Parasitic draw

The One Control touch panel stays energized when the factory disconnect is turned off for a couple of reasons, but primarily (in my opinion) because of the Schwintec slides.
Interesting. I have a schwintec slide on my front bedroom slide yet my One Control touch panel is not energized when I disconnect my battery switch. That probably explains why my draw is 0.048 (48mA to some) vs. your .51A.

I think this is yet another example of all units not being wired the same.

BTW, where does it say that the motors need to be energized for the braking function to work? I tried looking up on Google and Gemini and I got the exact opposite answers.
 
BTW, where does it say that the motors need to be energized for the braking function to work? I tried looking up on Google and Gemini and I got the exact opposite answers.
@jjbbrewer - I was wrong in my previous post when I indicated that the Schwintek controller was powered with the factory disconnect is off. I pulled out my meter to verify. I did go back and correct that post. Now I am a little concerned, because I was under the impression that it was safe to travel with the factory disconnect in the off position, now I wonder.

To answer your question, if you take a look at your owner’s manual there should be a section on the Schwintek slide. I snapped a picture of that page in one of the Reflection owner’s manuals. In order to manually operate the slide without physically disengaging the motor, you have to disconnect the motor’s electrical connector from the control unit. By removing power, you effectively remove the braking function. See bullet points 2 and 4 in the picture.

I should add, since these motors are either 300:1 or 500:1, it takes a great deal of force to rotate these motors, even with the brake off. I think I am going to call Lippert and clarify - I did get certified on Schwintek slides a while back. I guess I will have to review that material as well.

IMG_2153.png
 
Last edited:
I just couldn’t resist checking the parasitic draw on my 2022 Reflection 303RLS after reading through this post. I did install a full disconnect (on the positive side) and a solar disconnect, and also left the original battery disconnect in place. I have a Renogy battery monitor with shunt connected to the negative side. When I turn the solar disconnect off and leave both battery disconnects on, there is a constant amperage draw of just over 1A - refrigerator is completely off. This draw is coming from the control systems for water heater (I intentionally left the switch on the water heater on), HVAC, USB charging ports, stove, radio, One Control system (specifically the One Control touch panel - OCTP), and the largest draw from the LP detector.

When I disconnect the factory battery disconnect (solar still off), the draw is .51A - most definitely enough to kill a 100ah lead acid battery in a few weeks (if not sooner).

The One Control touch panel stays energized when the factory disconnect is turned off for a couple of reasons, but primarily (in my opinion) because of the Schwintek slides. Edit: Sorry, this was a false statement. I just tested the voltage on my Schwintek control unit and it is NOT powered when the battery disconnect is off. Since the OCTP also controls the auto leveling system through a separate control unit, it is true that the leveling system will also add to the parasitic draw, but like @huntr70 said, only minimally. The largest draw should be your LP detector, if your refrigerator is completely off.
Thanks, this is great info! It really makes me wonder the point of having a battery disconnect switch when it leaves that much equipment still connected. I will be installing a ground cable disconnect.
 
The only thing in the leveling system that may have a draw when it is not being used is the circuit board in the control. It may have a constant draw, which is why sometimes you need to reset the system to get back to perfect level.
Help me understand. Why would the board in the controller draw any current when setting idle? And why would it being out of calibration have any affect? Fortunately, I've never had to work on the system so I really don't have any experience with it.
 
Why would the board in the controller draw any current when setting idle?
All controller type devices have oscillators in them (clocks) that continuously run.
It's very analogous to a car sitting still with the engine idling - it still is consuming gas.
 
My research seems to indicate the automatic leveler controller may indeed be the culprit. When I started checking it was showing a .4 amp draw with everything shut off. After a bit it dropped to .1 draw, the same as the total parasitic draw on the entire camper. My clamp meter is not accurate enough for finer readings.
In any case there is enough draw to kill the battery so I am installing a cutoff switch on the negative battery post.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and help!
 
I will continue with my own testing to see if I can identity the culprit.
There were 2 sources on my 310GK; the TV booster located in the cabinet above the TV - there is a push button in there to turn it off and the TPMS repeater located in the basement - simply remove it when not in use. Both draw enough power to kill your battery in short order and both are aways on. If you put out a small solar charger it will continuously supply a trickle charge and keep the batteries hot. I bought mine from Harbor Freight for a few bucks and it comes with a controller.
 
During a 3 week period in storage my battery was drawn down to 2 volts. Main power switch was off and solar charge was off (in covered storage.) The service manager at the dealer feels this is normal and the automatic levelers are most likely the cause. Why would they draw any power when not turned on? He suggested putting an inline fuse or switch to disconnect them. Doesn't the on/off switch on the control panel do this? Is this actually normal? I never had that issue on my Keystone. I expect a small discharge but not to this level.
I am installing a disconnect on the negative battery post as this will provide total battery isolation but I just wouldn't expect to do this on a new camper. Is this normal?
Disconnect on negative cable, the way to go
 

New posts

Try RV LIFE Pro Free for 7 Days

  • New Ad-Free experience on this RV LIFE Community.
  • Plan the best RV Safe travel with RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
  • Navigate with our RV Safe GPS mobile app.
  • and much more...
Try RV LIFE Pro Today
Back
Top Bottom