Honda eu 2000i generators

[hans-barak]

Hello all. Need some perspective about these Honda eu2000is. I have 2 paralleled together using Honda cables and RV plugged into companion one with RV ready plug. Had them running for few hours. After disconnecting, went on to turn heat inside RV and battery life showed very low. Sometimes in the middle of night the alarm sounded blinking for low voltage. It was annoying and I was angry for having these generators to max out power and charge batteries (2 on TT) but something wasn’t functioning correctly. Anyone ran into this? Also, when heat turns on, why is it drowning power if it’s suppose to be using gas (propane)?

[twinboat]

Once generators are running you need to see if your battery converter/charger is working and the charging is getting to the battery.

Get a cheap volt meter and check AT the battery for 13+ volts. If not, something is wrong.

The heater uses gas to create heat but a fan to circulate it.

My heat uses 7 amps from my batteries when running. Depending on how long it runs per hour and how many AH in your batteries, will dictate how long your batteries will last.

[hans-barak]

Ohh ok. Well I have 2 batteries paired for that very reason (using lot amps during heat on) but now it seems like I don’t get much of heat before alarm starts. Are there any other alternatives? Like add third battery or go bigger battery or ??

[LETMGROW]

With the generators running and the RV plugged in turn on your Microwave or something else using 110 V. to confirm the RV is getting power from the generators.
If the 110 V. is working the problem lays in the battery charging system or you have a bad battery or batteries. Check all your breakers to be sure one hasn't tripped.
Lynn

[hans-barak]

Yeah I kind of did that. I had generators running and turned my AC on just to test. AC was working but after I turned off generators and went to pull slides in, they barely came-in and batteries life showed low. Could I just take these batteries to auto shop and have them test them? The TT is now plugged into outlet home but could disconnect and try using to troubleshoot than connect generators to see if charging, etc. Thoughts?

[1bigmess]

Things that might have happened:
Loose connection somewhere or blown fuse/tripped breaker
Overloaded one or both gennies at some point. They'll keep running but no electrical output.
Problem with converter.
Most likely is bad batteries won't take charge. Check this first.

The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1) By Mark S. Nemeth

[LETMGROW]

Originally Posted by hans-barak

Yeah I kind of did that. I had generators running and turned my AC on just to test. AC was working but after I turned off generators and went to pull slides in, they barely came-in and batteries life showed low. Could I just take these batteries to auto shop and have them test them? The TT is now plugged into outlet home but could disconnect and try using to troubleshoot than connect generators to see if charging, etc. Thoughts?

You need to check the charging circuit first with a voltmeter like was said above. If the charging circuit is working then you can take the batteries for testing.
Do you have a battery charger at home you can try charging the batteries with?
Lynn

[Agesilaus]

Having a real battery monitor like the Trimetric would answer your questions.

[hans-barak]

Would this work?

https://www.amazon.com/bayite-6-5-10...imetric&sr=8-6

[hans-barak]

Tested both batteries with voltmeter and both are putting out 13.19 volts. However, they are hooked to electric power source at home. My plan is to disconnect, turn heat on and see what happens. Later I will connect generators to check if they are charging and report back results. Thanks all.

[1bigmess]

You have to check the batteries after they have been sitting still with no charge or discharge for a few hours. 13.19 volts is not a normal battery resting voltage.

Or you can check the specific gravity of the electrolyte in each cell if you can get to it with a battery hydrometer. Testing each cell will tell you if each cell is working properly. Again, the battery needs to rest for a few hours first.

Read the 12volt side of life link I left above for great info about battery charging, condition, and testing.

Also this video about checking the specific gravity of each cell.
https://youtu.be/UP6CLK8mvy8

[snowman1]

It sounds like this was a maiden voyage so to speak or is this a new problem? Two EU2000's gives you around 3200 watts operating which should have been no problem for them.

These little inverter genny's have what's called a floating neutral and I'm guessing this was the issue. You're going to need to buy or make yourself an Edison plug. You then plug that into an open receptacle on one of the genny's and it "fools" the RV into allowing power into the RV. We carry a little Yamaha 2000 watt genny for times when we don't need to run the big onboard unit and the coach will not allow power without the Edison plugged into an outlet on the Yamaha.

As others have pointed out, propane furnaces are huge power hogs. Even under the best of circumstances, you'll be lucky to get through a really cold night with just 2 batteries unless you're running the genny.

[aether_one]

How dead were your batteries before you tried to charge them for "a few hours"? And exactly how long is "a few hours"? It takes many hours of charging with the onboard charger to charge 2 batteries fully.

[hans-barak]

Interesting. Well this first link is a plug I use on companion generator when I plug RV cable directly to it:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/WEN-120-...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

This second link is a plug I use when I use only one generator and plug RV cable to it:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Valterra-...MaAuPDEALw_wcB

So am I not charging the batteries properly when 2 generators are Paralleled?