What is an Emergency Switch?

Picture it: You’re preparing to head back home after a remote camping trip in your motorhome. Everything is packed and ready to go. The family is locked and loaded, including the dog. You turn the key and…nothing. Nothing but a few clicks.

Your battery is dead. No one else with a vehicle is nearby to help you jump your battery. So, what do you do?

If you’re in a Class A, B, or C motorhome, you may have an emergency switch or button to the left or right of your steering wheel. And this can help you jump start your motorhome’s chassis battery.

How Does It Work? 

Motorhomes typically have at least two batteries: a chassis battery, or starting battery, that powers the rig’s engine, and a house battery that powers things like the water pump, electronics, lights, and more.

The emergency switch found on the dashboard connects the chassis battery to the house battery via a solenoid. When engaged for a minute or more, power from the house battery can be fed into the chassis battery. In most cases, the chassis battery should then have enough power to start the engine and will be recharged by the alternator. At this point, you would be able to drive away and head home as planned. 

What to Keep in Mind

In the event that your chassis battery doesn’t charge up right away from the house battery, you may need to engage the emergency button or switch longer than a minute. However, you don’t want to run the risk of draining the house battery entirely either—otherwise you may have to call on your roadside assistance provider! To cover your bases, run your generator to help charge your house battery before you do a jump start. 

In addition, don’t forget to perform regular maintenance on your RV batteries to ensure they’re in good working order and a long battery life. The maintenance required will depend on the type of batteries you have, so always double check maintenance guidelines before doing anything. But in general, be sure to:

• Clean terminals and posts
• Test cranking amps/volts
• Top off battery fluid
• Apply anti-corrosive spray on battery posts
• Check that the emergency switch is functioning properly

If it’s easier for you, schedule your battery maintenance to be performed at an RV service shop. 

Have you had to use the emergency switch before? Did you run into any issues? Let us know in the comments or contact us today!