Breakaway Unit

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Breakaway Unit

Bobdown · Guru

Hi BB,

If you push the battery test button in the van (not connected to the tug), the brake lights should come on, on the van.

Also pull the cord on the draw bar to separate the 2 sections of the breakaway unit and the brake lights should come on, on the van and the brakes should be activated.

If the battery is ok the van lights will work, this is just an extra test rather than simply pushing the test button.

We don't have the monitor in the car in WA, so can't help there.

Cheers Bob

deverall11 · Guru

Had a similar problem. Suggest you remove the battery from the breakaway unit and take it somewhere to have
it checked. Auto electrician or Battery World. They should be able to give you their findings. If the battery is cactus,
questions you need to answer. If the van was purchased new, was the battery new etc....

Next, if you cannot do it yourself, you may want to ask the auto sparky to check the charging of the battery.

Keep in mind that there is a train of thoughts out there that believe that breakaway battery can only be charged
when hooked to the tow vehicle. I've always thought it also got its charge from the same place the house battery
is charged.

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Thanks for the replies I bit the bullet and bought a new battery at a place here in Broome that specialises in 12v systems. I replaced the old one and at the moment I have green lights - the challenge will now be if it stays charged. It cost me $51 for the new one and just down the road at Repco they wanted $112 so I was happy with that. I believe that NSW is the only state that requires a monitor to be fitted in your car and I thought I heard recently that they had scrapped the idea as well.

BB

Dougwe · Chief one feather

G'day BB.

I read you got a new battery so all sorted.

I had a similar problem with my aluminum tent back in 2015. It was only 12 months old and I noticed the breakaway battery wasn't working when getting ready to move on from being stationary for three months, so checked it out. Flat as a thin pancake. Why I thought myself, as everything was working on car OK? So checked it further and found that the wiring in the tunnel where the breakaway battery is were not even connected to it. Just sitting there looking at me. Hooked them up but battery too far gone, it had ridden on ahead. I found one in a battery place in Townsville where I was and changed over to it and all good. I now keep an eye on things manually and regularly as stay in places for many moons. It's just a flick of a switch for day then off again.

Keep Safe on the roads and out there.

kgarnett · Senior Member

The 7.2V breakaway batteries are available from Jaycar for around $40 (https://www.jaycar.com.au/12v-7-2ah-sla-back-up-battery-nbn-alarm-ufb/p/SB2486)

The in car breakaway monitor is no longer required in NSW

deverall11 · Guru

The Belmont Bear wrote:
..... I believe that NSW is the only state that requires a monitor to be fitted in your car and I thought I heard recently that they had scrapped the idea as well.
BB

That was such a dumb idea. You live somewhere other then NSW, buy a caravan in NSW and are obliged by law to have this fitted.

You don't live in NSW and never have, yet you travel through NSW, is the set up legal or not as well as other bits and pieces that

are different state to state to territories.

With the number of people travelling around Australia, we need a nation wide set of rules.

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Thanks Dougwe the first thing I did was check all the wiring and connections and it seemed to be Ok. I had a problem before we left home when I took the cover off the van, the lithium batteries had run down to the point where they couldnt be detected by the system and wouldnt recharge. I had to remove them and use a battery charger to wake them up. I,m just wondering if that 2 month period of the 12v system being shut down reduced the life of the breakaway battery because 8 months seems to be a pretty short life span

Thanks kg for the info but in Broome I had to take what I could get as I didnt want to hit the road with the breakaway not working.

BB

Dick0 · Guru

BB, there have been other posts regarding breakaway units.

Firstly, you need to assess whether your breakaway unit is being trickle charged. Getting a new battery will have the breakaway system up and running until the battery runs flat again.

Secondly, how is the breakaway battery currently charged and held at full charge.

Depending on your breakaway unit system, have you determined how the battery will remain full charged.

Most systems have a trickle charge ability with wiring from the house batteries to the breakaway unit. That way the breakaway unit will always be fully charged.

As mentioned earlier, to test, if you disconnect the breakaway cable on the drawbar the van rear brake lights should activate as should the wheel drum brakes.