Mr Gilbert

For us, the gas engine in our 2013 Monaco Monarch has been satisfactory. When I read posts about maintenance on diesel pushers, I think "wow, that's unfamiliar, complicated and expensive." Our Ford V-10 had several broken exhaust manifold studs break. I had this fixed at a truck repair shop; it was several thousand dollars but a bigger job than I wanted to try to do. We have had no other engine or transmission problems. Reading on-line, it seems broken manifold studs and blown out spark plugs are common issues. When going downhill, I use the "tow" button on the transmission that increases engine braking and have never had the brakes get hot. The most aggravating part of driving has been the wandering in the steering. The steering centering and heavy rear sway bar have helped, but I still am tired after driving 250 miles in a day. Seven miles a gallon has been our average.

The Class A motorhomes I'm familiar with all had house batteries, charging from the chassis engine, and an inverter/charger. It appears you built yours from scratch, and that's a puzzle to me. While not optimum, I think you have a start on your system. You've already made a significant investment. It appears from your wiring diagram that the batteries are providing 12 volts (nominal) to a 24 volt inverter. This is a significant mismatch. I suggest replacing your 24 volt inverter with a 12 volt inverter. I agree with the comment above that it isn't optimal to mix and match batteries, but I've done it and if they connected in parallel (as shown in your diagram) the system will work and all the batteries will store power for you. I agree with the comment above that it is better to power the refrigerator with propane, when not on shore power. It appears that you have no charging system other than solar. I suggest connecting the chassis 12 volt power to the added coach batteries so that the batteries are charged when the engine is running; this will take expertise. Also, I suggest using a battery charger to charge the batteries while connected to shore power. Better yet, get a combo inverter/charger when you replace your inverter. Running an air conditioner off batteries and solar is a dream for many and an accomplishment for very few.

Before recharging the water softener, I remove much of the water in the tank with compressed air. I use the standard hose to schrader valve adapter (used to blow out water lines for winterization) and my bicycle pump to blow out the tank. With less water in the tank, I can easily add the dry granular salt. I also use the same compressed air method to blow the water out of the tank before stowing and transport. Less weight to lift! Quick disconnects on the water lines and schrader adapter reduce the time needed and potential for cross-threading.

In my 2013 Monaco the fuse between the battery and the inverter/converter is in the white (actually translucent) box in the upper left of the battery compartment. Ours has blown one time, probably from overloading while inverting. It is a 300 amp fuse that I bought on Amazon. The plastic cover snaps off. Access isn't easy, I could only work on it with one hand!