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Old 01-06-2020, 03:16 AM   #1
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Television

A newbie question- does the motor home generator need to be running for the tv’s to work. When I turn the generator off the TVs turn off but the lights inside the coach remain on. I’m so confused about how the electrical works inside the coach

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Old 01-06-2020, 03:23 AM   #2
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Hi Mike,
I dont know how your motorhome is set up but on mine the TVs will work if the inverter is turned on

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Old 01-06-2020, 03:31 AM   #3
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Same thing for my 29M. Do you have an inverter in your coach? The 12 volt DC provided by your batteries generally provide lighting and the power for the furnace and electronics on the fridge. Everything else is powered by the 110 power at campgrounds pedestal.
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Old 01-06-2020, 07:50 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by Lt Keefer View Post
Same thing for my 29M. Do you have an inverter in your coach? The 12 volt DC provided by your batteries generally provide lighting and the power for the furnace and electronics on the fridge. Everything else is powered by the 110 power at campgrounds pedestal.

Agreed, the house batteries I assume are on so the inverter should be powering them.
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Old 01-06-2020, 01:15 PM   #5
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A) if your coach doesn't have an INVERTER, then no, you will not have any 120v power to TVs, receivers, microwave, or any outlets

B) if your coach DOES have an INVERTER, it 'depends' on the purpose for the inverter and how it is WIRED within your coach. Some smaller inverters are ONLY for the residential fridge, and do not power anything else...or

C) if you have an Inverter, it 'may' support another outlet, some outlets, or all outlets, depending on how the factory wired it. Some owners find that 'some' outlets are powered, but are not necessarily OBVIOUS. It may only be one in the bedroom, or one or two in the living area, etc.


Regardless, in order for any of these outlets to be 'powered', the Inverter has to be turned ON. That's maybe a little too obvious, but many owners don't realize it, thinking that it happens automatically. You can easily leave the inverter on all the time, especially if you are traveling, or are mostly plugged into Shore Power, or running the generator. While the inverter may not seem to be needed when you have Shore or Gen power, it will still work during that time, and can give you a 'backup' power source if the Shore or Gen power fails, cuts out, or when you turn it off or unplug.
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Old 01-06-2020, 01:59 PM   #6
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I agree... It depends on how your electrical system has been configured...
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Old 01-06-2020, 02:13 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Miramar Mike View Post
A newbie question- does the motor home generator need to be running for the tv’s to work. When I turn the generator off the TVs turn off but the lights inside the coach remain on. I’m so confused about how the electrical works inside the coach
You have two electrical systems in your RV:

1 - 12 VDC just like in your car and it powers the lights; just like in your car.
It also provides the control power for your:
Furnace
Air Conditioning
Thermostat
Fridge
Water Heater
Furnace

2 - 120/240 VAC just like in your house and it powers major loads and AC appliances like:
Air conditioning
Electric Element in the Water Heater (If equipped)
Microwave
Electric Element in your Fridge
TVs
Onboard Battery Charger (Converter)

So if you remove the sources of AC power (Shore Power plug-in and Generator) the TVs will not work.

Some RVs have Inverters which take the 12 VDC from your batteries and make 120 VAC to run small loads when the generator is off and you are not plugged into shore power.

It can get more complex than stated above but that is your RV electrical system primer.
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