How do I disconnect the batteries on my coach?

House Battery Disconnect Panel 

The house battery disconnect panel (Figure 0-4) is located in the cargo storage area on the driver side. Along with the inverter switch and several breakers, the rotary switch labeled House Battery Master Switch can disconnect the house batteries when the vehicle is in storage for long periods.

Rotating this switch disconnects the house batteries only, not the engine batteries. This feature is designed to disconnect all 12 VDC circuitry from the batteries and prevent them from being drained during storage.

Engine Battery Disconnect Panel 

The engine battery disconnect panel is located in the outside battery storage compartment, on the rear of the passenger’s side of the motorhome.

On the upper, right-hand side of that compartment is another rotary switch (Figure 0-55) which, when activated, disconnects the “engine” batteries. When the motorhome is to be stored for any length of time, it is wise to disconnect these two 12 VDC systems.

When the motorhome is removed from storage, rotate the upper, right-hand disconnect switch to reconnect the 12 VDC power.

Tiffin Motor Homes recommends disconnecting the engine batteries while servicing the coach.

For routine, short-term use, there is a “12 VDC disconnect” switch on the switch console located in the stairwell of the Allegro Bus (Figure 0-6). This switch—located at the bottom of the switch console—can be used to disconnect the “house” battery from most of the 12 VDC circuits in the motorhome so that there is no inadvertent drain on the battery while the owner is away from the motorhome (e.g., shopping trips, day trips for sightseeing).

Tiffin Motor Homes also recommends periodically checking the fluid levels in the batteries constituting the 12 VDC “house” battery system to make sure that all fluid levels are properly maintained; otherwise, a full charge cannot be maintained in the batteries.

Your motorhome is also equipped with a battery maintainer that automatically activates when the motorhome is plugged into shore power in order to maintain charge in the engine batteries.