Plugging 120V 20A into Coach for storage - and question on Elect. Air Compressor

[Joel Ashley]

As has been noted many times in the Forum, please do not turn that Coach Power switch off, Mike.  Ever.

It's designed for use by sales personnel on dealer lots, not for frequent owner use.  It only controls basic interior lighting, etc. anyway, and has been many owners' nemesis when it or its associated latching solenoid in the battery bay wears prematurely from overuse.  If you opt to save battery use for any reason, turn off both Main switches in the battery bay. 

Otherwise, yes, your inverter's charger will keep the house batteries up for the compressor to work.

You will have to leave the Main's on to insure the auxiliary compressor maintains level.  But if you level the rig on the ground the old-fashioned way, driving up on wood blocks or otherwise leveling the pad, and then dump the airbags, you won't need to rely on the compressor and can turn off the Main's.  One advantage to that, the way I've done it here at home, is the copilot appreciates that the first step into the coach is low and easy when loading time comes.

Joel

[Mike Shumack]

Thanks Bill.
I have the "residential" refrigerator. Nothing in it now. But it is connected to Inverter and shows "Power Off" on the door display when the Coach Power switch is On.
I don't remember if that door display works with the Coach Power switch in the Off position. I'll look into that when I get home. I'm not sure what gets power when coach is parked for storage (and only has a 120V 20A power supply).

But on the question of the "electric air compressor" - will that run when needed (I assume it is a 12V DC motor) if Coach power is OFF? Until I know for sure, I will just leave the Coach power switch On. I have not heard it come on yet, although it may not be needed yet.

I'm concerned that if the electric air pump doesn't come on and the air bags leak down some it will allow frame to twist some and mess up my slide outs. If the coach was just parked in storage with slides "in" this wouldn't be a concern - but I want to park coach on my lot with slides out (with just a 120V 20A power supply). I'm considering just manually draining down the air tank to see if electric pump comes on, but I don't what to mess up coach experimenting either.

[Mike Shumack]

As has been noted many times in the Forum, please do not turn that Coach Power switch off, Mike.  Ever.

Okay. This is important. I will Not shut off Coach Power ever again.
I should spend more time reading the older posts here.

You will have to leave the Main's on to insure the auxiliary compressor maintains level.

What do you mean by "Mains"?
Are you referring to the actual circuit breakers? I don't shut any of those off.
Or maybe you mean the "Chassis or House Battery disconnects" - I don't shut those off either.

Thanks

[Joel Ashley]

Yes, I mean the two Main battery switches, house and chassis, in the battery bay, Mike.  If you have occasion to store the coach without at least 15 amp power so the inverter's charger can maintain the batteries, then turn the two Main switches off.  There may still be some minimal 12v drain due to the engine computer that can only be avoided by disconnecting the chassis negative cable.  Unless you're in and out of the coach a lot, why waste electricity by leaving parasitic draws on 24/7?

On our coach, I leave the Main's off and let the solar system keep the batteries up, so I don't need to disconnect a cable.  If your coach is inside out of daylight, you'd need to remove the chassis ground cable or keep plugged in.

As to the compressor, be aware that its system is designed to work only if you level the rig using the Automatic Mode.  If you instead manually level using individual buttons on the leveler pad, the compressor will not factor in, so don't expect it to run and maintain level in that circumstance.  Since you now intend to leave the "Salesman's Switch" on, whether it affects the compressor or not doesn't matter. 

I could be wrong, and others here know better than I, but to my notion I'd expect the compressor to be associated with the leveling system, and by default the chassis side.  The Salesman's Switch should be interior 12v lights and devices (the house side), so I'd expect that it's latching function should not affect the auxiliary compressor.

Joel

[Mike Shumack]

As to the compressor, be aware that its system is designed to work only if you level the rig using the Automatic Mode.  If you instead manually level using individual buttons on the leveler pad, the compressor will not factor in, so don't expect it to run and maintain level in that circumstance.  Since you now intend to leave the "Salesman's Switch" on, whether it affects the compressor or not doesn't matter. 

I could be wrong, and others here know better than I, but to my notion I'd expect the compressor to be associated with the leveling system, and by default the chassis side.  The Salesman's Switch should be interior 12v lights and devices (the house side), so I'd expect that it's latching function should not affect the auxiliary compressor.

Joel

I leveled using the Auto-Level function. I have not heard the electric air compressor come on, ever (but maybe I just wasn't around at the time). Coach seems to be staying level. Wife has heard bags exhaust once or twice as she loaded coach.

Should the dash air pressure gauge show any "specific" pressures (i.e. stay above 90 psi) with engine off - if the electric compressor is working? It looks like one side (forget now if primary or secondary air side) drops to 30 psi over a couple of days and the other is still over 90, but less than full pressure. I'm not sure if "airbag system" pressure shows on the dash gauge  (meaning does electric air compressor also increase air system pressure that shows on dash gauge - or is airbag system isolated from rest of air system so it's pressure may not show on dash gauge)?

UPDATE: Okay, I answered my own question. According the air-system diagram in the HWH manual, the electric air compressor "only charges the air-bag system" (the air can't get past the tank's one-way (protection) check valve so it doesn't try to fill the primary or secondary tanks) which makes sense or that compressor would be working real hard and probably not last very long and it could take a long time for the leveling system to correct itself if it had to fill the main air tanks each time.