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Good Sam Roadside Assistance

The TV In Our Motorhome Will Not Work When The Motorhome Is Running

by Dianna
(Wisconsin)

We just bought a 2005 Coachman Concord which has TV and DVD/VHS player in coach area. Both run fine with generator power when RV is turned off. When key is turned in ignition, TV stops working but DVD/VHS player still has power. All run fine when plugged into 120 with shoreline. Why won't TV work with generator when engine is started?

ANSWER: Greetings Dianna thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

I am going to assume that you are talking about the front TV in your Motorhome. On some Motorhomes depending on the location of the front TV there is a safety system in place that prevents the front TV from receiving power when the Motorhome is running even if the generator is running.

This safeguard is in place to prevent the driver of the Motorhome from watching TV while going down the road. If you think texting is distracting while driving, try watching Dancing With The Stars while going down the road.

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If you have a TV in the rear of the Motorhome it should still be functional going down the road with the generator running.

I hope this helps.

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RVing Al

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Comments for The TV In Our Motorhome Will Not Work When The Motorhome Is Running

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Your TV
by: Wayne

I have a 2014 Concord and as mentioned before there is a switch that when 12v is applied (turning on the ignition), it breaks the neutral wire to the outlet where the TV plugs into. There is a plug that connects to the box that controls the switch. If the plug isn't plugged in, the 12v can't trigger the 120V switch. The law requires that any TV within view of the driver cannot turn on during the motorhome operation.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Black Box
by: Anonymous

The black box was working properly. It turns the 110v off when 12 volt ignition is on.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		An update on the TV problem
by: Dianna

The reply was helpful. The TV in this case is located in the back portion of the coach away from the driving area. We decided to pull the TV out to check the connections. We discovered it was plugged into a small black box (maybe a surge protector?) We plugged the TV into a regular outlet using one of our surge protectors and it now works while the motor is running and the generator is on (so perhaps the black box wasn't working properly?)

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