Electrical fire hazard

[Dragfam1127]

Aside from all the other issues noted, an electrician must have wired it. Black wires are used for A/C voltage. However in DC 12 bolt systems it is used for grounds only.

[Roll With The Changes]

@wireslv

I agree with @IBEW Sparky.(with a catch)

With break away breaks they should work until the last possible moment and any device between the battery is a possible failure point.

When I re-worked that area of my 5th wheel, I went all of the same thought processes. I kept all of the the brake wiring separate, minimized terminations, etc. I even thought about putting in a separate brake battery just to keep the vehicles and the house completely separate, but I stopped short of that.

However.... something occurred to me that might satisfy both sides. I haven't thought it all the way through yet, but let me throw it out there and see what sticks.

What if you installed a small (say 10 amp hour) AGM battery in parallel with the house battery? Put a 5 amp fuse (and maybe even a current limiting resistor) between the buss and the small battery. That way the brake battery gets charged, it can satisfy the break away load, but that whole system is protected from the high current the house battery can provide.

I've been thinking about ways to separate the vehicle from the house and maybe this has potential.

[Psychlode]

If this is the same as my solitude, one of those unfused wires goes down the 7 pin to the truck where it makes connection with the alternator to charge your coach battery bank. Typically this would never be an issue....unless you drive away and forget to unplug from the truck. When everything stretches and tears there is a real possibility that the un-fused wire will ground out to the mettalic box within the 5th wheel pin box. And burn your rv down, or damn near. True Story, it happened. The entire bundle that provides chassis power and lighting burst into flame and melted. To add a little spice to the excitement, please note that the same flaming bundle runs within 3 inches of the propane hose on the right side of the coach. All you can really do to stop this situation is to burn yourself by tearing the red hot wires off the battery bus.
Since that fateful day I have added a fuse to the wire that runs from truck alternator to the coach battery. Cost me 10 bux and took 10 min.

[mbergthold]

The main fire hazard is that these RV's wire wired by carpenters not electricians.
No self respecting electrician would put his name on any of these builds.
You need to splice in an aftermarket circuit and fuse it... fine; You did it, labelled it, and know where it is.
If you DESIGN a system with five or more circuits that don't fit in the distribution panel,
you add another panel AND label the circuits.

Oy Vey... don't get me started

We had a 2021 Nash 22H for a couple months, traded it in on the 2500. I found several loose connections on the bus under the stove. While trying to ID wiring, the factory tech told me there were no wiring schematics, it was up to the installer to decide what color etc he used. At that point, whatever trust I had left in the factory vanished. Now I take nothing for granted, takes longer and more $$ to do correctly, but I feel much safer.

[IBEW Sparky]

@Psychlode

Did you check that wiring all the way back to the tow vehicle? In my 2006 GMC SIERRA with a factory tow package it already had that wire fused in the engine fuse compartment. No need to put a second fuse on that wire.

[Psychlode]

@Psychlode

Did you check that wiring all the way back to the tow vehicle? In my 2006 GMC SIERRA with a factor tow package it already had that wire fused in the engine fuse compartment. No need to put a second fuse on that wire.

Yes, the truck voltage output is fused. And all it does is protect the truck system. The wire runs from the truck alternator to the coach battery with the only fuse at the truck. If the fuse blows there is still voltage from the coach battery on that wire, so if that wire becomes damaged it can only melt down.