Results for "phantom loads"

Wondering if I can skip the $400 shop diagnosis for my electrical issues and just figure out this battery disconnect switch myself, even though I'm getting conflicting advice.

Specifically, I'm concerned about what happens to things like my LP gas detector, carbon monoxide alarm, and refrigerator when I disconnect the battery. Will I lose all my radio presets and clock settings? Are there certain situations where I absolutely shouldn't use the disconnect switch?

I want to use it for storage to prevent battery drain, but I'm also wondering about daily use scenarios. What are the best practices to avoid any problems or safety issues? I really don't want to mess anything up or put my family at risk. …more

Planning to store my 2012 Winnebago Tour and there's clear signs of battery drain happening across all six house batteries and two chassis batteries. I'm religious about flipping both the chassis and house disconnect switches before putting her away for storage. Still go out monthly to fire up the generator and top off the batteries.

But here's the thing that's driving me nuts - even with those disconnect switches flipped, my batteries are still going dead! Sometimes I can't even get the engine started and have to hook up a trickle charger just to get things going again. What's the deal? I thought those disconnect switches were supposed to prevent this whole mess. Am I missing something obvious here, or is there more going on that I need to tackle? …more

Last weekend I bought my first RV, a '88 Fleetwood Tioga Arrow (Ford E350 chassis, 460 V8), and I'm completely clueless why it won't start. I've already swapped out the starter solenoid on the fender, but now I'm being told there's also an ignition relay that could be the culprit.

Problem is, I can't for the life of me find this thing! I've been crawling around the engine bay for what feels like hours. Anyone know the typical spots where Ford hid the ignition relay on these E350s? Really don't want to start randomly pulling relays until I find the right one... …more

Since following that popular YouTube fix for my Thor Outlaw's battery drain, the salesman switch "solution" turned my minor electrical issue into a complete nightmare. Despite being marketed as a battery disconnect, this switch fails to eliminate parasitic draw completely while simultaneously disconnecting the batteries from the charging system when on shore power.

The design creates a problematic scenario: batteries continue draining through various circuits even when 'disconnected,' but they cannot receive charge from the converter. This results in dead batteries after extended storage periods, particularly when parked indoors where solar charging is unavailable.

I'm experiencing about a 50% probability of completely dead batteries, where they're disconnected from the converter and lack sufficient power to even reconnect to the charging system. The indicator light provides no reliable signal about the switch's actual position, making it impossible to track battery connection status.

What are the most effective solutions for addressing this flawed disconnect system? Are there proven workarounds that other Thor Outlaw owners have implemented, or should I be looking at bypassing this switch entirely? …more

Turned to my local RV tech about a 15W battery drain on my 2004 Tioga 29S galley circuit and he wants to replace the entire electrical panel—seriously? Through systematic testing with my solar charge controller display, I've isolated the drain to the galley circuit by pulling individual fuses.

All visible galley components are confirmed off: refrigerator switch is off, microwave is unplugged, and no lights or appliances are operating. Shore power is disconnected, and I've verified that gas detectors and other small 12V devices aren't the culprit - this 15W draw is substantial enough to drain my house batteries completely.

What hidden electrical components commonly run through the galley circuit that could account for this level of continuous power consumption when the aux switch engages? I need to identify what background systems might be energizing on this circuit that aren't immediately visible or obvious. …more