Another Moving Battery Inside Thread

Mouseketab · May 31

2022 T@B 320 CS-S. I am working on moving my battery inside the camper. I am abandoning the wiring to the tongue and splicing in new wiring from the converter to the battery and a new cutoff switch. My question is: what is this 3rd negative going to the original battery for? Two positive wires are going to the battery. One is from the cutoff switch, and the other is coming from the solar controller. There are three negatives. I know one is coming from the solar controller, and 2 negatives are coming from the battery cutoff. What is that third negative for? (See photos) The first picture is the original battery hookup. The 2nd picture is showing the positive from the cutoff switch and the 2 negative wires from the cutoff switch.

Bayliss · May 31

@Mouseketab, do you by chance have a photo of the wire connections inside the battery disconnect switch as it was originally wired, that you can post? Also, do you have a battery monitor that uses a shunt? If so, do you have a picture of those wire connections? (NOTE: In your first photo, I can only clearly see two negative wires connected to the negative terminal of the battery - - one with a yellow ring terminal connector, and the other with a red ring terminal connector).

I am unclear as to why there would be any negative wires connected to the disconnect switch.

Usually, it is just the positive ("+") wire connected through the switch (to cut/disconnect the 12V power running though that wire), BUT it could alternatively be connected to the negative wire instead. Regardless, I have never seen a positive AND negative wire connected to a 12V disconnect switch. I also only see two white ("-") wires in the second photo, which I assume are the same two depicted in the first photo, although one of those wires in the second photo appear to be a different gauge wire than the other, so I am unclear about that as well.

I am currently away from home on a trip (without my T@B) and do not have a photo of the visible connections of my switch, but I did a Google search for a quick example to show a switch connected to the "+" wire only.

As far as an "extra" ground, I am guessing that there is some other device that has its own ground wire and whoever wired it, connected that ground wire directly to the battery. For example, I have a "TireTracker" TPMS signal enhancer switch located inside my trailer that could be connected directly to the battery, but I have it connected to the "system negative" side of my Victron BMV-712 shunt.

Hopefully, others will chime in with their thoughts and help you out, but I will be following this discussion when I can to see what you learn about the third/extra ground wire.

Mouseketab · May 31

OK, it's not connected directly to the disconnect switch, but it is running through that set of wires (It's all bundled in a wire chase) So, that is the set of wires coming through from the converter, and the other set of wires with only the single negative is coming from the solar controller. No, I do not have an inverter.

Yoshi_TAB · May 31

Hi, Maybe I'm missing it, but I only see two wires to each terminal in your top photo.

When I did the same work; this was how the OEM set up was wired in my ' 21 in the front tub. Maybe some insight into yours. I had 3 wires for each, but one was for the aux solar controller you may not have.

-One positive to ON/OFF switch running to junction box under trailer, then to inside of TAB

-One positive to on board Solar Controller

-One positive to aux solar controller plug (my plug was mounted in front tub)

-One negative to "loads " to inside trailer, running to junction box under trailer, then to inside of TAB negative busbar

-One negative for solar controller

-One negative for aux solar controller (my plug was mounted in front tub)

pthomas745 · May 31

This is one Forum thread from a couple of years ago that shows the extra negative as an Alde ground.

Extra ground wire at battery

Mouseketab · May 31

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/221654#Comment_221654

Yes, the top photo is not clear. There are three negative wires when everything was connected. The third negative is just hidden a bit. The 2nd photo shows the two negatives connected together with the wire bundle. I did not picture the 2nd set of wires (1 positive, 1 negative) in the 2nd photo. I have figured this out. Many folks have told me that third negative was coming directly from the Alde.

Yoshi_TAB · May 31

Yes that could be it. In my 360 when I did battery work, I had an extra negative wire on the battery that I could not figure out, until I determined the Alde control panel would not work until it was connected.

I do find it odd that NuCamp would run a wire all the way outside to the front tub for the Alde when it could be connected way more easily inside to the negative bus bar or such.

Another Moving Battery Inside Thread

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