Auto start generator ?

depends on the TYPE of battery....Percentage of Charge Chart HERE

I set my Onan EC-30W / wireless remote to 12vdc (lead acid/deep cycle). The Onan Default is

According to Onan the default is The Low Battery Start voltage range is 11.5 to 12.1 volts.

Hi,

If you want long battery life and are using lead acid batteries I'd be inclined to set at 12.2 volts.

I set mine at 12.1

Thank You

For those of you that use this feature, are you leaving on all the cutoff switches. There are two at my front door and the main battery disconnect in the bay. I'm assuming all these should be on for the generator to start and charge the batteries. In this scenario would there would be a significant battery drain from 12v systems?

Thanks

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

If you want long battery life and are using lead acid batteries I'd be inclined to set at 12.2 volts.

I have to agree with this. The more often you discharge below 50%, the shorter you can expect the batteries to last.

when camping at an RV park (w/ shore power) - with out the dog, for more than a week, i'll switch the batteries off (no need to charge them).

in storage i switch the batteries off & use a separate battery maintenance charger (not the converter/charger in the coach).

When we travel with the Dog - we always leave the batteries ON, even when connected to shore power - if the pedestal / shore power is lost & the coach temperature rises (above 80*) the EC-30W will automatically start the generator so the AC can run / cool the coach & keep the dog safe.

When DRY camping (aka race track) w/out shore power we leave the house batteries on & let the EC-30W remote start monitor the battery charge leave. If the batteries are run down while were away, EC-30W will start the gen & charge the batters.

A question for those who have programmed your generator auto-start.

When specifying battery voltage to trigger a start, is it measuring voltage AT REST, or will low voltage while under load (like running microwave for 30 seconds, after which battery voltage will "bounce back up")trigger the generator to start???

wolfe10 wrote:
A question for those who have programmed your generator auto-start.

When specifying battery voltage to trigger a start, is it measuring voltage AT REST, or will low voltage while under load (like running microwave for 30 seconds, after which battery voltage will "bounce back up")trigger the generator to start???

in a nut shell the EC-30W is measuring Voltage - it doesnt know if the voltage it sees is at rest or under load (program accordingly).

assuming your camping, the voltage measured could be during load (if you have something running) - for me, my outdoor fridge/freezer runs when I'm on batteries (or short power).

the EC-30W has a time setting that you can use....i.e.

if battery falls below X (voltage) for X length of time (in seconds)
then START Generator

further there is a generator RUN LENTH & CHARGE level parameter i.e.

If battery is above X (volts) for X length of time (minutes)
then STOP Generator.

All of these (X) settings are user programable.

bshpilot,

Thanks-- and a very good answer so that a short-term drop in voltage will not trigger a generator start before it is really needed.