Hopkins Trailer Breakaway Battery Charger Gets Hot

Updated 05/20/2015 | Published 05/19/2015

Question:

Hi I installed the Hopkins 20011 on my duel axle trailer, my question is should the charger itself black box get hot while its plugged into the vehicle? Im afraid it might cause a problem, short out, melt. Checked wiring and all is good. Thanks for any info

asked by: Danny

Expert Reply:

Battery chargers do get hot, especially if plugged in for long periods of time. If it is so hot that you can't even touch it then that would be a problem, a short somewhere either with the wiring or internal on the charger. On the wiring make sure there are no pinched, frayed or damaged wires and fix as needed. Make sure that the black wire is connected to the 12 volt circuit coming from the vehicle, red is connected to the positive breakaway battery terminal, and blue is connected to the breakaway switch.

expert reply by: Michael H