rorr1821

I also recommendation you call Cummins and provide them your engine serial number for an answer to your question. Also you may want to double check the answer with your Cummins engine owners manual. I have the ISL engine and have been told by Cummins these engine's come with different oil pan capacities. After you get the correct information from Cummins I would suggest on you next oil change you do a dip stick calibration check. It is not uncommon for dip sticks to read incorrect oil levels. You do not want to over fill the engine with oil! It is better to be at the fill mark on the dip stick than to be over the full mark.

My wife and I went to Alaska in 2009 and declared a shotgun at Canadian Border crossing. It was a mod 870 Remington pump 12 gage with a slug barrel. Prior to making the crossing I researched on Canadian web site and downloaded the permit. In my research as I recall taking a pistol into Canadian was not a option. I took my shotgun for protection from the bears. When we were in Alaska just about every Alaskan fisherman was carrying a firearm. I was chased out of the river by a Grizzly who wanted my salmon more than me. So a firearm can serve for more than protection from other humans. My motto, if you have a firearm in your MH do not tell or brag to anyone about the firearm, and hopefully you will never it. If you out in an isolated remote area it can give you a comforting though!

Your writeup on Monaco MH is a great explanation of the history and evolution of the OEM shocks used. I have the misfortune of having Monroe's which I am currently changing out for Koni's. I find it interesting that Koni provides a lifetime warranty, but Monroe has only a 2 year warranty or 200,000 miles. I would not use warranty as the sole reason to use a product but it does provide some consumer assurance the manufacture has confidence in the quality of their product. Thanks again.

Not sure where you are in your decision process but rather than listen to a lot of wrong opinions just call Direct TV or Dish ask for mobile service department. They will tell you what you can or can not receive as far as Distant networks channels are concerned provided you are fulltimer. If you do make that call give us a report back on your findings. It should interesting!

Bill: I take issue with what you are saying. If you are fulltime you can get the east or west coast or both network channels( NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX and one other one which excapes me) on the same account, unless they have changed the rules in the last month. When you have the primary account tied to a permanent house address Direct will not allow it and maybe Dish. When the primary account is tied to a mobile account there are different rules.

Maybe I was not clear in my statement. I am saying I believe you have two problems. The current AC's are not working correctly that is a given if you only seeing 5 deg temperature change. Once you get that problem resolved I still stand by my previous statement. Based on what I believe is your current length and slide configuration, you do not have adequate number of AC's to handle a worse case temperature situation.

I have had experience with both. I currently have Direct because we have it our house. Also the wife is familiar with it and believe me that was the straw breaker. If you are fulltime I believe either service is good even though there are reports that when you are in a fringe reception area Direct will provide better service. I never had that problem with Dish. If you are not fulltime Direct will not, anymore, allow you to receive the major network channels unless you open a separate account from your house account. Dish so I have been told will allow you to receive the major networks on one account. If you are fulltime it does not matter because you can get the major networks since the motorhome is your house. Another factor would be your receiving dish and it's capabilities. Just some more thoughts to consider as you make your decision.

It is my understanding that a 430QS is a 42' tag axle 4 slide motorhome. If this is correct you have too much motorhome interior to cool for just two AC's, in my opinion. The general rule of thumb is anything over 40 feet has that third AC. This is not to say you do not have other issues with the current AC's. I am a big believer when there is a potential design flaw your best source is the factory service center if they have one. Unless you have an exceptional dealer they may not be able to resolve the issue.

According to the Ford 2010 official towing guide, which you can download from the internet, this vehicle can be towed all 4 wheels down. There are some limitations as to speed and AWD vs FWD. I would read the towing guide and owners manual and definitely would not rely on the salesman's comments as an authoritative source. The best source is the owners manual for that specific vehicle.

We had a similar problem on our 2008 Diplomat because Monaco did not install the cap properly during manufacturing. The solution was to rework fiberglass cap upper corners. It took a coordinated effort between the glass people and the fiberglass shop. I would recommend Guarantee RV on OR. The glass people said using a sealant might work but no guarantee. To answer your question about the rubber seal. The seal has an outer grove which locks into the fiberglass. The windshield fits into another inter grove which is locked in by locking cord which you see around the outer perimeter of the glass. When a windshield is replaced the rubber seal does not normally get removed. The locking cord is removed an the glass is pulled outward or pushed from the inside out.

I have had several vehicles which I have towed all four wheels down and none of these vehicles accumulated miles on the odometer. See the attached 2011 Ford Towing guide. I believe I would check with several other dealers on this issue.

Mike: I have owned several Monaco products and each one had grease packed bearing. I had the oil bath and grease packed bearing discussion with an engineer friend of mind who retired from a large bearing and seal manufacture. I had entertained the idea of changing out my front seals to oil bath. In the discussion it was pointed out that oil bath is a great option for units that are driven often like 18 wheeler's. However, unit's that are parked more than they are driven, oil bath may proved to be a bad choice, because the oil only covers about 1/3 to 1/2 of the bearing. The oil covering the top of the bearing will drain so when you start up you have basically dry bearing startup. Also, even though these bearing are in a sealed environment when that oil drains from the bearings you risk the possibility of oxidation of the bearing surface which could lead to failure. I have also had this discussion with Monaco tech support who have seen a number of oil bath bearing failure in unit's that are parked for long periods. This along with cost maybe the reason Monaco has chosen to use grease packed bearing on the steer axle as a standard even on their current production models. In my tag axle I also have oil bath bearings and often wondered why Monaco did not use grease packed bearing. I can only speculate in was engineering decision based on use and load factors. One other consideration. When I was investigating this oil bath issue a few years ago I was told the same seal is used on the grease packed bearing and the oil bath. In fact I purchased two new seals before I changed my mind. If these seals start leaking it will not take two long to lose the oil and then the bearing. So you really need to have that sight glass available for daily inspection. This is just another point of view on the issue.

UPDATE: Residential Refrigerator Installation I reported on Feb18 and 27 of 2011 that I was going to install a residential refrigerator in my 2008 Monaco Diplomat 36PDQ motorhome. I am happy to report the project is complete except as noted in this report. The results are better than I had anticipated and I hope I will not be disappointed in the performance. I worked on this residential install between other projects around my house. My last update ended with several unresolved issues. After more research I decided to block off both the side wall and roof opening. I made this decision bases on several points. First, when an OEM installs a residential refrigerator they do not have these openings. These opening have the potential to create a vacuum effect because a residential refrigerator is not sealed from the living quarters like a gas absorption unit. In talking with several aftermarket installers of residential refrigerators they seal off both wall and roof opening. When I blocked these opening I also insulated them with R4 foam board to insulate from the outside heat and cool. My two other biggest concerns were a method to secure the refrigerator so it would not move even under the most severe road conditions. The roads we encountered on our trip to Alaska in 2009 convinced me that things need to be very secure. My other concern was a method to make sure the refrigerator doors did not open while traveling. The opening for this refrigerator has very close tolerances in my application, especially the depth. The residential refrigerator without the doors is 24 3/8' deep and the depth of my opening is 26". I initially was going to use a method obtained from a local RV converter and repair business to secure the refrigerator to the floor. They use a piece of wood secured to the bottom of the refrigerator and another piece secured to the floor. These pieces of wood are cut at an angle so they lock together. You push the refrigerator back and lift it over the wood attached to the floor and then bring it forward to lock in place. Then attach a bracket to the front so the unit cannot move toward the back. I decided that this method would not work well for me because my depth is marginal. I developed a cable method using the original leveling legs which I removed from unit. I used 1/8" coated cable which is rated at 340 lb load which far excesses my requirements. According to Samsung this refrigerator requires a surface to support a fully loaded refrigerator weigh of 223 lbs. I am not sure of the dry weight but based on this information this refrigerator weighs less than the Norcold 1200. These two cables have a compression fitting on one end and are run through a washer then through a slot on the bottom back of the refrigerator. I did this for each side. I connected the other end to eye bolts and ran then through a slot in the floor toward the front to the leveling leg brackets which I attached with bolts to the underside of the floor. The cable must be run through the refrigerator bottom before it is crimped to the eyebolt. I also should mention that I reinforced the underside of the floor with 2x4's using Kreg system and pocket screws. I also used ¾" new plywood flooring. This cable method provides a way to adjust the unit to the opening and also will prevent any forward movement of the refrigerator. I found that getting the refrigerator even and square in the opening in very tricky because you are dealing with x and y axles of the opening and the refrigerator. I also made two 90 deg angle support brackets with 7" leg and 3" leg. I had to carefully match drill the 3"vertical leg so it matched the hole pattern in the original leveling leg. I could not use the original leveling leg because I needed the horizontal leg to be flush with the floor. I attached these new bracket supports to where the leveling leg supports were originally attached to the front of the refrigerator bottom using the original 10mm bolts. The bottom 7" leg of the bracket is positioned toward the back of refrigerator and bolted to the floor. This was a very tedious process because you are working in very confined area with very close tolerances. However, the end result makes the refrigerator solidly attached and it cannot move out of the opening even under the most severe conditions. I plan on attaching cabinet latches to the refrigerator to insure the doors stay closed while traveling. I saw these latches used by Tiffin Motorhome on their OEM installed residential refrigerators. These are plastic and spring loaded. They seem to work very well on cabinet door and drawer applications. I have found that these latches in different load rating's for both heavy and light applicants. To install the refrigerator I had to make a platform with wheels. I saw this used by another person when they did their residential refrigerator install. This makes installation of the refrigerator in the opening a one man job and allows for easy removal. I pushed the refrigerator approximately 2/3 into the opening and then went outside and positioned the cables through the slots in the floor. I also ran the electrical and water line for the ice maker through a predrilled hole. Then I attached the door hinges and the top control board prior to pushing the unit completely into the opening. Once it is in the opening I attached the eye bolts and then the two front leg supports. I determined that securing the leg supports first and then tighten the cables provided the best method to align the refrigerator edge to the opening edge. This has been an interesting project. In my next report I hope to be able to provide performance measurements as to DC Amp Hour requirements and battery bank recharge cycle requirements. I have pictures but unable to upload because I do not understand the process.

Tupelo: Your problem could be a combination of issues. Gas absorption refrigerators require to be leveled with-in 3 deg otherwise you will damage the cooling unit. This damage is cumulative and non-reversible. What happens is the coolant (ammonia/water vapor) will collect in the return tubing and solidify and over time block the cooling tubing. Since your situation was just noticed it maybe the first signs of a cooling unit blockage. Other considerations are outside temperature changes and the installation. I had a similar situation with a Norcold in the slide. In my case the solution was to remove the unit and reinstall using Norcolds very specific dimensional requirements. If you go to the Norcold installation guide they have specific clearance requirements for both a slide and fixed wall installation. OEM's are bad about not following these guides. If your unit is still under the Norcold warranty I would contact a servicing dealer.

This unit was just delivered. I checked for condenser coils which are located on the bottom of the unit. The air flow moves through the front bottom vent and up the back. I have the manufacture suggested 2" clearance between the back wall. I have over 6" clearance at the top. I am probably going to put 1 1/2" of foam sheet at the top ceiling which will give me additional R factor of about 15. I have alway had a concern of heat from the roof even with the Norcold refrigerator. There will be a clearance of approximately 3/8" between the cabinet facing and the refrigerator side and top walls. However, the clearance between the side walls increases to 2" pass the cabinet front facing edges. I will probably install two small 120 mm fans in the roof vent with a manual switch. These fans will serve to remove air out of the back on extremely hot day when the sun is on that side of the motorhome. I plan on insulating and sealing the side wall vent (it will be constructed so I can remove it to access the back of the refrigerator) which should help to prevent the solar heat built up on the back wall. I am still looking at other options for the air flow. One option I have considered was to install a rectangular vent in the cabinet facing above the refrigerator but that would defeat the purpose of the fans I plan on installing. I want to move air through the bottom refrigerator vent up the back of the refrigerator and out. I am still open to options. Project update. I have removed the Norcold unit and it is out of the motorhome. I just completed moving a shower drain and water pipes which were installed wrong from the factory. Until I removed the refrigerator and platform I could not get to it. I am working on designing the new platform which will be lower than the old platform. Under the platform will be wires, water and drain to the adjacent slide. As you probably can tell I am not in a hurry.

The Amish replacement unit has gotten some very good press. If I were going to stay with a gas absorption unit I would replace the Norcold cooling unit with the Amish version. However, since these units, as I understand, have not been on the market very long they do not have a proven track record. All reports I have read indicate they are heavier which suggest they are made of thicker metal. The leaking of the coolant fluid which can lead to a fire seems to be the big safety issue. Taking that out of the equation the efficient of these gas absorption units in my experience has been less than satisfactory. I pulled my Norcold refrigerator and checked back wall spacing, looked for obstructions, verified the Norcold cooling fans were functional, checked the thermistor which turns the fans based on temperature, and etc. Everything checked out to be OK. This is not my first motorhome or Norcold unit. In every case they have operated the same. I am convinced it is the nature of the beast. Now that being said the Amish unit, so I understand, have some redesign features which may prove to produce a colder unit. When I did the math I was able to purchase a Samsung unit for around $950 . The Amish unit cost a little over $1,000. So the refrigerator cost compared to the Amish cooling unit is a wash. I did buy a new pure sine wave inverter which cost $1400. I had planned on doing that at some point anyway. I do not plan on buying more batteries. However, I am considering solar and will continue to investigate this option. I plan on trying to sell the Norcold which is only 3 years old and looks like it has never been used and the inverter. So my point is that this entire project when all is done should be a wash in cost. In should also be noted I am doing the work myself so the normal labor cost is not factored in. I would suggest to anyone considering a Residential Refrigerator conversion to do the math, research and weigh the options, but foremost determine what do you want to achieve as an end result?

I have a 2008 Monaco Diplomat 36PDQ motorhome. We are not full timers. This motorhome came with a Norcold 12 Cu Ft 4 door gas absorption refrigerator. Like many owners of this type refrigerator I have been less than satisfied with the performance of this unit especially in hot summer months when temperatures approach 100 deg F. I had considered replacing the unit but the thought of removing the windshield to do the replacement was unacceptable. I read an article “Out goes the Norcold in with the Maytag†on www.iRV2.com which provided a ray of hope that I could get the old Norcold out the entry door. I measured my door and found that it was 26 3/8†wide. Wow! The Norcold according to the specification sheet is 24†deep and according to the article it would fit though the door. My next step was to determine which residential refrigerator might work for my motorhome. Keep in mind my Norcold is in a tight area and I have no room to increase the width or depth. I can increase the height with some minor cabinet work. The only refrigerator I could fine that will work for me was a Samsung model RF197ACBP which is 18 cu ft. The Samsung is 32 ¼†wide which will provide a ¼†clearance on both sides. It has a depth of 24†which will provide a 2†clearance between the back of the refrigerator and the motorhome wall. This unit comes in four finishes including stainless steel, white, black, and stainless platinum. We choose Black finish. I was able to buy this unit through AAFES for $949 delivered. My next consideration was the inverter. I currently have a Magnum Energy ME2012-20B modified sine wave. I concluded after investigation that the modified sine wave would most likely work. However, I like thing to work the best, therefore a pure sine wave is the way to go. I decided to purchase a Magnum Energy pure sine wave model MS2012-20B unit. I found this unit on the internet for $1410. The install will be a plug and play operation. I had considered a larger unit but the rewire was more than I wanted to deal with at this time. I had also talked with Magnum Energy tech support and they said this unit will work find for my application. I read an article “Residential Refrigerator Power Requirement†on the www.happy-wanderers.com. In his article he provided some enlightening information on power requirements for his OEM installed refrigerator. I currently have 4ea 6 volt flooded batteries at 232Ah per battery. My total Ah at 12 volts is 464 Ah. I concluded that 6ea batteries would be better but I am going to try this conversion with the 4 batteries. My reasoning is that adding two more batteries would require a major rework of my battery compartment and I would need to buy 6 new batteries because you never want to mix new and old batteries. As of this writing I have removed the Norcold from the opening and now I am waiting for some help to carry it out of the motorhome. My plans are to sell this unit and the inverter at a deep discount to help recover some of my conversion cost. My next concerns will be removing the old support floor and lower it about 6 ¼â€. The only thing that I have not resolved is whether to seal off the back opening and the roof opening. I talked to Steve at Texas Custom Coach, Pipe Creek, Texas and he said when they do a conversion they seal off the roof and side opening. Regardless of my decision to seal off the opening I will be adding some rigid insulation to the roof ceiling above the refrigerator. This was a modification I was going to do with the Norcold before I decided to remove it. Even thought the ceiling in my motorhome is approximately 8†thick there is a 6†air space between the ceiling and the top of the Norcold. I had read an article where someone had insulated this area and it made a significant improvement in the performance of his Norcold. As I progress through this adventure I will try and provide updates as they occur. Since the motorhome is parked in a building next to my house and not currently in use I tend not to get in a big hurry. I appreciate any constructive comments concerning my unresolved issue of whether to seal off top and side vent. Thanks.

Bill: I am in the process of converting my motorhome from Norcold to a residential refrigerator. What is the Ah rating of your battery bank at 12 volts? Also what brand refrigerator do you have?

Could it be you have always been low on coolant and over time you just lost more through evaporation and expansion until you reached a point where the engine got too hot? Regardless, you have two problems as I see it. First you need a way to check your coolant level and a overflow reservoir tank would probably be the best solution. You also need to check every coolant hose connection and be sure to check in your dash heater area. Coolant has a very defined smell which may help in your search. As pointed out by another person you need to check your engine oil for coolant. If you find coolant in the oil you need to contact the engine manufacture. I would be asking the motorhome manufacture tech support why there is no coolant reservoir and how are you going to check for correct coolant level? When an engine gets hot the coolant is going to expand and its got to go somewhere. Installation of a coolant reservoir would not be difficult once you locate a place to put it. Also after you figure all this out I would consider doing a complete coolant flush. If you call Cummins Fleetguard Division they can advise you on types of coolant and the correct test procedures to check for PH levels, and etc.

I have owned both the side and rear radiator motorhomes. Here is my assessment of the pro's and con's. Rear radiator: It is more difficult to work on the engine because the radiator blocks the engine from the rear. Access always must be done from inside bedroom area to reach the top of the engine or to service the turbo. Oil changes and coolant filter access is done from the outside under the motorhome. General the cooling fan is a direct drive. So the more RPM's the faster the fan turns. However, there is a solution which works great and provides about 1 MPG saving in fuel. In doing so it gives you more power to the wheels. I am familiar with the Horton clutch fan which is connected with the engine computer and only engages when your engine reaches a pre-determined temperature. Otherwise it turns freely vary similar to a clutch fan on older cars (newer cars have electric fans which are a different animal). I have had the Horton fan on two motorhomes and it does work as stated. A rear radiator can be prone to sucking up a stone from the road. You can fabrication a wire shield to minimize the chances of sucking a stone into the fan and through the radiator. I have been to Alaska and put many miles on rear radiator motorhome's and have not had a problem. Side radiator: Even though it was posted that a side radiator uses less power, I disagree. The hydraulic pump's that I have seen are powered from the engine. I was told by Cummins that it took somewhere between 25 and 30 hp from the engine to turn this pump. Keep in mine it is working all the time. The side radiator is easier to service and makes accessing the engine much easier. It seem to me the side radiator motorhome I had drew the air from under the unit pushed it out the side. If that is correct I would think you have the same chance of picking up a stone and putting it through the radiator. I have had to clean both rear and side radiators. I do not believe either version is that difficult to clean. Generally you will pay more for a motorhome with a side radiator. You have more parts that could go bad (pump, hydraulic motor, hydraulic hoses, valves, etc) The bottom line do not buy a motorhome with the radiator being the decision point. Floor plan, size, how are you going to use it, quality of construction, and reputation of the manufacture should be your guide in making an informed decision in my opinion. Several manufactures have gone out of business leaving owners with no warranty and one manufacture went chapter 11 then 7 and then was bought out still leaving owners with no warranty even though they are making motorhomes today under almost the same name, interesting!. These are my thoughts. Ray

I have a 2008 Monaco Diplomat and had a similar problem with all four of my awning slide toppers. The manufacture of the awning's , Carefree, replaced all the toppers under warranty. That same year we drove to Alaska and put around 13,000 miles on the coach. After returning from that trip I started to see threads coming loose and the material was showing signs of wear. Having just 6 months earlier gone through a complete awning change out I decided to investigate this more closely. What I discovered is that the metal cover which is over each awning had a lip which was approximately 3/4 " wide which ran the full length of the awning. I believe this lip was there to minimize trash from getting under the cover but it did more harm than good. The edge of this lip was rubbing on each side top edge of the awning material causing it to wear the fabric and threads. Keep in mind that on the awning edges the material is double thikness which may not seem like much but it doubles the overall thickness as the awning's roll up. I went back to Carefree through the dealer and they again changed the awning material under warranty and also sent some rubber edging material to minimize the rubbing. This suggested to me they had this problem before. I did not agree with there fix. So I had the dealer replace the awning material but not install the rubber. My fix was remove approximately 7/16" of the metal material from each awning cover. Keep in mind this is aluminum so rust is not a problem. You can not see this area once the cover is installed on the awning because it is on the back side between the awning cover and the exterior side of the coach. Cutting this excess metal from awning cover is rather tricky. I purchased a saw blade made to cut aluminum for my table saw and then built out of wood a simple guide jig. Then it was a matter of running each metal cover through the saw. After installing the covers the clearance between the fabric and the metal cover edge was sufficient to prevent any rubbing and now I have no problems with awning wear. This was a complicated fix, I must admit, but as long as the metal edge of the cover came in contact with the awning material the vibration from traveling down the road was going to wear the material. In my mind this metal awning cover had a design flaw.

I am considering replacing my house batteries because of age. There are only a few battery manufactures, but I realize the specifications can vary from InterState battery to Trojan, etc. However, cost should be a consideration. For example a Sam's Club InterState battery which according to InterState is there 2200 series battery with a re-label and is $70.00 less than the same battery sold under the InterState label. If what I have been told by InterState is correct then the Sam's Club InterState Battery is a deal. The Trojan 105 seems to be priced at about $140.00 each which is similar to InterState U2200. I am convinced the life of a battery has many variables of which as an owner you can control like watching water level, using distilled water to refill, do not discharge more than 50%, etc. The quality of the manufacturing is equally important but who is to say one manufacture is better than another: Torjan verse Johnson Control, versus US Battery, etc. One last note, InterState Battery used US Battery to make there U2200 series until a year ago and then they changed to Johnson Control. Interesting note is that Johnson Control has sublet some of the manufacturing back to US Battery. This information came from a reliable source. Not sure why? Has anyone had experience with the Sam's Club 6 volt Deep Cycle InterState golf battery which I have seen in San Antonio, TX stores ??

I forgot two other points. There is a possibility you have a bad cell in one of your engine batteries that could also contribute to your problem. Your lead acid engine batteries can be tested with hydrometer to check each cell or they can be load tested with a load meter. If you have Interstate batteries they have labels over the cell access ports. You need to take razor knife and carefully cut the label so you can remove the port covers with a screw driver. I have found over time these batteries will evaporate and the acid level will be at or below the cell plates. Interstate does not tell you this as a maintenance check because they market this battery as maintenace free. These ports are very small compared to the normal size found on normal car type batteries. As always use only distilled water to fill any battery. Also you could have high resistance on one or several of your connections. If you have any corrosion, loose terminals, or loose wire connections to terminals it could be part of your problem. Monaco probably used for a six house batteries either 3/0 or 4/0 wire. They have in the pass used welding cable which has finer wire strands so they are flexible enough to move with a battery slide tray. Check to make sure they did not underside the wire. Also how far is you inverter from the battery bank. This is another factor used in determining wire size. As length of wire connecting battery bank and inverter increases so does resistance which requires the wire to be sized larger. I have not read all of the replies so some of what I am saying may have already bend stated. I work on motorhomes as a retired person but I do claim to an expert. However, I have not had a problem that have not been able to fix. Happy Trails. Ray

I have a Monaco product so I understand your problem. First we need to determine what brand inverter you have (most likely a Magnum Energy but it could be Xantrex). Next, it is not clear to me if your house batteries or engine batteries are keeping charged or neither. If the house batteries are not being charged it is clearly an inverter problem, connection or the fuse between the inverter and battery bank is defective, because the house batteries are direct connection to the inverter. Also you need to check your monitor to be sure it was programmed for AGM batteries (not lead acid) and has the correct total battery AMP Hours for the batteries . For Example each 6 volt house battery is rated at say 200 AH and you have six batteries your total AH is 1200 divided by 2 or 600AH battery bank. This calculation is based on 6 volt batteries which is wired for 12 volt output. If your engine batteries are not staying charged this is mostly due to the fact that Monaco was bad about not installing a functional circuit which would allow the shore power to charge both battery banks. Magnum Energy have a device called a battery combiner. It is a neat device which allows bi-directional charging and also has setting's to control charging of either bank. So if you are connected to shore power the house batteries are charged and after reaching a preset point (this is a setting you can control by manual setting on device) then it will allow up to 25 AMP to be passed to the engine batteries until they reach a preset charge point (again the manual setting's). While you are going down the road your alternator will charge your engine batteries and when they reach a preset point they will send 25 AMP charge to the house batteries until charged then cut off. This battery combiner will work with any inverter because it is independent of the inverter. It basically connected with 2ea 10 gauge wires going to both battery banks positive terminal with in line 30 AMP fuse on each leg, a common ground and it has an optional sense wire for better functionality. I recommend installing this optional wire. Also this device will not allow one battery bank to drain the other bank because it has built in points to cut-off the bi-directional transfer of amp's. Maybe this will help. Good luck! Ray