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Posted by D Sherman [72.47.153.24] on Monday, April 30, 2012 at 19:18:49 :
In Reply to: Re: Battery question... posted by rick pacholski [174.98.34.151] on Monday, April 30, 2012 at 17:24:55 :
I've always thought a battery disconnect switch was a kludge, and a bad one at that. It's a kludge because it means you couldn't find the real source of the current drain, and it's a bad one because if forces you to use an ultra high current switch to handle the starter current, when the starter is never the cause of any parasitic drain. Also, it forces you to open the hood to connect or disconnect the battery.
My preference is to switch everything EXCEPT the starter though one high-current relay located conveniently near the battery. The relay in turn is controlled by a small low-current toggle switch hidden in any convenient place inside the cab. By "high current relay" I mean 30 to 50 amps -- enough to handle all the regular electrical loads, but not the 200+ amps needed by a starter. Small tab-mount automotive type relays are only $5-$10, which is cheaper than a switch of similar capacity.
This gives you the ability to turn EVERYTHING off so nothing drains the battery, and it confounds the average thief or mischievous neighborhood kid. A lot of my old rigs don't have key switches, so I like to have something to at least make starting it non-obvious.
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