Let me start by saying that I am no way complaining. I am just sharing information.Background: Ive only owned 2 Motorhomes. The "old one" was a 1995 Damon. The new one is a Holiday Rambler.On my new rig I have noticed a few things that run off the house batteries that seem odd to me. The first is the radio. If I forget to turn on the house batteries before I start driving, I am then driving with no tuneage. Not the case with the old RV. I guess the new way is better for when you are parked. That way you can listen to music without draining your chassis battery. I happen to have installed a Bose system so I don't need the dash radio except for when driving.Yesterday I noticed that my power seat was not working. I turned on the house batteries and tah-dah the seat was working. I am not sure why that one is set up the way it is. I cant really come up with a good reason for that one.On my old MH the house batteries did NOT charge when the gen was running. If you wanted to charge them you had to either run the motor, plug into shore power or plug in a battery charger when the gen was running. Not the case with the new one. This one seems to charge when the gen runs. That is a very good thing.So here is a question for you......if you have the "salesman switch" off, will the batteries charge from the alternator? Will they charge from the Gen if that switch is off? Will they charge if the switch is off while plugged into shore power?I am not looking for people to get into a debate on turning the switch on and off. I just want to have a better understanding of how it is wired and set up to operate.

You are asking for the impossible since all RV's are wired differently. I've owned enough to accept the fact that what they did in the factory does not always make sense. On my Monaco coach, the "salesman's" switch is marked "ceiling" and is momentary to energize a relay. The very next year, the switch is still labeled the same but is an on-off type switch that energizes the same relay. When the engine is running on my coach, the isolator controls what the engine alternator is charging. If both the house and the chassis battery needs charging, they will both get charged, regardless of the position of the salesman's switch.ON shore power I believe 12 volts is needed to control the monitor screen on my Xantrex inverter/charger, it will not charge the batteries if the salesman's switch is off. There will still be 120 volts at the outlets since they are bypassing the inverter. As I said, all RV's are different as I have seen different wiring on coaches like mine and built the same year. The factory wiring diagram is just fiction, as are the fuse labels.

It sounds like they just grabbed 12V from where ever it was the most handy.

my salesman switch is momentary too. It took me a few clicks to figure that one out because it looks just like all the other rocker switches that are not momentary.

Interesting, I was planning to rewire my radio and connect it to the house battery.Other wise I have to have the ignition turned on in the truck and all the things connected to it are energized

MagillaGorilla wrote:. . . On my old MH the house batteries did NOT charge when the gen was running. If you wanted to charge them you had to either run the motor, plug into shore power or plug in a battery charger when the gen was running. Not the case with the new one. This one seems to charge when the gen runs. That is a very good thing.. . . Check the user manual for your inverter/charger. On mine, I can control whether the inverter/charger charges the house batteries or not. Inverter is a Heart (Xantrex), 2000 watt, I forget the model #. Not set up to also charge the chassis batteries on mine.Anyway, on the indoor remote for the inverter, I can flip one of the DIP switches on the back and change it from continuous charge when AC is applied (genset or shore power)to charging only when the inverter is turned "ON" using the system switch on the remote. I have mine set at the latter. That way a charge is not continuously applied from the inverter when plugged in to shore power. Solar is enough to keep the chassis batteries topped off, plus I have BatteryMinders for both sets of batteries when on AC.Both chassis and house batteries are charged from the alternator when underway.Wayne

Odd things connected to the House Batteries | Good Sam Community

19 Replies

jplante4
Explorer II
Jun 12, 2015
Well as long as the topic has come up, I might as well confess. I couldn't get the dash radio to work on the Sahara this spring. I know it was working when we picked it up from the last owner last fall. So I went to Wally World and picked up a cheapo Pioneer and threw it in. It also solved the problem of having to hook up the 10 disc CD changer, because the new radio has a USB port.

I swapped all the wires over and by golly the new radio didn't work either. Out comes the multi-meter and I discover that I have no DC to the radio connector. I run a new power wire to the switched chassis fuse box and all is well.

One day a few weeks later, I'm sitting in the driver's seat exploring things and I see this switch with musical notes on it.

DOH!
ets1996
Explorer
Jun 12, 2015
My Rexhall The dash radio is wired into the chassis battery. Also on my rig when driving I have to have the house batteries on as even though the refrigerator switches to propane it has to have 12volt control power and this is supplied by the house batteries.
OldBlackWater
Explorer
Jun 12, 2015
My in-dash radio unit, also powered by the house batteries, also serves as the screen for my back-up camera, so I don't drive without the house batteries connected.
mlslcan
Explorer
Jun 12, 2015
On my HR the dash radio is also run off of the house batteries. There is a radio switch on my dash and one near the bed. We can turn the radio on or off by either switch. Useful for listening to some background music while lounging in the bed.

I do not have an electric solenoid for my salesman switch just a manual switch in the battery bay. If it is off the batteries are isolated from everything including the charger and the connection to the chassis battery.

Mike
1993 HR 1000 35CST
Empty_Nest__Soo
Explorer
Jun 12, 2015
MagillaGorilla wrote:
. . .

On my old MH the house batteries did NOT charge when the gen was running. If you wanted to charge them you had to either run the motor, plug into shore power or plug in a battery charger when the gen was running. Not the case with the new one. This one seems to charge when the gen runs. That is a very good thing.
. . .

Check the user manual for your inverter/charger. On mine, I can control whether the inverter/charger charges the house batteries or not. Inverter is a Heart (Xantrex), 2000 watt, I forget the model #. Not set up to also charge the chassis batteries on mine.

Anyway, on the indoor remote for the inverter, I can flip one of the DIP switches on the back and change it from continuous charge when AC is applied (genset or shore power)to charging only when the inverter is turned "ON" using the system switch on the remote.

I have mine set at the latter. That way a charge is not continuously applied from the inverter when plugged in to shore power. Solar is enough to keep the chassis batteries topped off, plus I have BatteryMinders for both sets of batteries when on AC.

Both chassis and house batteries are charged from the alternator when underway.

Wayne
kgragert
Explorer
Jun 12, 2015
Interesting, I was planning to rewire my radio and connect it to the house battery.
Other wise I have to have the ignition turned on in the truck and all the things connected to it are energized
MagillaGorilla
Explorer
Jun 12, 2015
my salesman switch is momentary too. It took me a few clicks to figure that one out because it looks just like all the other rocker switches that are not momentary.
ScottG
Nomad
Jun 12, 2015
It sounds like they just grabbed 12V from where ever it was the most handy.
rgatijnet1
Explorer III
Jun 12, 2015
You are asking for the impossible since all RV's are wired differently. I've owned enough to accept the fact that what they did in the factory does not always make sense. On my Monaco coach, the "salesman's" switch is marked "ceiling" and is momentary to energize a relay. The very next year, the switch is still labeled the same but is an on-off type switch that energizes the same relay.
When the engine is running on my coach, the isolator controls what the engine alternator is charging. If both the house and the chassis battery needs charging, they will both get charged, regardless of the position of the salesman's switch.
ON shore power I believe 12 volts is needed to control the monitor screen on my Xantrex inverter/charger, it will not charge the batteries if the salesman's switch is off. There will still be 120 volts at the outlets since they are bypassing the inverter.
As I said, all RV's are different as I have seen different wiring on coaches like mine and built the same year. The factory wiring diagram is just fiction, as are the fuse labels.

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Odd things connected to the House Batteries

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