do I need a battery

[nickfxstc]

I'm new to airstreams but I already love them and it's only been a few weeks. My question is do I need to have a bat hooked up if I'm using shore power ? Will this hurt anything by not having one ? Thanks... By the way great info on this forum I hope to learn alot from you guys...

[Boondocker]

Yes you do. The brake system works off the 12v system as does the the rest of the 12 volt system.

[3 Dog Nite]

Yes you should have one. Most chargers are made to charge batteries, not run continous. Also need for running down road as stated in previous post.

Ricky

[purman]

I may be wrong but your trailer brakes (I was lead to believe) run of you hook up to the truck. Mine still worked when my battery was complete dead after leaving a camp site one time. The converter changes the shore power into 12v to run stuff when hooked up. You battery is only used when not hooked up to shore power....

So my answer would be No.. If you are always hooked up you don't need a battery in the trailer...

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by purman

I may be wrong but your trailer brakes (I was lead to believe) run of you hook up to the truck. Mine still worked when my battery was complete dead after leaving a camp site one time. The converter changes the shore power into 12v to run stuff when hooked up. You battery is only used when not hooked up to shore power....

So my answer would be No.. If you are always hooked up you don't need a battery in the trailer...

In the event of the trailer breaking away, the battery is the only way to power the brakes.

[HowieE]

Yes the battery is like a limiter to the charger. It provides a constant voltage supply where as the charger may max out if you have a lot of things on at one time. A battery can supply much more current when there is a large load, everything on at once, than the charger can. Also the charger will put out as much as 14.7 volts. if you were to turn on just 1 light under this condition the life expectancy of that light will not be long.

As for the trailer brakes they work off the TV electrical supply under normal driving. However if your trailer was to come loose of the TV while traveling the trailer battery will then put the trailer brakes on at FULL POWER once the cable attached to the TV has pulled the pin out of the emergency switch. These 2 12 volt systems have nothing else in common.

[nickfxstc]

I just wanted to thanks everybody for the great answers. I'm sure I'll have for questions thanks...