I have two 3 year old batteries in my RW and take them out on occasion to charge them up. When on the road when do they get charged?
1. When driving?
2. When connected to shore power?
3. Both?

Also, does my on off switch have anything to do with it?

They charge both ways! When hooked to your vehicle they receive a small charge from your alternator, it would never charge a dead battery, but will/should maintain it while traveling.
On shore power, plugged in, all your 12 volt items will run off the converter (converts 120 volts to 12 volt) while it is charging the batteries.
If by chance you have a residential fridge you'd also have an inverter (inverts 12 volt to 120 volts) to run the fridge, possibly a couple other plugs, while traveling.
The on/off switch, battery disconnect, must be on when the RW is in use otherwise the converter would not charge the batteries & some 12 volt items wouldn't operate. The kicker is if while storing the RW the battery disconnect DOES NOT disconnect everything while in the off position, so the batteries WILL be dead in about a week or 2. Best way is as you've been doing, remove the batteries or disconnect the main ground cable to completely disconnect them.
Sorry, kinda long winded, hope it helps! If I missed something some of these electrical guys on here will add to it or correct me.

Do I drive with my on/off switch on?

To add to Danny's comments, try to increase the wire size from the alternator circuit back to the rear of the Tow Vehicle (at least a number 10 THHN wire or a #8 if possible - same for the ground). And again from the Tow Vehicle to the Batteries. It will increase the voltage and available amps to help charge the batteries much faster.

Somewhere on the site (likely electrical), I have a discussion on voltage drop for 12V circuits. It's pretty dramatic.

As Danny pointed out, you'll get a charge while driving, while on generator (if you have one) and on shore power. The electrical panel has a built-in charger. It will trickle charge when plugged in unless the voltage drops. There is also an override (boost charge) inside the panel cover. See pic below.

The Progressive Dynamics website has the instructions to put the charger on boost manually (see the 4th page). There are also trouble shooting instructions should you need them.

https://www.progressivedyn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/110030-English.pdf

Here is the home page for the 4500 Series:

https://www.progressivedyn.com/rv/power-centers/inteli-power-4500-series/

BTW...You'll need to leave the battery switch "ON" to receive charges. And again, that might depend on who wired your RV...

Do I drive with my on/off switch on?

Whether driving, storing or parking you can just leave the disconnect "on" or the batteries WILL NOT be charging. If you're storing without the batteries it won't matter which position it's in if there's nothing to disconnect.

Make sure to leave it on in transit as the 12v power to the Swinteck motors if turned off can cause the bedroom slide to come out on a corner while travelli g

It is a shame that the dealership doesn't tell you these things....

That's because they do not know
They were selling shoes 2 days before you came in

I don't have this in my 2012 RW

I've shuffled the wiring at the circuit breaker block on the basement wall in front of the batteries so that when the disconnect switch is in the off position the batteries are completely disconnected. As originally wired, there are a few items that bypass the disconnect switch (CO detector and hydraulic panel come to mind). As originally wired if you turn the disconnect switch to off the batteries will discharge (and up here in the north they will freeze over the winter).

On my coach the inverter is wired directly to the batteries bypassing the main disconnect (turning the battery disconnect to off doesn't affect inverter operation). This brings up a couple of questions?

1.) When connected to shore power do you leave the inverter on? I have been leaving it on just in case there is a power outage so the refrigerator runs uninterrupted.

2.) When on shore power with the inverter on is there any conflict with both the converter and inverter trying to maintain the batteries? I know the Progressive Dynamics converter is pretty smart and will go into float charging but I'm guessing the inverter will do the same thing?

3.) Regarding battery charging while traveling I had assumed that the 12 volt charge from the truck would suffice to keep the batteries charged while traveling with the inverter and refrigerator on but this thread seems to indicate not. Will the batteries go dead traveling with the load on them?

4.) Regarding slide out deployment while traveling. Scares the crap out of me. My coach had the Jensen InCommand system that somehow detects when the trailer is being towed and goes into lock-out mode which is to prevent the slides/jacks from deploying. I'm assuming it works by detecting 12-volts from the tow vehicle braking or lighting system. Has anyone equipped with Jensen InCommand experienced slide out movement while traveling?

thank you!

Start with electrical basics...

Everything in the RV is either 120V or 12V...

Your batteries are your 12V source. The inverter "converts" the 12V to 120V. It draws power from the batteries.

Now...Because I do not have the residential refrigerator, nor 3 A/C Units, I do not have the power management system or inverter. And frankly, I have not had time to investigate. I have a very strong preference for maintaining multi-use assets. It allows for boondocking opportunities that others may not have (unless they utilize a generator). I can switch to propane, to battery, to generator, to shore power. One day, solar...If I have just electric assets, I do not have enough battery to run but a night or 2.

Now, with the inverter, one can run the refrigerator for a night or so before batteries can become an issue. The inverter could also be used to run a TV or radio given the right size.

When plugged into shore power, it won't hurt to leave it on. In fact, I would guess that it is mandatory if you want to power the refrigerator. More to come...

I'm not too sure about the inverters that they are putting on RV's these days, but keep in mind that there are a variety of inverters and sizes.

You have stated that you left the Inverter on "just-in-case" power goes off and you can keep the refrigerator running. Keep in mind that if you don't open the refrigerator, it's generally going to stay cold until you can find a power source (i.e generator or another shore power connection).

More than likely, the RV industry has wired the 120V refrigerator outlet directly thru the Inverter. Therefore, if it as I suspect and you shut off the batteries, the refrigerator will likely turn off. I don't suspect that they would have wired it thru the panel and use the Inverter as a backup. That takes thinking and engineering...So as you could see, there would not be any conflicts as the two systems are not connected.

When traveling, if you use the connections from the TV to the trailer, expect that it will take a long time to charge up your batteries unless you up the wire size or drive clear across the country. An average day of driving might be 4-8 hours. You will have plenty of battery to get you there. You will get some charging from the TV. If you up the wire size, you'll get more. When you get to your shore power outlet, you can do a full recharge then.

As for the slide issue, I've heard of a few cases but I don't think it is all that common. If your uncomfortable, cut some 2x4's and when the slides are pulled in, place them on top of the slide and wedge to the wall. The hydraulic slides are a lot less susceptible to this unless a line breaks. The Schwinteks are the primary driver of what you read about. Just be sure to remove the 2x4's before you open the slide. You could do wall and slide damage. I keep the 2x4's handy just in case I cannot get the Schwinteks to work properly and have to push the slide in manually.

Just my opinion...I'm sure others may know more about your question...

Now, with the inverter, one can run the refrigerator for a night or so before batteries can become an issue. The inverter could also be used to run a TV or radio given the right size.

When plugged into shore power, it won't hurt to leave it on. In fact, I would guess that it is mandatory if you want to power the refrigerator. More to come...

I'm not too sure about the inverters that they are putting on RV's these days, but keep in mind that there are a variety of inverters and sizes.

More than likely, the RV industry has wired the 120V refrigerator outlet directly thru the Inverter. Therefore, if it as I suspect and you shut off the batteries, the refrigerator will likely turn off. I don't suspect that they would have wired it thru the panel and use the Inverter as a backup. That takes thinking and engineering...So as you could see, there would not be any conflicts as the two systems are not connected.

GipC - In my 2018 the inverter is 1200 watts and is dedicated to the refrigerator only. It powers no other AC outlets. I wish it was wired to my entertainment center.

Also the refrigerator will run on shore power with the inverter off. Redwood has built in some kind of transfer switch on the refrigerator circuit that allows the refrigerator to run with the inverter off (on shore power of course). If the shore power goes out the refrigerator goes out unless the inverter is on then it will kick in and provide inverter power.

As for the Inverter itself, it may have a circuit of it's own. I would stand corrected if that is the case. How are you able to turn just the Inverter off? you may have just answered your on previous question.

Check your refrigerator. See what the wattage is. There should be a label on the interior wall. I suspect that it may be 8 or 9 amps. Converted to wattage, that would be 960-1080 watts. Amps x Volts equal Watts. You won't really be able to run a TV as it likely draws about 2 amps (240 Watts). You really don't want to max out an Inverter. It builds heat. Heat wears down the components. Check and see if it is rated for continuous duty. Probably not. I'm just guessing...

But the good news is that you could buy a separate inverter to run the TV or another appliance. The 400-500 Watt Inverters would work for that and they are pretty inexpensive. Put the Inverter near the other one. Not in the battery bay. The pure sine Inverters are best and they protect your equipment. Some equipment won't even run on a modified wave Inverter.