Can I charge the house battery with the engine alternator?

I just feel better with a switch while I'm trying to figure out how this works. One of the things is don't know is whether I have a regular solenoid starter switch or a battery switch (which is just a starting solenoid that can handle continuous power). The previous owner had a push button switch which tells me he was using it to jump the MH. But the batteries were not connected. I just ran it for an hour and everything seems fine. But turning the switch off makes me feel better.