Re: [VAC] battery hazard

[Gary Quamen <gquamen@xxxxxxxx>]

Hi again folks:

The hydrogen issue aside, let me offer a related one that has concerned 
me lately.

I have a little toggle switch near my tail-lights that turns on two white 
lights (identical to the back-up lights).  In other words, I have 4 
"back-up" lights but only two are on when I back up (!?).

It occurred to me one day that anyone walking by my trailer could flip 
this switch and run my battery dead.  I figured I should do something 
about that (It COULD happen).

I noticed from the get-go that there is no switch (at least, on MY 
trailer) to isolate the battery.  Having a fair amount of experience with 
sailboats (in SF), I recalled that they have a battery switch that 
usually allows you to alternate between the #1 or #2 or both batteries or 
to isolate both. Part of the shut-down procedure when leaving the boat 
was to shut the battery switch off.

There is something that bothers me about having the DC wiring "live" all 
the time. In my mind, it would be much better to have the system  
"isolated" all the time except when in use or charging.

So one of my next projects will be to install a simple on-off switch, 
available from West Marine for about 20 bucks.

The question that I have is this:  Did any Airstreams come with a battery 
switch?  And if not, why not?  In other words, am I missing something 
fundamental here?

Seems to me that a $20 switch would have likely prevented the situation 
that Hunter described, ie, a short in the wiring while going down the 
road. Something that apparently REALLY DID happen.

GQ '67 Safari