Hi all. I am a newbie fulltimer. So far, I'm loving every minute of my new life. I live in Indiana and am (I think) ready for my first winter.

My question is, I've been told that I need to disconnect from shore power before starting the engine on my RV. Is this true? I have a 1987 Winnebago Elandon. There is a switch on the dash that I must turn on before my refrigerator and some of my 12v lights will work. I had assumed that I would need to turn that switch off before starting but didn't know if I needed to disconnect from shore power.

Thanks for any insights you may have.

Greg

I disconnect totally from shore before starting my rig. Too easy to forget and attempt to move the rig. I have seen rigs stretch their power cord and bend the pedestal. One friend of mine tried stretching his power cord once, didn't find any damage, then months later his cord reel showed an open ground condition (resulted from the stretch). Cost him 2 TV's and the motor in his washer/dryer combo. And he had to replace his cord reel, about $700 if I remember correctly. Expensive lesson.

No mechanical or electrical reason to disconnect from shore power if the RV has been wired properly. Probably more of an urban myth passed on or just a means to make sure you unplug the shore power before driving away like Norcal Dan suggests. I've started mine many times while still plugged into shorepower with no ill effects.

Thanks a lot for the info. I couldn't see any electrical reason either. My neighbor told me that I needed to unplug first but I wanted to ask the experts. Thanks again.