Complete Newbie

[loadmaster]

First let me say I am a new to the Class C stuff. Have never been in a RV let alone owned one. Got tired of sleeping in the tent. Trailer was out as I need to pull a boat. Since this was the first, did not want to spend a ton of money. Finally found a (do not laugh) 1987 Class C on a Chev 30 chassis that has the 350 motor. Bought from a older lady whose husband had passed several years ago. Motor has 35K and everything on the interior was like new. There has not been one modification done to any system. Have all the manuals and receipts since it was bought new. The only thing changed was they put in a new frig in 97.
She could not tell me how anything worked, so I think I will be here picking some brains before this is over. Got it home plugged in the electrical got all the lights to work and after doing some research, got the freeze/frig combo to fire up, so right now I am going to stay with the electrical system questions.
Put in a new RV Deep Cycle battery. So my first question is how long can I run stuff just on the battery alone? Also, lower on the dash, drivers side, there is a toggle switch that is some how connected into the charging system no idea what it does.
Does the unit know when I am using house current or battery? Looked for some type of transfer switch but no luck. So I could use info/hints in lay men terms.
One more thing, tire's. Tread is good but but the sidewall's show some serious weather cracking. Tire size is 8.00 x 16.5. So new tires were budgeted in when buying the Rv. After doing some googling, I found a ton of different opinions on what to do. some said dump the 16.5 and go to 16 inch rims others said look for a different size tire. Confusing, what is my best way to go?
Thanks for any reply's. I know that I will be back real soon when I get into the propane side of unit

[TWP723]

As far as tires, I'd either go up a size (17) or down a size (16). Finding 16.5 tires are a real PIA. 16's are normally cheaper than a 17 of the same. Just make sure they coincide with the load range you'll need.

Good luck and enjoy!

[loadmaster]

Did not think I would be back this soon. Tire problem solved. Onto the electrical. Went out this am and did not use household current. Could not get any lights to come on. Fan on stove, pump, lights on the fridge will come on, nothing else. Checked volts on battery and are good. Checked all fuses and circuit breakers all good. Whats am I doing wrong?? Thanks

[Tatanka]

You might want to check to see if your rig has a battery shut off switch somewhere.

[loadmaster]

The only thing I see is a switch located on the dash that is labeled 12 volt master switch which seems to control some items and not others. It looks like the fridge will work in any position but not anything else. Thanks

[The Logans]

What is the model of the motorhome?

Did you check for a main in-line fuse in the hot wire coming out of the coach battery?

[loadmaster]

Thanks for all the reply's. The conclusion I have come up with is the coach battery will power the frig, lights, pump, stove fan and not the AC unit. What I have is a 23 MiniJay, Designer Series. Have not attempted to run the heater and hot water heater as the propane tank is empty. I have no leaks yet, but climbed up on the roof and noticed someone had resealed at one time and the material they used is starting to crack. Doing some looking it depends on the roofing type determines the type of sealer you use. So does anybody know what type this 1987 has. Feels like some type of flexible plastic. Thanks