There was an article in RV travels (July 12) where some people say the breakaway switch can be used as an anti-theft device. The article was of course, very against the practice, as even if the switch could handle it, this was a good way to run down the house batteries.
Yeah, thats a very bad idea. Each brake will draw around 4 amps, so tandem trailer brakes will add up to around 12 amps. That would completely flatten a 100Ah Lithium battery in about 8 hours.
It’s also good to note that the emergency braking system only works if the battery is charged and not disconnected. I assume that means the battery disconnect switch should be left in the “connected“ position while traveling in order for the brakes to engage if the break away switch is activated. Mike, is this the case for all travel trailers?
All the modern trailers I’ve looked at do not switch off the power to the breakaway switch when the battery switch is disconnected. They keep it on at all times.
Each brake will pull around 4 amperes of current. So two axles adds up to around 16 amps. In theory you’re correct, but I’ve seen enough hot and melted breakaway switches to make an educated guess that the switch isn’t rated for that much continuous power. And note that 16 amps of current at 12 volts will flatten a 100Ah battery in around 6 hours (100Ah / 16Amps = 6.25 hrs), and a pair of 100Ah batteries would provide current for 12.5 hours. I’m also guessing that the coils in your trailer brakes aren’t designed for that level of continuous current and could burn out from hours of this abuse. But I would need to do a destructive test to be sure.
There was an article in RV travels (July 12) where some people say the breakaway switch can be used as an anti-theft device. The article was of course, very against the practice, as even if the switch could handle it, this was a good way to run down the house batteries.
Yeah, thats a very bad idea. Each brake will draw around 4 amps, so tandem trailer brakes will add up to around 12 amps. That would completely flatten a 100Ah Lithium battery in about 8 hours.
It’s also good to note that the emergency braking system only works if the battery is charged and not disconnected. I assume that means the battery disconnect switch should be left in the “connected“ position while traveling in order for the brakes to engage if the break away switch is activated. Mike, is this the case for all travel trailers?
All the modern trailers I’ve looked at do not switch off the power to the breakaway switch when the battery switch is disconnected. They keep it on at all times.
Of course, YMMV…
That being the case, do you have a recommend keeping the battery disconnect switch in the “connected”or “disconnected“ state while traveling?
Shouldn't the wiring and pull apart be rated to handle the brake load for a least a day? Granted it shouldn't have been pulled.
Each brake will pull around 4 amperes of current. So two axles adds up to around 16 amps. In theory you’re correct, but I’ve seen enough hot and melted breakaway switches to make an educated guess that the switch isn’t rated for that much continuous power. And note that 16 amps of current at 12 volts will flatten a 100Ah battery in around 6 hours (100Ah / 16Amps = 6.25 hrs), and a pair of 100Ah batteries would provide current for 12.5 hours. I’m also guessing that the coils in your trailer brakes aren’t designed for that level of continuous current and could burn out from hours of this abuse. But I would need to do a destructive test to be sure.