patgreen wrote:
Quote:
My mechanic insisted that I get a disconnect which was a brass appearing gizmo that went on a battery post and had a green on/off wheel. The next mechanic insisted that I remove the switch as it caused problems with battery charging.
IMHO, a battery cut-off switch is essential on a type of recreational vehicle (including old cars) - though it may pose a problem for vehicles that require retained battery power with key off.
The
Swann style of switch (gold-colored metal with big green knob) has been around for years and quite popular. I use 'em.
Now, if you take one apart and see how little contact area there is or consider just the size of the knob's bolt, the conductive material is much less than what even a 12-volt ground cable offers. That, is this switch may pose a bit of resistance.
However, if you consider the gauge of the wire that carries the generator output on its roundabout way to the battery, the conductivity of the Swann-type switch is probably sufficient for normal operation -
provided everything else is in good working order.
When using a battery charger, I suggest you attach the charger clamp to the battery post side of the switch, rather than the cable side. Otherwise, charging may proceed may slowly or give a false reading due to any additional resistance.
However, the black knob cut-off switch shown in
PackardV8's images seem to be a lot more substantial in this regard.
This is advice is not rooted in any empirical evidenced, but personal observation and logic, with a bit of gut feeling.
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