Needing help, evacuated, battery dead
Sorry, longer post; I am in Oregon with fires. No electricity for 5 days now. Used generator on RV chassis to run freezers in my home for 3 days (about 4 hrs a day) via extension cords. RV house batt...
Forum Discussion
Double check that the main battery switch is on.
Not sure what was being used when the generator was off that drained the battery, but the rv furnace is a notorious power hog and will drain a battery in short order. Best to run the generator when using the furnace.
Run the rv to charge the house battery. Driving to refuel the rv will speed the charging process.
If the rv has a boost to start switch, disconnect the negative on the house battery (be sure it doesn't touch the positive), start the rv, and have someone push the boost switch while trying to start the generator. Once the generator has started, reconnect the negative to the house battery.
If no boost switch, disconnect negative from house battery (be sure it doesn't touch the positive), start the rv, run jumper cable from rv battery to house battery, start generator, and reconnect negative once generator is running. If the jumper cables are too short, move the rv battery closer to the house battery. Try starting the generator without the rv running.
Once generator is running, measure the voltage at the house battery. If it is more than 13.2V, the converter is working and the battery should be charging. If the battery isn't taking a charge, battery may be bad.
If the voltage is less than 13.2, there are lots of things to check. Quicker option would be to use a portable battery charger to charge the house battery when the generator runs. Be sure to have plenty of fuel as the battery may take several hours to a day to recharge using a portable charger.
Diagnose the charging issue once the generator is running.
Or, buy a new house battery and a portable charger. Swap the new battery for the house battery. Start the generator and diagnose the charging issue. Portable charger can be used to keep at least one of the house batteries topped up while the generator runs.
Keep a voltage meter handy. Once the house battery is down to 12.2V resting voltage (1/2 empty) find a way to recharge it.
Not sure what was being used when the generator was off that drained the battery, but the rv furnace is a notorious power hog and will drain a battery in short order. Best to run the generator when using the furnace.
Run the rv to charge the house battery. Driving to refuel the rv will speed the charging process.
If the rv has a boost to start switch, disconnect the negative on the house battery (be sure it doesn't touch the positive), start the rv, and have someone push the boost switch while trying to start the generator. Once the generator has started, reconnect the negative to the house battery.
If no boost switch, disconnect negative from house battery (be sure it doesn't touch the positive), start the rv, run jumper cable from rv battery to house battery, start generator, and reconnect negative once generator is running. If the jumper cables are too short, move the rv battery closer to the house battery. Try starting the generator without the rv running.
Once generator is running, measure the voltage at the house battery. If it is more than 13.2V, the converter is working and the battery should be charging. If the battery isn't taking a charge, battery may be bad.
If the voltage is less than 13.2, there are lots of things to check. Quicker option would be to use a portable battery charger to charge the house battery when the generator runs. Be sure to have plenty of fuel as the battery may take several hours to a day to recharge using a portable charger.
Diagnose the charging issue once the generator is running.
Or, buy a new house battery and a portable charger. Swap the new battery for the house battery. Start the generator and diagnose the charging issue. Portable charger can be used to keep at least one of the house batteries topped up while the generator runs.
Keep a voltage meter handy. Once the house battery is down to 12.2V resting voltage (1/2 empty) find a way to recharge it.
