We used to have a slide in camper with remote controlled electric jacks. I remember vaquely reading somewhere that you are supposed to disconnect the hot wire to your electric jack when you use the manual override or it will put a heavy download on your battery. We recently had an electric tongue jack malfunction on "Miss Piggy" our 2013, 20' Flying Cloud. It would raise the tongue but not lower it. Without giving it any thought I cranked it down manually. Not very far, just a few turns. This morning I noticed that the 1.5 amp maintenance charger that I have connected all the time while in storage was not bringing the battery all the way back up to full charge. I put my three stage "smart" charger on it and it took two amps for about 2-1/2 hours before the charge rate started dropping. When it switches to "maintenance" mode I will put the small maintenance charger back on it. It is the same basic type of jack as the slide in jacks only built for a different application. Is it true that it will draw the battery down if you don't disconnect the hot wire or just an old wives tale?
Unless something is wrong with the switch on the jack, there shouldn't be a circuit between the jack and the battery while you're cranking it manually, it would be open at the switch. I can't see how manually operating the jack would affect the charge of your batteries.
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— David
Zero Gravitas — 2017 Flying Cloud 26U | WBCCI# 15566
He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire. — Sir Winston Churchill
Unless something is wrong with the switch on the jack, there shouldn't be a circuit between the jack and the battery while you're cranking it manually, it would be open at the switch. I can't see how manually operating the jack would affect the charge of your batteries.
It didn't make any sense to me either but I thought it was worth asking
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