Aug 07 RV Questions & Answers by Mark Polk

*NOTE: At Mark's discretion, material might be edited to suit a wide audience. Due to the large volume of material and correspondence we receive, individual replies might not be possible, nor can we acknowledge receipt of submitted material. Selected questions will be answered in future issues of our RV Education 101 newsletter and on our site. Thank-you for your understanding.

Q: If you have a motorcoach that normally requires 50 amp service and the campground can only offer 30 amp service.....does that work???? Can you plug a 50 amp plug into a 30 amp service????? Does this mean you just have less power to work with???
Mark Says: Yes you can use the 30 amp service. You will need an adapter to go from your 50 amp plug to the 30 amp service. This may or may not come with the unit. You will be limited to what you can use when plugged in to 30 amps.

Q: I want to put a motorcycle lift on the back of my coach (probably a RV Lifts of America) to carry my 2006 Honda Goldwing on the back of my Monaco Signature (w/ tag axle). I then want to flat tow a Jeep Liberty 4x4 which weighs about 4400 lbs. behind the coach. I understood about GCWR and the other weight factors......can you elaborate on what adding a motorcycle on a lift does to the overall weight equation?
Mark Says: I would guess that in your situation it would have little or no impact. If it were a gas RV chassis, limited to a 5,000 pound tow rating or a GCWR that is easily exceeded, I would have some concern. I don't want to say for sure, but again I don't think it will be a problem.

Q: I have been reading that when either one of four conditons occur ...your batteries are getting charged:
1) with the coach engine running, your coach batteries and house batteries are getting charged
2) with shore power (RV park electrical connection) the house batteries are getting charged
3) with the generator running, the house batteries are getting charged
4)with the optional solar panel, the house batteries are getting charged
BUT.....when the coach is parked for long extended periods but plugged into shore power, the COACH BATTERIES DO NOT GET CHARGED UNLESS YOU RUN THE ENGINE. Is there anyway to keep the coach batteries (engine starting batteries) charged up so the coach will start?

Mark Says: The RV will have battery disconnect switches. When parked for long periods of time you will turn the starting or chassis battery disconnect switch off to prevent any battery drain. With nothing draining the battery it should hold a charge, unless you're talking several months. A battery will loose a percentage of charge when stored for long periods of time. You can purchase a product like BatteryMinder to keep the chassis battery charged if you want. That's what I do.

Q: I am seriously interested in deep cycle batteries for the coach batteries (Glass Matt batteries) and an "effecitve solar" panel. I was watching a snipped from the "Full Timing" DVD (that I now own) and in the seminar, Lifestyle on Wheels, a solar expert talks about the effectiveness of solar charging. Yes when the sun is shining, technically you can charge the house batteries....but heat will reduce the effectiveness of solar charging. So the guy on the video suggest OVERSIZING the solar panel due to loss in charging due to heat.
Mark Says: I guess this would depend on how you plan to use the RV. If you enjoy dry camping you will need some way to put back in to the batteries what you take out. Solar charging does this. Basically the size of the panels will depend on the amperage you plan to use on a daily basis and the configuration of the batteries or battery bank. I am not an expert on this but there are fairly simple formulas to determine how many and how big the panels would be. Glass Mat batteries are very good by the way.

Q: I am doing my "homework" so that when I do buy a coach...it will be a "perfect purchase". What bothers me is that the reports say that on the averge, every 28 months someone trades in a coach for another one. I have to think the depreciation would kill them. Is it better to lease a coach or buy one?
Mark Says: RV's depreciate and depreciation will do a job on you if you trade or sell the unit that soon. Many people purchase the wrong RV the first time around and end up trading within one, two or three years. This is common in this industry. Whether it's too small, too big or the wrong type they end up "upside down'" and it's hard to get out of after that. I think the important thing is that you know for a fact you enjoy RVing and research a great deal on the type and size of RV that will suit your needs. And of course that you buy the unit right too. If you're not absolutely sure you should rent one and see what you think.

Copyright 2007 by Mark J. Polk owner of RV Education 101

RV Expert Mark Polk, seen on TV, is the producer & host of America's most highly regarded series of DVD's, videos, books, and e-books. http://www.rveducation101.com/