House battery/Propane

House batteries DO charge while driving but not very well. Read a tutorial or two. Then ask questions.

way2roll wrote:
Not sure what kind of RV you have but generally with a motorhome the house batteries will charge in one or all of 3 ways, plugged into shore power, with the generator on, or the engine alternator. This is a general rule though and not applicable to every RV. There is also solar if your MH is so equipped.

As far as LP, a lot of campgrounds offer it, rv dealers, and places like tractor supply are the most common. Some truck stops.

I could not have said it better myself.

My motorhome barely charges the house battery when driving. When I need a good charge it's much quicker to run the generator and converter/charger than to rely on the engine charging it up (so I'll often run the generator while driving from one place to the next to get the battery recharged quickly).

propane is sometimes avaliable at gas stations, but I find the "techs" at gas stations don't have a clue. I have a local equipment rental yard I go to, and if on the road I'll google equipment rental and find one that sells propane. They usually have nice large yards to get the motorhome in, and the techs generally know what they are doing.

House battery charging while driving is NOT optimal. Some of the older converters are not much better. Depending on how much power you are using will not be connected to shore power (plugged in), consider a new, better quality converter/charger.

If you have the space, two 6V golf cart batteries are better than one 12V battery.

"Where does one get a propane fill in the USA?"

Many RV Parks, gas stations, farm supply, home and garden supply stores have it. Watch for signs on the freeway. Next time you find a source, they usually have a blue sign with specific lettering. If you train your eyes to look for the vertical and/or horizontal white tanks, it gets easier to find. The tanks are usually outside and at least about 50' away from the main structure they are associated with. It's a good idea to use google maps to check access since you'll probably need generous space to get your rig near the tank. Be careful, filling your propane tank(s) is a really good opportunity to damage your rig, the adjacent fill area, or both.

Chum lee

Thank you all for such quick response!
I thought that the house batteries would charge while driving but wanted a confirmation on that.
As for the propane, great info.
Thanks again Paul

How batteries charge is a basic RV electrical question. Read an RV electric tutorial online. Here’s one from KOA. http://rvservices.koa.com/rvinformation/rvmaintenance/basic-rv-electricity.asp

Around me, many hardware stores have propane fill facilities. (I mean the local True Value, Ace, etc. hardware stores, rather than big box building supply places like Lowes and Home Depot.) Tractor Supply, Agway, etc. also do, as mentioned by others. Some propane suppliers--the sort of place that has trucks to deliver propane to customers for heating or cooking--will also do fills at their depots.

In my experience, you can generally find RV refills for propane in the US at rental equipment yards, ACE Hardware, U-Haul, Tractor Supply, etc ... a quick google search for "RV propane refill near me" will turn up useable results.

House batteries should generally charge when driving or when plugged in. If you camp where there is no power, a generator or solar panels can be used.
There is probably an app for finding propane, I usually don’t have any trouble finding it in the US