System shutdown button

Hi all

Does anyone switch off their Sergent Panel under the bench, by pressing the system shutdown black button?

We only use the van every few weeks in the winter, so wondered if by pressing that button and turning everything off, will it stop the batteries from draining?

Many thanks for any advice 

Marc

We do, in the winter.

Note, though, that powering off that unit disables smart charging, so, all solar, if you have it, is directed to the leisure battery.

Yeah same here. Shut it down over winter. Tracker works fine - over summer the solar panel has enough sunlight to keep both batteries topped up but found over winter that it couldn’t. 

On ours though I think turning it off means the vehicle battery stays topped up not the leisure. Pretty sure there is a difference between the 500 (leisure top up) and 700 (vehicle top up) - sure someone will confirm or correct me.

DeeBee wrote:
On ours though I think turning it off means the vehicle battery stays topped up not the leisure. Pretty sure there is a difference between the 500 (leisure top up) and 700 (vehicle top up) - sure someone will confirm or correct me.

Yes I agree with that.  I think this is an improvement done on the EC700 as I think it's more important to keep the vehicle battery charged.
I think OP is EC500 though.

I shutdown my EC700 whenever the motorhome is out of use winter and summer.  If the EC700 is not shutdown, it will flatten the batteries in the winter if not on an EHU.  In the summer the daily solar charge will top up the batteries but its unnecessary wear on the leisure battery.