Battery Disconnect Switch
- Thread starter tomgie
- Start date
danemayer
Well-known member
Hi tomgie,
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.
There are a couple of ways to look at this.
One way is by comparing switches. 150 amps is on the low side as cutoff switches go. 275 amps at 12V DC, continuous, is common.
Another way is by looking at loads. Even on the larger coaches, there's often a 50 amp circuit breaker between battery and downstream components. On residential refrigerator circuits, I think the factory puts a 100 amp fuse in between battery and inverter. Those values for breakers and fuses would suggest that it's unlikely you'd ever pull 150 amps. If a short circuit somewhere did try to pull more, a fuse or circuit breaker would cut the circuit long before the switch became a problem.
That said, a switch rated for 275 amps is less than $20. If it gives you peace of mind, that's not too much to spend imo.
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.
There are a couple of ways to look at this.
One way is by comparing switches. 150 amps is on the low side as cutoff switches go. 275 amps at 12V DC, continuous, is common.
Another way is by looking at loads. Even on the larger coaches, there's often a 50 amp circuit breaker between battery and downstream components. On residential refrigerator circuits, I think the factory puts a 100 amp fuse in between battery and inverter. Those values for breakers and fuses would suggest that it's unlikely you'd ever pull 150 amps. If a short circuit somewhere did try to pull more, a fuse or circuit breaker would cut the circuit long before the switch became a problem.
That said, a switch rated for 275 amps is less than $20. If it gives you peace of mind, that's not too much to spend imo.
Dan - thanks very much for this advice and info. That all makes sense and helps lots. Have a great night! Tom
i4110peter
Active Member
I have a BH3160 with a battery disconnect switch. Does that isolate the batteries from everything including the charging circuit? Thanks in advance.
danemayer
Well-known member
First, if you have a residential refrigerator, you probably have 2 disconnect switches; one just for the refrigerator and the other for everything else.
But, there may be some circuits connected in front of the disconnect. As this drawing shows, power to the emergency breakaway switch, to the tow vehicle 12V circuit, and if you have generator prep, to the generator start wiring, all connect before the disconnect switch. Your wiring could be a bit different than what's shown here.
View attachment Hydraulic Wiring.jpg
i4110peter
Active Member
Thank you, this diagram cleared up several things. I do not have a residential refrigerator and it looks like the inverter/charger is disconnected when the switch is in the off position. Thanks again.
