Battery question

mamaw56 wrote:
When you're traveling does the alternator charge the house batteries?

3/4 of coach's haven't the means to do it that's why there are so many after markets kits out there for this purpose.

MH or towable, yes, they are supposed to.

The question is what is the condition of the system and is it properly designed. If you have little 16 gauge wires running 30-40ft with poorly made corroded connections, don't expect much of any charging to happen.

I'm guessing the OP is talking about the Class A motorhome in their profile.

Correct. All motorhomes are built (no idea if the electrical system is still functioning and/or has been modified by a previous owner) for the alternator to charge both chassis and house battery banks.

As this is the "Class A Motorhomes" forum, I think it's pretty safe to assume without further information that the question is in relation to a motorhome.

Yes, in motorhomes the engine alternator charges the house battery while en route. If that's not happening, then something is broken. On some (comparatively rare) units, there might be a switch to disable this charging, though I can't really see much of any point in doing so.

Mamaw,

There is a big problem here....
Without any detail, nobody can honestly answer your question.
The easy and possible wrong answer would be that most are supposed to do that.
But,
Are we talking about a powered or a towable?
In most (note I said most) self powered RVs, this is an included feature.
In many (but not all) towables, the feature is available but there is no certainly that it has been enabled.

So, if you were to come back and tell us more (maybe a lot more), then there is a very good chance that you can get an accurate answer.

Matt

Yes, it provides some recharging. Don’t depend on it to fully recharge a depleted battery. Solar is the answer...charges driving or sitting.