22' Bambi Sport--do we have a "use/store" switch?

[PecanMan5]

Originally Posted by dasams

I sure wish I had a real disconnect switch like the one described above. On my 2018 FC, the disconnect does nothing while on shore power. It's designed to disconnect the batteries when the AS is disconnected from shore power such as when stored.

I thought the same, because that idiot light is truly an idiot. I found out that disconnecting the batteries outside, and checking the voltages using the store switch (25fb), that the relay did go to store with external power connected. I could not find any other way to know for sure. The 22 Sport actually has a better system and has no relay. In my opinion.

[Boxite]

Originally Posted by Belbein

I thank you all for your input. Very educational as usual

Three questions. One: Do I understand that my lights throughout the trailer are 12 volt and that plugging in to shore power only charges the battery and "runs" the lights through the battery whether shore-powered or not? I know the outlets are shore power.

Two: should I put a disconnect on my battery, outside at the battery, or is that belt-and-suspenders?

Three: ... should I replace the converter (?) with a 3 stage? If so, what do y'all recommend? And is it accessible so that I can do it myself? (Consider bad back, bad knees, but very handy.)

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. No (the Sport already has a 3-stage converter)

[PKI]

Originally Posted by Boxite

-- snip -- 2. No. -- snip --

Box - would you please be kind enough to expand on the #2 No? Are there no parasitic loads on the 22 Sport when the use/store switch is thrown to store? Guess a yes would cover it. Pat

[Boxite]

Originally Posted by PKI

Box - would you please be kind enough to expand on the #2 No? Are there no parasitic loads on the 22 Sport when the use/store switch is thrown to store? Guess a yes would cover it. Pat

Sure, Pat! As you correctly suspect, the Sport, like most others, has a parasitic drain on the battery even when the battery switch is placed in "store" or "off" position. My "No" answer was influenced by his No. 1 question which indicates his intention to have shore power plugged in (he implies that his lights will still be powered by the battery which is being re-charged by his 3-stage converter).... I.E., since his Sport is equipped with a (WFCO) 3-stage converter, there is no reason to disconnect his battery during storage while plugged into shore power...therefore there is no reason to have a second disconnect system for the battery.

However, ... as Pat is likely thinking about LONG-term storage with a battery switch in the disconnect/store/off position.... in such case... with no shore-power connected, ... the battery will have a very small "trickle" discharge into the propane-detector. There are three ways to address that:
1- Install a small on/off switch for the propane detector which will be easier/cheaper than ... 2- Install another "total-disconnect" system using a large/high-amp disconnect manual switch (such as often used on boats) ... or ...3- disconnect the negative terminal of the "ships-battery" while in long-term storage (but I hate that solution because it involves wear/tear on the battery negative cable-terminal over a period of cycles.)

I guess (on reflection) there's another simple solution... to re-wire the propane detector... removing it from the hot-wired condition to the downstream side of the battery switch so that ALL loads are disconnected when the batt is in the store/off position. (I don't know if anyone else's local constabulary checks to see if their propane detector has been re-wired or not...but MY locals out here in bubba-land don't know that much about it and stay too busy with drunk drivers and meth-heads to worry about it....and I'm not bothered since I stay connected to shore power.)

I own a 22' Sport and I keep it stored and continuously connected to shore power thereby keeping my propane detector "alive" as the mfr'r and RVIA intended as well as keeping my battery trickle-charged via my 3-stage converter. That system has worked very well for me for 3 years now on the same common flooded-cell (deep cycle) WalMart battery. I check the water every few months and have never needed to add any more than once. I boondock up to 4-days on that Group 27 battery without any of the troubles I read about in other threads by those who apparently do not enjoy that same level of service from their battery-systems (which often include expensive/elegant batteries, solar-systems, high-dollar little red generators, etc..) I'm not particularly easy on a battery either and have no solar system... and only make these comments hoping they are useful for others....no criticism of anyone else's choices intended.

[PKI]

Box, well covered. Thanks. Pat

[waninae39]

This is the switch on a 22FB
road side under the bed

[Belbein]

I was having some work done on something else today when the mechanic--who I identified immediately when I met him as someone who is one of those competent people, a genius whenever he has a tool in his hands --said something about working on 12 volt systems. I asked him to take a look at my problem with the electrical system.

But this isn't about that. It's about the fusebox. We started to problem solve the electrical problem, which of course lead us to fuse box. But where is the fuse box? So where do you start when you want to find something? In the trailer documentation.

Except that the location of the fusebox is not IN the trailer documentation. There's a whole lot of very general language which turns out to mean absolutely nothing, unless you know where it is. And if you look at the schematics, there's a hint about where it might be. Now that I know where it is, no prob. Before that ... pfffffft.

So if you want to find the fusebox when all the lights are out, good bleeping luck. Thank you, Airstream.

(It turned out that my problem was a missing fuse and a tripped breaker. On the panel in the invisible fuse box. Something the Airstream repair folks couldn't figure out. Maybe they couldn't find the fuse box either.)

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Belbein

. . .
Except that the location of the fusebox is not IN the trailer documentation. There's a whole lot of very general language which turns out to mean absolutely nothing, unless you know where it is. And if you look at the schematics, there's a hint about where it might be. Now that I know where it is, no prob. Before that ... pfffffft.

So if you want to find the fusebox when all the lights are out, good bleeping luck. Thank you, Airstream.
. . .

In the owner's manual linked in Post #5, on p. 5-8 [PDF p. 38/96] in the right column the Electrical section contains this language:

"The current leaves the relay and travels to the 12-volt distribution panel, located in the converter, and then to the rest of the trailer. Open the brown decorative door on the front of the converter under the dinette to access the panel and its fuses. A 12-volt layout diagram is shown in Section 8 - maintenance."


Does the above language accurately reflect the location of your 12-volt distribution panel and the fuses? If not where did you find it, so that others might not be so confused?

Perhaps your manual does not contain the same language . . . although you and the OP seem to have the same year and model IMO.



Thanks,

Peter

[SilverHouseDreams]

The Sport 22FB has the electrical panel below the refrigerator. (Also lacks relays)

There is an additional electrical junction box with breakers in the front driver side corner under the bed. This is where the 12V lines from the battery and the 7-pin all meet inside the trailer.

[OTRA15]

Thanks. Does your owners manual describe that location?

Also a correction to my recent post — Belbein IS the OP.

[Boxite]

When he wrote "below the refrigerator".... that happens to be the CONVERTER.

Just like the manual clearly says.... the fuses and circuit breakers are ....in the converter.

[SilverHouseDreams]

https://www.airstream.com/wp-content..._sport2014.pdf

Page 5-8

all 12-volt current comes through the battery system in the front of your trailer. The batteries are accessible in the battery box on the a-frame of your trailer. Power from the batteries goes to a set of four Type 2 thermal breakers located under the front bed and riveted to the inside skin front plate. The breakers are tied together by a brass bus bar. One breaker (30-amp) protects the 12-volt tow vehicle charge line coming from the 7-way cord another breaker (20-amp) feeds the trailer brakes breakaway switch located near the hitch coupler a 50-amp breaker feeds the battery disconnect relay. The current leaves the relay and travels to the 12-volt distribution panel, located in the converter, and then to the rest of the trailer. Open the brown decorative door on the front of the converter under the dinette to access the panel and its fuses a 12-volt layout diagram is shown in Section 8 - maintenance.

"Type 2 thermal breakers located under the front bed and riveted to the inside skin front plate" <-- that is in the front port (driver side) corner of the trailer under the bed.

They refer to a relay in the circuit that doesn't truly exist, but is a manual disconnect switch instead.

Page 8-19 has diagrams of the 12V distribution system. All manuals should be found here: https://www.airstream.com/service/ma...year_select=50

[waninae39]

these are all the electrical diagrams for 16 & 22 bambi models

[Belbein]

Yes, I confess, I'm the OP.

It turns out that the fuse box is under the fridge, behind a brown fold-down cover. Easy to find if you know where it is. But if you follow that BS in the manual - - "under the dinette" -- you'll tear the trailer apart looking for it but won't find it.

You also won't find the 4 relays connected by a bar, whatever that means. And the junction box means nothing to anyone not rewiring.

Really, I'm so p.o.ed I can't see straight.

[Boxite]

Bilbein, I agree.... the two most irritating issues with Airstream IMO is: 1- the lousy documentation/manuals, and 2- the trash left behind by the workers on the assembly-floor.

The manuals are out of date and inapplicable to much of the design of modern AS's. It appears that AS simply re-used old manuals and tossed in a few comments that may...or may not...apply to the model titled on the cover of the manual.

The rivet tails, trash, spaghetti/disorganized wiring, sawdust, loose/lost screws, dropped/broken small parts which are found behind/below panels that are removed to make a repair are very disappointing. The total lack of wire-looms and/or conduit and lack of labelling of all wiring is highly frustrating. (Example: did you know that when your bath overhead light fails to illuminate...and when you trace it to the switch on the wall having no power to it.... the switch-leads running back up toward the overhead light fixture.... The real solution will be found beneath the wardrobe in a blue wire that is unidentified in the schematics, where it plugs into a molex-type connector next to the water pump... that connector having no retaining "tooth" or tie-wrap to keep it fully mated with it's counterpart ....but looks like it's connected...and therefore it has the appearance of having no relationship whatsoever with the problem?

[janeair]

If we have solar on our 22’ 2018 Bambi sport, do we need to turn the disconnect switch off? In outdoor storage.

[PB_NB]

Originally Posted by janeair

If we have solar on our 22’ 2018 Bambi sport, do we need to turn the disconnect switch off? In outdoor storage.

That depends on how the solar is wired up to your power system.

When I added solar, I also added an on/off switch for the charge controller so I could turn it off. Do you have a switch for the solar? This would have been added afterwards since the Sport doesn't come with anything solar except the solar prewire, roof port and tongue port.

I viewed my Sport as a blank slate to do whatever I wanted as far as power systems.

I also use the original black switch to disconnect the battery from the main functions of the trailer. I put all my switches in the same location under the bed.

[AlbertF]

If the propane detector doesn’t shut off with the switch, the switch is basically useless. The detector will drain the battery in a week or two of storage,, damaging it in the process.

Either physically disconnect the battery, rewire the propane detector, or disconnect the propane detector to address this.