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We let it sit for about a month and am not sure if we left the water pump on or not. I don't think so but can't be certain. We tried to start the generator and got nothing. We checked the house lights and got nothing so we're pretty sure the batteries are drained. We drove it to our house which is about a 30 minute drive. The book says that the house batteries charge from the altenator while the motor is running. When we got here we tried to start the generator but still nothing. This time, though, we did get faint house lights so I think the batteries are charging. I hooked my schumacher maintainter 1.5amp trickle charger up to one of the house batteries to try and charge them but only get the red light that says "battery". Not the amber that says charging or the green that says charged.
How else do the house batteries charge? Do they charge while the generator is running?
I've got the onan 4000. Is there a way to manually start the generator?
Did you check the fluid level in the batteries?Also many times when batteries are drained completely dead they will not take a charge or will take a long time to recharge.30 minutes is not enough time for the alternator to charge the batteries much if they are that dead.
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RVing probably not a reality any more.It was a good time while it lasted.
Look for a disconnect switch or disconnect lever for the batteries. When you store your RV, use the disconnect switch/lever to kill all power. This will stop any drain from the batteries so they will hold the charge for a long time.
Most RVs have devices that even when turned off will still have some parasitic drain on the battery. Devices like the carbon monoxide or propane detectors, refrigerator, inverter/chargers...etc.
The batteries do require about an hour of charging from the tow vehicle before you would have enough power to start the generator. Sometimes, I was able to plug in the 5th wheel to my tow vehicle, run the engine at fast idle for about 15 minutes and still connected to the tow vehicle with fast idle get enough power to start the generator.
You can manually start the generator by using jumper cables and connect from the tow vehicle battery to the battery terminals on the RV.... be careful most RVs use white and black wiring instead of red and black. The black is hot (positive) and the white is ground (negative) on RVs. Hook up the jumper cables, start the tow vehicle engine and let it run for a few minutes and then try starting the generator.
-- Edited by The Bear II on Thursday 5th of August 2010 10:48:31 AM
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"Small House, Big Yard "
"May the FOREST be with you" Alfa See-Ya 5'er and 2007 Kodiak C4500 Monroe
We did end up jumping the house batteries to another battery then started the RV engine. After about 5 minutes the generator started and ran for about 3 hours. I think what I'll do next is just disconnect the batteries next time we park it. Would that cause any problems?
We did end up jumping the house batteries to another battery then started the RV engine. After about 5 minutes the generator started and ran for about 3 hours. I think what I'll do next is just disconnect the batteries next time we park it. Would that cause any problems?
I would bet you have a disconnect somewhere near the 110 volt breaker box. Look around. Might be a pull switch on the side of the breaker panel. Like has been posted, the propane detector does not have an off. It will drain batteries in about 5 days.
