New kids on the block

[sam kelly]

Hello,my name is Sam Kelly,my wife is Lee.We purchased our used 23' coachmen MH a few months ago.We live in Cape May County,NJ.We have adult children who are experienced campers.We have made a half dozen small trips (2-4 days).We have enjoyed every moment so far.I have encountered one problem that I am unable to solve.The battery for the home does not charge from the altenator.The manual says it should.The MH is a 2003 coahmen on a chevy chasis with a 6 liter motor.Does anyone have any suggestions or advice.
Thank you,
Sam

 

[Ned]

There should be an isolator between the alternator and the two battery systems.  It may have failed, or there may be a bad or missing connection.  Determine what type of isolator you have, relay or diode, and we can give you some troubleshooting steps.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Welcome to RVForum.net, Sam.

Not all RVs charge the house batteries from the engine alternator, but if your manual specifically says so, obviously it should. There will be an electronic power management panel somewhere that handles 12V power and charging. In it is typically a relay that prevents both the house system (converter/charger) and engine alternator from being online at the same time. This isolates the chargers from each other and also the engine and house battery systems. I suspect this relay is stuck or just plain inoperative.  If you are familiar with typical car systems, the relay often looks like a typical starter solenoid. Sometimes  a good whack with a hammer handle or wrench will free up a stuck contact (they sometimes arc when they switch).  If you aren't familiar with such things, it's probably a job for a shop technician.

 

[Wendy]

Welcome to the Forum, Sam and Lee,

We had a 24' Coachman for 14 years. Served us very well.

Enjoy your travels
Wendy

 

[Ron]

Welcome to the RV Forum. Please look around the forum,  join in on any of the on going discussions, start new discussions, or ask questions. Thanks for joining us.