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snowman47 · 11-01-2021, 01:05 PM

There is a red rocker switch on the panel labeled "system heat.' A red indicator light is beside it. When the red switch is on, the light lights up. What is this and what does it do?

edgewant · 11-01-2021, 01:09 PM

I guess I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.

96 Wideglide · 11-01-2021, 01:19 PM

Arms a 12v wet bay heater.

If the temperature in the bay gets cold enough (32F?), the heater will start.

**Lt Dan** · 11-01-2021, 01:49 PM

If you can post the year, make and model of your motor home someone here with similar may be able to help.

MSHappyCampers · 11-01-2021, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide

Arms a 12v wet bay heater.

If the temperature in the bay gets cold enough (32F?), the heater will start.

That's the way ours is also! I would suggest that you create a signature showing the make and model of your RV. It will help when you have a question.

FL420 · 11-01-2021, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowman47

There is a red rocker switch on the panel labeled "system heat.' A red indicator light is beside it. When the red switch is on, the light lights up. What is this and what does it do?

Your coach is a sister ship to my 2005 Monaco Knight. On the hallway panel is a ON/OFF switch. Just to the right of it is a red indicator light. When you turn the switch ON the red light in the switch illuminates telling you it is sending electricity to a temperature controlled ON/OFF "snap switch" fastened up on the left chassis side rail behind the big plastic panel in the top half of the water bay.
When the temperature at the snap switch drops to ~32°F it closes sending electricity to the 300 watt Cargo Heat heater mounted in the water bay next to the fresh water tank and pointed at fresh water plumbing. When the heater is operating the red light next to the panel switch illuminates.
When the snap switch warms up enough it opens shutting off the heater and the red indicator light on the panel. The red lighted ON/OFF switch will go out when you turn it off yourself.
If you have the switch in the ON position when the OAT is below 32°F for awhile and the red indicator light doesn't come on open the water bay door to see if the heater is running. The light in the ON/OFF switch, the indicator light next to it and the heater itself are all failure prone items.
I depend on a clamp on 75 watt heat lamp in the water bay along with a remote temperature sensor/transmitter to a LaCrosse atomic clock/thermometer in the bedroom to monitor the bedroom and water bay temps. The light maintains the water bay well above freezing when on pedestal power. It is controlled by a temperature controlled Thermo Cube which is basically a plug in duplex outlet snap switch. I can plug it into the 15/20 amp duplex outlet on the pedestal or often use it in the 30 amp outlet with an adapter if my 50 amp plug interferes with using it on the 15/20 amp outlet. I also use 2 clamp on reflectors each with 250 watt heat lamps placed on the ground pointing up at the bottom of my 100 gallon fresh water tank and the 60 gallon grey and 40 gallon black tanks mounted side-by-side on top of the fresh water tank. Have gotten through 2 Colorado winters after my Cargo Heater went tango uniform with this setup.
[emoji382][emoji40]

windsorbill · 11-01-2021, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowman47

There is a red rocker switch on the panel labeled "system heat.' A red indicator light is beside it. When the red switch is on, the light lights up. What is this and what does it do?

Besides what others have already said about the space heater in the wet bay, some coaches came with a heating pad next to the fresh water tank, which would also activate when the snap disc closed. I think that feature was installed when the fresh water tank is not in proximity of the wet bay.

Suggest check the system is working before you need it.

snowman47 · 11-02-2021, 03:53 AM

Many thanks for your replies, knowledge and advice. Is this something that should be "ON" during the Winter months where temps get below freezing or only turned on when freezing temps are predicted? What is your opinion of heating pads that attach to the bottom of the holding tanks?

96 Wideglide · 11-02-2021, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowman47

Many thanks for your replies, knowledge and advice. Is this something that should be "ON" during the Winter months where temps get below freezing or only turned on when freezing temps are predicted?

Both.

The heater won't come on until the temp get's low enough to need it.

The heater is mounted below my holding tanks, so they get heat, and I don't have a fresh tank heating pad.

Bomberguy · 11-05-2021, 07:43 PM

Snowman, I have a 2007 HR Endeavor with the same system heat. As discussed previously, turn it on when it will get to 40 degrees F or below, and the system SHOULD heat the wetbay and keep things from freezing.

I found that mine did not provide enough heat and my pipes froze. Fortunately, they didn't freeze solid and bust, so I thanked my angels watching over me, and immediately went to Wally World and bought a small 110 space heater with a thermostat and fan that I could plug in, and set it into the wet bay. I was careful about where it was put so the heat output didn't melt anything, and made sure it couldn't fall over or get wet. I unplug and put the heater away before I travel.

It has saved me many times over the last couple of years. Last winter we actually saw zero degrees here in Texas!!! My coach came through fairly well....except my water heater is not in the wet bay and I forgot to let the hot water drip during the freeze...oh well. Everything else was good.

Dutch Star Don · 11-06-2021, 10:28 AM

The minute you wrote "system heat", I knew exactly what you were talking about as do most Monaco owners as they all came with that function. However, on mine, when you turned it on at the wall panel, the red light DID NOT illuminate unless it was cold enough and triggered the snap disc thermostat and turned on the heater. I could walk by the panel anytime and know when the system was on as the red light would be on. I believe they were set to come on at 28 degrees and shut off at 35 degrees.

It should be noted that many of these heaters failed early on, especially the snap disc (photo below). Since the red light on all the ones I dealt with, didn't illuminate until the unit turned on, it was difficult to know if the heater worked. One of the ways to test it was to stick an ice cube against the snap disc.

Keep in mind that these are 12 volt heaters and not very powerful. They also can draw a lot of power when boondocking. For me, I just kept a 100 watt trouble light available for when I occasionally needed to heat the bay, unless boondocking.