Will Redarc Tow Pro Liberty Brake Controller Drain Vehicle Battery When Parked

Published 06/11/2024

Question:

I just bought a Redarc Tow Row Liberty brake controller and trying understand the usage scenario l raised a question for me: Does the controller still draw a current when there is no trailer connected or when the car is stopped and parked? I am replacing an Echo, so these issues were never relevant for me, since the Echo is removed when you are not towing. But how is that with a brake controller that is permanently installed? Can I go away for, say, a month and be confident that my battery wont be drained upon return? Should I turn the control knob to zero when I am not towing? Or should I disconnect the brake controller when not in use sounds like a nuisance? I couldnt find anything on this in the documentation.

asked by: Arnold R

Expert Reply:

Hey Arnold, this is a great question but basically when a brake controller isn't used for 10 to 15 minutes or so it goes into a sleep mode that allows it to keep it's settings but without drawing significant enough amperage to drain the vehicle battery.

So if your car was parked for a month it wouldn't be the brake controller that would drain the battery...although it probably would have a hard time starting since that's a pretty long time. Setting the controller to zero when not being used would not have any impact on anything.

expert reply by: Jameson C