Breakaway Switch with Battery

[CampyTime]

Hi Everyone,

I found a thread from 2006 here but decided to post New as thread was so old. Yesterday while having axle replaced I had shop put on a breakaway system made by Redline. It has its own battery with indicator light.

From what I've read the system is supposed to be wired to trailer brake wires or something?

Mine seems to be hooked up to house battery positive terminal. When I unhooked trailer from tug, indicator light stayed on breakaway battery, so I disconnected house battery.

I guess I don't mind this setup, if you can tell me it's ok. I take good care of my house battery, but didn't know if this what seems to be parallel setup will hurt my charge wizard system I installed on the converter this year?

Perhaps he didn't want to get under trailer as sparks were flying from axle install.

I just figure all will charge when I'm hooked up, or plugged into shore power. When not, I can disconnect house battery so breakaway battery isn't a draw.

Yes? No?

Thank you,
Wendy

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[Wayne Collins]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Hi Everyone,

I found a thread from 2006 here but decided to post New as thread was so old. Yesterday while having axle replaced I had shop put on a breakaway system made by Redline. It has its own battery with indicator light.

From what I've read the system is supposed to be wired to trailer brake wires or something?

Mine seems to be hooked up to house battery positive terminal. When I unhooked trailer from tug, indicator light stayed on breakaway battery, so I disconnected house battery.

I guess I don't mind this setup, if you can tell me it's ok. I take good care of my house battery, but didn't know if this what seems to be parallel setup will hurt my charge wizard system I installed on the converter this year?

Perhaps he didn't want to get under trailer as sparks were flying from axle install.

I just figure all will charge when I'm hooked up, or plugged into shore power. When not, I can disconnect house battery so breakaway battery isn't a draw.

Yes? No?

Thank you,
Wendy

Sent from my VS985 4G using Fiberglass RV mobile app

Perhaps if you have more than adequate hitch and safety chain hookup, you will never experience a breakaway. Attack the problem, not the consequence.
wc

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Hi Everyone,

I found a thread from 2006 here but decided to post New as thread was so old. Yesterday while having axle replaced I had shop put on a breakaway system made by Redline. It has its own battery with indicator light.

From what I've read the system is supposed to be wired to trailer brake wires or something?

Mine seems to be hooked up to house battery positive terminal. When I unhooked trailer from tug, indicator light stayed on breakaway battery, so I disconnected house battery.

I guess I don't mind this setup, if you can tell me it's ok. I take good care of my house battery, but didn't know if this what seems to be parallel setup will hurt my charge wizard system I installed on the converter this year?

Perhaps he didn't want to get under trailer as sparks were flying from axle install.

I just figure all will charge when I'm hooked up, or plugged into shore power. When not, I can disconnect house battery so breakaway battery isn't a draw.

Yes? No?

Thank you,
Wendy

Sent from my VS985 4G using Fiberglass RV mobile app

That set up is fine and the only battery draw will be for the indicator light which is not needed. The brake away system is normally connected to the house battery. I have no idea if it was connected to be charged while plugged to shore power. All they really had to do was to tap into the TTs + & - cable for power.

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by Wayne Collins

Perhaps if you have more than adequate hitch and safety chain hookup, you will never experience a breakaway. Attack the problem, not the consequence.
wc

Some state laws require a breakaway device if the trailer has brakes

[CampyTime]

I thought the system prudent. And yes I'm quite OCD about my hookups, thanks just the same.

No they didn't hook into trailer wiring at all, which is what I was trying to say in my post and did a terrible job of. Brake wire which is blue runs to driver side brake and then blue runs horizontally across trailer over to curb side. I see it is grounded under a frame of tongue. But power seems to be coming from house battery positive hook up.

I'm no genius. Just trying to see if this is ok. As I said axle was being installed by other guys while this guy did switch. So I sort of knew it wasn't done as per specs or had an inkling as I'm still learning.

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[Harvey]

Some break-away switches do come with their own battery. Most jurisdictions in the USA require a battery that will hold the electric brakes activated for 15 min or so, dunno what the requirements are in Canada. If your new switch came with its own battery, chances are it was not hooked into the trailer battery/converter system, but it may have been hooked up so that either the tow vehicle would charge the switch battery while driving, or it may have been hooked up so the 'house' battery or converter would charge the switch battery. Most break-away switches with independent batteries require you to independently charge them when depleted (that's what the indicator light is for. In any case, I'd visit the installers again & ask 'em how to keep the switch battery charged, & how they wired it to the trailer brakes (it should be wired into the blue wire that goes to the driver side wheel, so it will activate the brakes if the connection to the trailer is interrupted [the pin on the switch is pulled] while under way)...

[Joe Romas]

Wendy.

Take your trailer to a competent shop. The light on my break away switch only comes on when the pin is pulled from the switch.

All they had to do was inside the closet hook the switch one wire to the Black positive lead and the other to the blue brake lead and ground the white lead of the switch to the frame.

Wayne.

Your answer is lame!

Joe

[Harvey]

Joe, I don't think her switch (with its own battery) requires hooking up to the black positive lead, only to the blue brake activation wire, & possibly to ground. The switch battery provides power needed to activate the brakes when the pin is pulled. In the example I looked at when buying a break-away switch for my trailer, the indicator light either showed when the battery was charged or discharged (don't remember which ). It may require hooking to a 'live' wire if there are provisions to charge the switch battery?? I elected to buy a switch that connects to the 'house' battery just inside the closet, to ground, & to the blue brake activation wire. Don't have any indicator light when the pin is pulled?

[Joe Romas]

Harvey.

My first break away switch didn't have a light either. But the replacement one, a Hopkins, does and it has a white wire that must be grounded to work.
when the pin is pulled the light comes verifying power is being transferred to the brakes.
http://www.hopkinstowingsolutions.co...clamshell.html

When the first one stopped working it was not turning on. at least with a light I can tell when power is given to the brakes.

It would have been so much simpler for her if they would just have connected it inside the closet like you and I have.

What charges her break away battery??

Joe

[CampyTime]

I believe my break away batt is charged by house batt. Lead runs to pos terminal on house batt

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