Saved my Scamp from Fiery Death...

[John McMillin]

... well, maybe someday. What I did do was a simple mod in response to a sad story I read here recently, in which a new Scamp Deluxe was lost to fire. The owner had a stored a metal bottle jack in the front closet. It came into contact with two exposed 12V electrical connections and made a short circuit, sparky, then smoky. By the time he pulled over, it was on fire.

Checking my own new(er) Scamp, I immediately found the problem. The new kill switch in the floor of the closet is connected to the 12v system just behind the cabinet wall. The two screw posts, positive and ground, are completely exposed.

My idea was to find some plastic of the proper circumference (8 1/2" inches), to be exact. I found it in the first place I looked, our "tupperware drawer," which is always overflowing with an excess of food storage tubs and their mismatching lids. Eureka, it's a fit! A Ziploc 8 oz container was the right diameter. I used a hacksaw to cut halfway through the open container wall, so it could fit over the wires. Once in place, I wrapped the base in clean white duct tape and called a good day's work. It feels quite sturdy now, like it won't come off easily.

Here's some photos of the process (sorry, not in proper order)-

[ken_c]

My 2021 Scamp was like that too, I ended up making a removable shelf to keep stuff from touching but also protect some of the wiring that ran through. I was kind of surprised to see it like that when I first got it. I did wrap the terminals with electrical tape as well just in case.

[John McMillin]

You'd think that in 50 years they'd have learned not to make mistakes like this. But I believe the DC kill switch was introduced in 2020-21. So maybe they messed up by changing one little thing in 50 years?

[ken_c]

Travel trailers are in a unique place. They probably don't have the protections of building codes like houses, yet we live in them. They do not have as much of road safety systems as an automobile does (ABS/structural integrity), yet we lug them down an interstate. Even the highest quality trailer, you have to do you best to make it safe compared to a car or house.

[Jon MB]

Originally Posted by John McMillin

The two screw posts, positive and ground, are completely exposed.

Ummm... technically no. Oh, they definitely are exposed, but they are both on the positive battery side of the electrical consumers in the trailer when the switch contact is closed, so both terminals on that kill switch are considered 'positive'.

The advice of providing insulation to prevent conductive items from shorting between any positive and ground is wise.
That's why I also don't store a bottle jack on top of the exposed terminals of my battery.

[Eddie Longest]

I have several 12V (cigarette lighter) jacks in my new to me trailer. The rear connections wires are exposed. I have worried about them being shorted out. I have had no luck in finding a rear cover cap, there are all kinds of front cover caps. I thought I have seen a rubber rear cap in the past. My next move is to tape a plastic pill bottle over the rear connections. If anyone has info. on a rear rubber cap let me know.
Eddie

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Eddie Longest

I have several 12V (cigarette lighter) jacks in my new to me trailer. The rear connections wires are exposed. I have worried about them being shorted out. I have had no luck in finding a rear cover cap, there are all kinds of front cover caps. I thought I have seen a rubber rear cap in the past. My next move is to tape a plastic pill bottle over the rear connections. If anyone has info. on a rear rubber cap let me know.
Eddie

Heat shrink and electrical tape or paint it up with liquid electrical tape.

[John in Santa Cruz]

my favorite cover for the back side of things that might be exposed to rough conditions is an appropriate sized white PVC water pipe cap

[ShelbyM]

Originally Posted by Jon MB

Ummm... technically no. Oh, they definitely are exposed, but they are both on the positive battery side of the electrical consumers in the trailer when the switch contact is closed, so both terminals on that kill switch are considered 'positive'..

And Tupperware everywhere breathes a sigh of relief.

[Joe MacDonald]

the connections would arc however, if there was a DC load connected in the trailer, the switch was in the open position, and something conductive fell across the terminals. think of the arc you get when you connect an external battery charger to a battery, in this case you are closing or completing a circuit, and if there is a heavy enough load, it will spark

Joe