Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > iRV2.com COMMUNITY FORUMS > iRV2.com General Discussion
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 02-07-2015, 11:53 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
Chuck48's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 154
I should amend what I said by starting the engine first, heck with the engine running that will charge your house batteries. Generator will do it quicker though.
Chuck48 is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 02-07-2015, 11:56 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
stan5711's Avatar


 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Midland,Texas
Posts: 540
why do they put the generator on the house battery and not the chassis battery?your house battery is always the one to run down.
__________________
Stanley & Barbara
2002 38" Monaco Knight Dp
stan5711 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2015, 12:02 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
palehorse89's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 10,308
I am going to suggest not to use the engine's alternator to charge dead battery banks..........by design, it is suppose to Maintain them.............not charge them from a "Dead"state...........you will over heat the windings and take a lot of life out of it, if not ruin it!
Find a way to start the genset and let the converter charge them back up.......or replace.
__________________
2012 Essex 4544 2011 Jeep JK, M&G Braking, 2014 MTI 27' Hog Hauler, Wireless brake control, 2006 Ultra & 1989 Springer, 2003 Harley-Davidson
FLHR Road King Anniversary
palehorse89 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2015, 12:11 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
Sky_Boss's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Freightliner Owners Club
Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: ON THE ROAD...SOMEWHERE
Posts: 6,973
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuck48 View Post
I should amend what I said by starting the engine first, heck with the engine running that will charge your house batteries. Generator will do it quicker though.
WHEW! LOL

A couple thoughts on previous experience with a similar situation. While he COULD start the genny simply by using the emergency start switch, the house batteries MAY need to be charged up to somewhere around 11.5V to keep it running. On a couple occasions on my previous Winnebago with a GAS 5.5 KW generator I got it started after charging the batteries but because of what turned out to be a bad converter the batteries lost power and eventually shut the generator off.

HOWEVER...I'm not sure that would be the same case in a diesel generator though. It was just something that came to mind.
__________________
Don, Sandee & GSD Zeus. Guardian GSDs Gunny (7/11/15) & Thor (5/5/15)
2006 2015 DSDP 4320 4369, FL Chassis, 2013 CR-V 2020 Jeep Overland, Blue Ox Avail, SMI AF1.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Sky_Boss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2015, 12:16 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Sky_Boss's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Freightliner Owners Club
Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: ON THE ROAD...SOMEWHERE
Posts: 6,973
Quote:
Originally Posted by stan5711 View Post
why do they put the generator on the house battery and not the chassis battery?your house battery is always the one to run down.
I suspect that in concept it is like the fuel cut off point to avoid draining the fuel tank because of generator use. By design the purpose is the protect the chassis first. I would think that in a worse case scenario you want the ability to start the engine and take the coach to a service place vs being totally stranded.
__________________
Don, Sandee & GSD Zeus. Guardian GSDs Gunny (7/11/15) & Thor (5/5/15)
2006 2015 DSDP 4320 4369, FL Chassis, 2013 CR-V 2020 Jeep Overland, Blue Ox Avail, SMI AF1.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Sky_Boss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2015, 12:34 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
CampDaven's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Fulltime, USA
Posts: 16,706
Blog Entries: 1
Yes, if your fuel tank drops below the generator pick up pipe, no workie.
I suggest the BLM rangers may know of reputable mobil RV service providers.


RVM1
AKA: Captain Forehead
__________________
Dave and Nola, RVM1
The Journey is Our Destination!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
https://davenola.blogspot.com/
CampDaven is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2015, 01:00 PM   #21
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 35,317
palehorse89 said,
..........by design, it is suppose to Maintain them.............not charge them from a "Dead"state...........you will over heat the windings and take a lot of life out of it, if not ruin it!

An alternator is designed to output it's full output at 6000 RPMs. Normally that is at the cruising RPM of the engine.

If it is a 150 amp alternator it will output 150 amps. At idle or slightly above it will output around half of that. In either case it will not overheat the windings and take life out of it.

The large alternators in MHs are designed to handle the charging duties of the batteries in it.

With nothing else around, it is a great way to charge a run down battery bank.
twinboat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2015, 01:28 PM   #22
Senior Member
 
palehorse89's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 10,308
Quote:
Originally Posted by twinboat View Post
palehorse89 said,
..........by design, it is suppose to Maintain them.............not charge them from a "Dead"state...........you will over heat the windings and take a lot of life out of it, if not ruin it!

An alternator is designed to output it's full output at 6000 RPMs. Normally that is at the cruising RPM of the engine.

If it is a 150 amp alternator it will output 150 amps. At idle or slightly above it will output around half of that. In either case it will not overheat the windings and take life out of it.

The large alternators in MHs are designed to handle the charging duties of the batteries in it.

With nothing else around, it is a great way to charge a run down battery bank.
I have to "Respectively" disagree with you on this, my post is from a first hand experience and a alternator failure doing just this in a big truck with 2 big batteries...........it is your money and your equipment.......use it and spend it as one sees fit. Some reading for you ........
Fact: Alternators are not designed to charge dead batteries | OPTIMABATTERIES
__________________
2012 Essex 4544 2011 Jeep JK, M&G Braking, 2014 MTI 27' Hog Hauler, Wireless brake control, 2006 Ultra & 1989 Springer, 2003 Harley-Davidson
FLHR Road King Anniversary
palehorse89 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2015, 02:16 PM   #23
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 35,317
We used to jump our dead trucks and let them charge, all the time.




Some reading for you.






https://amplepower.com/products/bdbc/index.html
twinboat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2015, 02:30 PM   #24
Senior Member
 
palehorse89's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 10,308
Quote:
Originally Posted by twinboat View Post
We used to jump our dead trucks and let them charge, all the time.




Some reading for you.






https://amplepower.com/products/bdbc/index.html
And this is what you have in your Coach? Damn, what a charging system

Thank you for the reading, don't think it applys to dead batteries though.......and the systems. Glad it has always worked for you with no problems
Bio-Diesel Battery Chargers ...DC Amps Generators ?
The OP's alternator is a A/C generator converted to DC........Like most Alternator's......
__________________
2012 Essex 4544 2011 Jeep JK, M&G Braking, 2014 MTI 27' Hog Hauler, Wireless brake control, 2006 Ultra & 1989 Springer, 2003 Harley-Davidson
FLHR Road King Anniversary
palehorse89 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2015, 02:42 PM   #25
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 35,317
Work better then the car alternator link, you sent to me.


If you read it on the Internet, it must be true.


Have a good day
twinboat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2015, 03:08 PM   #26
Senior Member
 
palehorse89's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 10,308
Quote:
Originally Posted by twinboat View Post
Work better then the car alternator link, you sent to me.


If you read it on the Internet, it must be true.


Have a good day
Not everything Twinboat..............have to sifer through it and learn, like I said, I had experienced a failure, this is the reason for my suggestion, I learn from mistakes.........as usually , they cost me money, and I now pass my lesions on in case I can help others.
Maybe this will work better for ya HOW DOES AN ALTERNATOR WORK?
Maintenance Tips/Suggestions: Have the alternator?s drive belt tension
checked at every oil change. A loose belt can reduce alternator output and
run down your car?s battery. Each spring, prior to travel season, it?s wise
to have your car?s charging system tested as part of a comprehensive
starting, charging and battery test. This test will determine whether your
car?s alternator is putting out the proper amount of current and voltage.
Your car?s alternator is designed to recharge the battery after slight
discharging such as engine starting; and maintaining them, the alternator is not designed for
charging heavily discharged (?dead?) batteries. Relying on the alternator to
charge a heavily discharged battery can overload the alternator and cause
damage. In such cases, use a battery charger instead. An alternator
problem can cause a discharged battery, poor accessory and light
operation, frequent bulb replacement, repeat voltage regulator failures,
erratic engine operation, or a dashboard warning light to illuminate. To
pinpoint the cause, have your car?s charging system checked out by a
qualified service technician. Life expectancy of the average alternator is
75-100 thousand miles.
I am done now, Have a great day also........
Dean(OP), Have you been able to get help? or get the genset going?
__________________
2012 Essex 4544 2011 Jeep JK, M&G Braking, 2014 MTI 27' Hog Hauler, Wireless brake control, 2006 Ultra & 1989 Springer, 2003 Harley-Davidson
FLHR Road King Anniversary
palehorse89 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2015, 03:28 PM   #27
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 55
Blog Entries: 1
Thanks to all of you regarding my low voltage house battery issue

Quote:
Originally Posted by twinboat View Post
Work better then the car alternator link, you sent to me.


If you read it on the Internet, it must be true.


Have a good day
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean B View Post
I have a 2006 Monaco Diplomat that has the Magnum Energy panel and 8 Kilo generator that has the "Auto Generator Start"mode. I'm dry camping and for the past few days the generator will automatically come on charging the house batteries when voltage drops. Sometimes it would start automatically but a few times I had to start it manually myself. By the way the AGS is set on "Enable". Today I left for a few hours only to return to low batteries too low to induce the inverter to provide AC. I tried to manually start the generator but it wouldn't turn over apparently too low of voltage in batteries (11.0). I started the engine to the coach thinking that reving the engine for a while at around 1000 RPM's would build up enough voltage to the house batteries. It didn't do a whole lot (maybe I didn't let engine run long enough). Therefore, I'm sitting in the dark and will wait for daylight tomorrow. Are there any thoughts out there what the problem might be? Appreciate you reading this thread.
I purchased a set of good battery cables and jumped from the starting batteries to the house batteries. Let engine run about 1/2 hour and bingo, the generator started. It has been running about an hour and 15 minutes and is showing a voltage at the house batteries at about 13.7V. I'm going to run the generator for about 6 hours and see if it bring them up. I believe my problem was that I never let the generator run long enough to build up enough stored voltage in the house batteries. It never went beyond bulk charge meaning the voltage probably never got greater than 13V. I now will let it run until it continues from bulk to absorption and then to float. I just hope that as A/C power is used the generator will automatically start when voltage drops to where the AGS will cut in. Thanks everyone for your input, irv2.com is great!!
Dean B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2015, 03:35 PM   #28
Senior Member
 
palehorse89's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 10,308
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean B View Post
I purchased a set of good battery cables and jumped from the starting batteries to the house batteries. Let engine run about 1/2 hour and bingo, the generator started. It has been running about an hour and 15 minutes and is showing a voltage at the house batteries at about 13.7V. I'm going to run the generator for about 6 hours and see if it bring them up. I believe my problem was that I never let the generator run long enough to build up enough stored voltage in the house batteries. It never went beyond bulk charge meaning the voltage probably never got greater than 13V. I now will let it run until it continues from bulk to absorption and then to float. I just hope that as A/C power is used the generator will automatically start when voltage drops to where the AGS will cut in. Thanks everyone for your input, irv2.com is great!!
Glad to hear that you got it going Dean! So you have a volt meter with you? If so, after charging them, see what the voltage is after shutting off the genset. Thanks for the up date!
__________________
2012 Essex 4544 2011 Jeep JK, M&G Braking, 2014 MTI 27' Hog Hauler, Wireless brake control, 2006 Ultra & 1989 Springer, 2003 Harley-Davidson
FLHR Road King Anniversary
palehorse89 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
batteries, house batteries, quartzsite



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
To Gel or not to Gel (House Batteries) chiefdave Monaco Owner's Forum 14 01-25-2015 05:31 PM
Charging House Batteries While Driving mcfly Palazzo Motorhomes 5 12-30-2014 07:21 AM
Inverter Troubleshooting, House Batteries Dead Help maxwell18 RV Systems & Appliances 1 08-15-2014 06:37 PM
House Batteries cooked on us! RV1597 RV Systems & Appliances 13 07-05-2014 01:26 PM
Still researching 6 volt house batteries mojavemover iRV2.com General Discussion 4 03-15-2014 10:05 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:40 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.