Leaving Parking Lights on at Rest Stops?

[Neal]

Answering the OP's post is no fun!

Question: If you turn on your "parking lights" whatever those are, is your dash going to beep? I know if my headlights are left on they beep but I can't remember if that also occurs with the "parking lights" on.

Edit: Because rest area use is an important topic for RVers IMHO
Edit2: Answering your deleted post, no, I would not turn my lights on. You stated it's well lit. I don't know why trucks do that or maybe that's because they leave their engine running? I think? I don't know. Does leaving your lights on mean it's occupied?

 

[MapNerd]

Answering the OP's post is no fun!

His name is Robert Paulson

Question: If you turn on your "parking lights" whatever those are, is your dash going to beep? I know if my headlights are left on they beep but I can't remember if that also occurs with the "parking lights" on.

I cannot speak to what other units do, they all seem to be built a little differently but mine does not beep if the parking lights are on, engine is off and keys are in the ignition. It does occur if the headlights are on, engine off and keys in the ignition.

Edit: Because rest area use is an important topic for RVers IMHO

I agree, it can be an important topic but it wasn’t my intended topic.

Edit2: Answering your deleted post, no, I would not turn my lights on. You stated it's well lit. I don't know why trucks do that or maybe that's because they leave their engine running? I think? I don't know. Does leaving your lights on mean it's occupied?

Well lit is relative. I would hope that any truck driver would be able to see the 60’ long 13’ tall RV parked in a spot but if parking lights on, which in your RV basically equates to marker lights on makes a bit of difference, then I’m a fan of it. I’d leave em on at a Cabellas, a Cracker Barrel, a Lowes, wherever I was that wasn’t a campground.

Where I was parked was never the intended subject of the conversation.

...also, deleted post?
Edit: oh yeah I see. I just deleted that separate postand added it into post #8 instead of having two separate posts from myself back to back.

 

[Neal]

I think it comes down to you just need to make the best decision in the interest of your safety and that of the vehicle. Only you can decide. What I’m not sure of is which battery bank is powering those lights whether chassis or house batteries. I think it’s chassis and if you end up in a no start situation or damaging the chassis batteries it could be a concern. You have the battery boost option to help the situation but I don’t know I'd want to test that situation. More to consider. Use your instinct and do as you wish.

You did start down a path of AGS settings which may be good in another thread. I would not trust Newmar on that setup but instead fellow RVers. The techs do not know these systems like some think. They have templates to set to but beyond that beware. AGS settings are very important to know and trust. AGS is only for house batteries.

 

[MapNerd]

I think it comes down to you just need to make the best decision in the interest of your safety and that of the vehicle. Only you can decide. What I’m not sure of is which battery bank is powering those lights whether chassis or house batteries. I think it’s chassis and if you end up in a no start situation or damaging the chassis batteries it could be a concern. You have the battery boost option to help the situation but I don’t know I'd want to test that situation. More to consider. Use your instinct and do as you wish.

You did start down a path of AGS settings which may be good in another thread. I would not trust Newmar on that setup but instead fellow RVers. The techs do not know these systems like some think. They have templates to set to but beyond that beware. AGS settings are very important to know and trust. AGS is only for house batteries.

I spent an afternoon reading the manual and setting it up. The tech at CPU had disabled it. I suppose that’s better than setting it up wrong.

 

[Neal]

I spent an afternoon reading the manual and setting it up. The tech at CPU had disabled it. I suppose that’s better than setting it up wrong.

That may be a common thing when going into service anywhere so a good idea to review anytime getting the coach back. Good for you to disable before giving to service which is what I do unless discussed with them first.

 

[Neal]

I spent an afternoon reading the manual and setting it up. The tech at CPU had disabled it. I suppose that’s better than setting it up wrong.

I’d be happy to help along with the other electrical gurus here such as @Chuggs and @redbaron among others. Great system to have.

 

[redbaron]

@MapNerd

We too often stop in Rest stops. There are many rest stops that are spacious, and we feel very safe spending 6-8 hours in. When I park, I always leave my marker lights on, and my docking lights on. My reason for doing so is because the 360 camera's don't work so well at night, and the extra light gives my parameter light enough for the cameras. I keep the generator set to auto start, and depending on the weather, the AC will usually call for Generator more than enough time for me to worry about battery drain. I also have the low voltage rules setup to start the generator. Never had a problem.

I have never had a problem in the rest areas we choose. We also use Cabellas, Walmart, Sams Club, Home Depot, Lowes, and BLM (Bureau of Land Management) frequently. We travel a lot in the RV, and sometimes the travel is under a schedule, which means we stop when we need to and continue going when we are ready.

When we are not under schedule, we prefer 400 mile days, stopping before 3p, and staying in a full hookup park. Each trip has its own critiera, and thankfully we have an RV that works for us. I can't imagine how we would use it as often as we do if we had to always be in a campground before a certain time.

 

[redbaron]

We have the AGS set so the generator will come on, but I’m not sure if the generator would run the parking lights. Those are running off the chassis batteries I’d expect and I’m not sure if the generator will charge up the chassis batteries or not. I know it’ll charge the house batteries and then I could jump the chassis from the house, but obviously no one wants to do that unless there’s a real reason to. Thus far, I’ve just been turning on a couple of rechargable bike tail lights on the few occasions we do find ourselves there.

Your generator will charge the chassis. I have run for 8 hours with docking lights and parking lights on with no generator, and was able to start the coach no trouble. If for some reason your coach doesn't want to start due to low voltage of the starting batteries, you can use the boost to tie the house and charging batteries together and get it to start. I have had to do this before. I have also had a situation where both where too low to start the main engine, but was able to get the generator started. Once it ran for about 10 minutes, the main engine was able to start.

 

[Neal]

No reason not to leave your generator running if that makes you feel better about the power situation but it can also help block some of the external noise in these locations. Besides, most RVers do not run their generator enough allowing it to maintain proper lubrication and clear out the particles from sitting, i.e. keeping it exercised.

Overnight I thought of some things I actually have installed to help illumination one of which doesn't draw any coach power. A separate thread provided to assist anyone interested.

Tip - Tips for improving visibility around your RV while parked

A recent discussion reminded me of various things I do to improve visibility around my RV while parked. I'll share these tips and what I use for anyone interested in learning from what I learned. When I went to Newmar to pickup my motorhome I had the great opportunity of meeting others there...

rvforums.com

 

[texskeet]

I guess I am the rare one here. I love to save money my saving every dollar I could is the reason I can afford this life style now. I stay in all of the free place while in rut. I am a good shot and anyone that tries ant thing will have 3 or 4 wholes in chest very fast. I don't use parking lights.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I guess I am the rare one here. I love to save money my saving every dollar I could is the reason I can afford this life style now. I stay in all of the free place while in rut. I am a good shot and anyone that tries ant thing will have 3 or 4 wholes in chest very fast. I don't use parking lights.

This tread has gone somewhere on the dark side. However it brought me back a few years while I was in the Sea of Cortez. In the US I used anchor lights anytime I was at anchor. In the Sea I learned quickly that an anchor light was a beacon for thieves, and quit using them like most cruisers did, as no anchor light is required in an anchorage.

 

[Neal]

I don't think this thread has gone to a dark side or is bad. We have to keep open minds and learn from the experiences of others as there is always something for all of us to learn. Many here have been doing this far longer than I and I learn everyday from others that offer their experiences and opinions. Traveling in a RV is no different than traveling in an airplane, you have to understand the ways of getting from point A to B safely. Granted the OP asked a question but it raised discussion points we can all learn from as the safety of each one of us is important as well as learning how to travel efficiently and affordably for those that choose to do so. I prefer to avoid conflict and therefore take paths of least resistance. So again, never hesitate to offer any opinions as something you offer may help someone else.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I don't think this thread has gone to a dark side or is bad. We have to keep open minds and learn from the experiences of others as there is always something for all of us to learn. Many here have been doing this far longer than I and I learn everyday from others that offer their experiences and opinions. Traveling in a RV is no different than traveling in an airplane, you have to understand the ways of getting from point A to B safely. Granted the OP asked a question but it raised discussion points we can all learn from as the safety of each one of us is important as well as learning how to travel efficiently and affordably for those that choose to do so. I prefer to avoid conflict and therefore take paths of least resistance. So again, never hesitate to offer any opinions as something you offer may help someone else.

I was talking about 3 or 4 holes, hope you don't think of this as good advice. I have my shot gun and would have it ready should I fear for my life, but think I would give the intruder the chance to flee.

 

[Neal]

Oh haha. We are all over the place in this thread. It's okay, I prefer again that anyone that wants to say something please do and never feel you have to refrain. I know @MapNerd is really jealous about the whole pineapple thing. In fact he just left Rocket Science with the family getting pineapple ice cream cones, I heard.

Rocket Science Ice Cream - Nappanee, IN

We handcraft our ice cream with liquid nitrogen for unforgettable flavor and velvet-smooth texture. Join us in Coppes Commons!

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[CaptainGizmo]

I don't think this thread has gone to a dark side or is bad. We have to keep open minds and learn from the experiences of others as there is always something for all of us to learn. Many here have been doing this far longer than I and I learn everyday from others that offer their experiences and opinions. Traveling in a RV is no different than traveling in an airplane, you have to understand the ways of getting from point A to B safely. Granted the OP asked a question but it raised discussion points we can all learn from as the safety of each one of us is important as well as learning how to travel efficiently and affordably for those that choose to do so. I prefer to avoid conflict and therefore take paths of least resistance. So again, never hesitate to offer any opinions as something you offer may help someone else.

I will respectfully offer a counterpoint, by giving the following example:

An "unbeliever" gets the guts to ask a very important biblical question in a new church he's visiting. Instead of answering his question, the congregation...in a very unintentional yet almost demented manner...start a huge argument about politics, in which they're suddenly talking about defunding the police!

Is that discussion a good one? Sure. Appropriate for church, probably not. But the real crime, is that the original question was never addressed, and that man may never return, let alone get his important question answered.

So, my point? I see, all too often, SOOO many REALLY GOOD things, ideas, and suggestions get completely buried in these forums for one simple reason, with an equally simple fix: WHY NOT START A NEW THREAD on THAT NEW TOPIC?

Think of how much easier it would be for EVERY person to FIND a topic that actually addresses the TITLE of that topic!!! Gosh, there'd hardly be a need for a "Search this forum" function, right?


Ah yes...in my perfect little world.

So, will leaving @MapNerd 's marker lights on all night drain his batteries? Maybe we'll find out when Newmar hooks up an Ammeter and does a load check. They did for me, and they will for John!

 

[AbdRahim]

I forgot, I travel mostly early morning and quit around 2-3 pm, so I don't use light, but If I did it would be no problem because I run the generator anyway for the AC.

I also try to hit the truckstop or rest area by 4:30, in order to get a good spot. I try to avoid truk spots where possible, often it cannot be avoided. I run the generator all night for the A/C, so parking lights are not a problem. I haven,t left them on yet, but I? have been tempted.

The only truly RV friendly truck stops I have found where I could park without taking a truck spot is Flying J's. Lately, even here the RV spaces are often taken by bobtails .

 

[MapNerd]

I also try to hit the truckstop or rest area by 4:30, in order to get a good spot. I try to avoid truk spots where possible, often it cannot be avoided. I run the generator all night for the A/C, so parking lights are not a problem. I haven,t left them on yet, but I? have been tempted.

The only truly RV friendly truck stops I have found where I could park without taking a truck spot is Flying J's. Lately, even here the RV spaces are often taken by bobtails .

I've had good luck I guess. We've only had to park with trucks twice. Every other time, there was a separate area for buses or RVs. One in NC was particularly RV friendly with the parking spots being on both sides, parallel to the road, angled at about 15-degrees with room to put out your slide on the non-road side. There was a park and a dog area, picnic tables, and a welcome center. It was well lit and there were emergency call buttons throughout and they had overnight security. All they needed was hookups!

 

[Chuggs]

The AGS trigger for battery voltage only monitors the House Bank. Your House has plenty of battery to not trigger a start...so the parking lights would draw from the chassis without assistance.

I don’t like ”crossing the beams”...but adding a dash switch that —- thru a diode —- powers the Anchor Lights...from the house bank would be an easy solution. The parking/Anchor lights...if LED won’t have a significant drain on the House bank...but if it did, the AGS can be setup to start to remedy that.

 

[Chuggs]

This might help if you have a Freightliner Chassis...

 

[FL-JOE]

On occasion, we find ourselves needing to make a longer trip, one that requires a day or day and a half of driving. Often, we’ll find a nicer rest stop and pull in there early, usually trying to snag a spot next to a median or area that allows us to put out the FWS without taking any risks. Anyway, I often find myself desiring to leave my parking lights on overnight just forthe added security of knowing that we can be seen, but I’m always scared to for fear of draining the batteries overnight.

Does anyone leave their parking lights on over night when parked at a rest stop?

John, the few times we have needed to camp at a Walmart, Cabela's, or similar location, I don't utilize my parking lights. I had the LEDs installed under the coach so I just keep those on. I usually have them set on blue but can switch them to a brighter red to draw more attention. However if needed I suspect my (our) huge battery bank would handle leaving the parking lights on for 7 or 8 hours.

As far as the other "extended" question that has been discussed reference camping overnight in rest areas and/or Walmarts......

I have a couple buddies that travel together and they will use rest areas for overnighting. They will check a couple and try to find one where they can park side-by-side. They will keep their coaches a little closer together thus allowing more room on either side of them. So far they have never been told to leave or have they had any other issues. With that being said I still would not feel comfortable using a rest area for an overnight stay simply because of the fear of having a tired trucker dinging my coach.

As far as using Walmarts and other commercial establishments which allow RV overnight parking, it is a personal decision that everyone has to make.