Hey Bill:
The breakaway switch is intended to slam 12 volts directly from the trailer
battery into the trailer brakes when the pin is pulled out by the lanyard
attached to your tow vehicle. There should be no connection to the trailer
brake light circuits.
But then, you weren't by any chance kidding were you?
In any case, several years ago I installed a marine type battery isolation
switch in the positive lead at the battery. I did it to shut down the
electrical circuits on the trailer when it was in storage or when I wanted
to work on something in those circuits. Works great and I like it very
much. But the down side is that I must remember to turn the switch to the
"on" position whenever I go somewhere, otherwise I would not have current to
this breakaway switch. I imagine that is why Airstream didn't provide a
switch there originally, instead allowing the circuits to remain "live" all
the time. I considered that to be a fire hazard, especially the way the
wires are subject to wear and tear the way they are and chose to isolate
them. Less chance of running the battery down too. Then, I also keep a
small solar trickle charger connected to the battery which does a great job
of keeping it topped up. I connected the charger to a hunk of broom handle
and keep it stuck in the plumbing vent nearest to the battery access door.
The wire running down the side of the trailer reminds me to:
1. Take the charger down before going someplace.
2. While I'm in the compartment, turn on the battery switch.
Has worked pretty well so far......(knock-knock)
GQ '67 Safari
4082 in CA