the inverter turned off; and the changer set on float with a 25 amp max draw when storing the MH.

Do the batteries still charge with the coach power swtich turned off?
It is better for the batteries to have some small drain from the things that remain "on" in the coach at all times, like the radio dial backlight, the smoke/gas deterctor, the laptop computer charger, etc; or is it better to have no drain at all?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

garyspang · 02-07-2012, 11:39 AM

Hi Birdogman
I believe the switch disengages a mechanically latching solenoid/relay for a total disconnect of the house batteries.
I leave our motor home alive. Set the thermostat to heat at 40 degrees and turn off the water pump and turn on the light bulb ( replaced by a back-up bulb) in the exterior utility bay. The batteries remain charged and every three months or so the battery water level is checked. Our winters are mild here in SC.

lost1 · 02-07-2012, 02:29 PM

When on shore power my 'on/off' does not function. I would have to turn off the converter to kill the 12V house. Shore power (110) goes to the converter first, then on as DC to your batteries and house switch - so yes, batteries still charge. Ironically, I have found that many of the small thing drains pull off the coach, vice house battery. Make sure you have some way to keep the coach battery charged in storage - the converter normally won't do it.

Birddogman · 02-07-2012, 04:26 PM

Thanks, Gary. Sounds like the modern switch by the door operates like the old mechanical switch in the battery compartment I had in my previous Winnie Class A. That switch completely (mechanically)disconnected the house batteries from everything, including the charger.

Mike - your rig must be wired differently than mine. When I turn that interior coach power switch to "off", nothing in the coach that runs on 12v works at all, even when plugged into shore power. The 110 outlets do work, however. Since the inverter is off, that could only be shore power.

tomsm · 02-07-2012, 05:02 PM

There's one good reason to leave that switch ON. You have a Trik-l-Start charger that keeps your chassis batteries charged. With the way that Winnie wired in the Trik-l-Start, when that switch is OFF, the Trik-l-Start gets no power and your chassis batteries will be depleted in a couple of weeks.

The house batteries will be maintained by the inverter/charger even with that switch OFF, but not the chassis batteries.

You can modify this behavior by moving the feed for the Trik-l-Start to the hot side of the disconnect solenoid. But, if you're on shore power that's not necessary, if you just leave the house batteries ON.

tomsm · 02-07-2012, 05:17 PM

If you're not familiar with the Trik-L-Start and what it does for you, here's a link to their website. As Martha would say, "it's a good thing"...

garyspang · 02-07-2012, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomsm

If you're not familiar with the Trik-L-Start and what it does for you, here's a link to their website. As Martha would say, "it's a good thing"...

Thanks for the link. Just bought one to replace the jumper lead I always have to remove and reconnect.