Starting my generator in my class C without

[HARLYGL94]

So they tell you to take the house batteries out and keep them on a trickle charger instead of keeping the whole class c plugged in all winter, but now I have a problem with starting my generator it seems it will not start without the house batteries even if I start the RV up or plug it into AC it will not start. And I was going to faithfully run it once a month for two hours. I guess it needs the juice from the house batteries to start or am I missing something here? what should I do now?

thank you

[ksg5000]

I second the Trik L Start - it's not expensive, easy install (comes with good instructions) and once installed you don't have to mess with battery minders.

[RVWithTito]

ronfisherman wrote:
My motorhome is plugged in to shore power all the time at home. It has a multistage converter. Almost never have to add water to batteries. I see no need to remove batteries for storage. If you have access to shore power where your RV is stored. Use it. Then start generator and run under load monthly to keep it healthy.
You may need to add a trickle charger to keep chassis battery fully charged.

Pretty much the same drill for me. I also run the RV engine for 20 minutes every couple weeks when I'm exercising the generator. It's important that you have a multi-stage converter/charger to prevent over charging your batteries. Here's how to upgrade yours if you want. If you don't I would disconnect the house batteries and put a trickle charger on it until you need them.

[deltamaster]

Your are welcome. Good luck and let us know how things work out for you.

ALSO, as Harlygl94 mentioned, check the fluid level frequently and top off as needed

[HARLYGL94]

Thank you for the info everyone! People are so great on here. I always get a quick response and it is so helpful to me...

Thanks again!

[tenbear]

What converter does your Class C have? If it is a Magnetek or Parallax be sure to check the water level in the coach battery every 2 weeks until you find out how often it needs water. These old converters are single stage and the voltage that it runs at is a compromise between charging and maintenance. If it has a modern converter, such as a Progressive Dynamics 9200 or 4600 series, you won't have to add water as often but you should still check the water as above to see how often it needs water. It probably won't need much water.

[HARLYGL94]

Yes I have it hooked to the shore power now and I tried it and it seems to be working okay. I've got the shore power plug in, the house batteries in it and I have the engine battery with the trickle charger on it. I have the engine battery extension cord plugged into the AC outlet inside the RV I fished it up through The battery case and now it's inside and plugged into the wall outlet.

[deltamaster]

HARLYGL94 wrote:
I am going to leave the house batteries in the RV and keep it on shore power all winter but as far as the engine battery can I plug a trickle charger into the engine battery and then plug a small extension cord into the RV itself so I don't have to run a long extension cord down my driveway and run it over with the snowblower.
Just wondering if it's okay to plug the trickle charger into the RV outlets and then have it plugged into shore power thank you

That is exactly what I do. I have a trickle charger/maintainer hard wired on to the chassis battery. Whenever I am parked for a long period of time I plug in the charger to the exterior outlet and run the extension cord under the rig, out of the way.

[ronfisherman]

Yes you can. Before I installed the Trik-L-Start. I plugged a battery tender into a 12 volt socket (cigarette light port) to keep my chassis batteries charged. Just have to make sure it is a socket that is hot even if ignition is turned off.
I am assuming you have shore power to your motorhome.

[HARLYGL94]

Hi and thank you for your quick reply to my question I was wondering though if I could plug the cord right into the outlet inside the RV run it through where the batteries going up into the RV instead of having to trailing down my driveway. I checked that thing out that you mentioned the trickle start seems like a nice thing but I'm not sure how to hook anything up not too keen with electricity. I have a 2007 Winnebago Outlook 29B and it has a converter charger in it but I don't think that maintains the engine battery

[ronfisherman]

HARLYGL94 wrote:
I am going to leave the house batteries in the RV and keep it on shore power all winter but as far as the engine battery can I plug a trickle charger into the engine battery and then plug a small extension cord into the RV itself so I don't have to run a long extension cord down my driveway and run it over with the snowblower.
Just wondering if it's okay to plug the trickle charger into the RV outlets and then have it plugged into shore power thank you

You can put a trickle charger in or install a Trik-L-Start. This is a Winnebago item and may already be in your MH.
I would also check to see if you have a multistage converter. When fully charged you should see close to 13.2 volts at the batteries. Most non multistage converters will always have about 13.6 volts.

[HARLYGL94]

I am going to leave the house batteries in the RV and keep it on shore power all winter but as far as the engine battery can I plug a trickle charger into the engine battery and then plug a small extension cord into the RV itself so I don't have to run a long extension cord down my driveway and run it over with the snowblower.
Just wondering if it's okay to plug the trickle charger into the RV outlets and then have it plugged into shore power thank you

[eddard49]

HARLYGL94 wrote:
Yes you might seem to think that Starting it will do more harm than good but Onan recommends it and so many other people say that the Onan generators will fail if you do not start them. it's called exercising it so on one hand I do agree with you but I read so much extensively about the Onan generators that's why I feel the need to start it once a month.
As far as all the other winterizing engines I just use the fuel stabilizer in all of them and they start great in the spring.

Yes, I should have mentioned that I DO start the generator a couple of times during winter storage and put a load on it. I do the same with my 7KW home generator. However, that is a different beast than the chassis engine. The generator engine has a very short exhaust system and no catalytic converter.

[Jayco-noslide]

I don't remove the coach batteries but just plug in the unit often enough to keep the batteries charged. So far have never had a problem. We do head south in late Jan but that still exposes the batteries to lots of well below freezing temps.

[HARLYGL94]

* Exercise the generator. There are several reasons why you should start and exercise the generator set on a regular basis. Moisture build up can cause damage to your generator. When you exercise your generator it heats up the generator windings and eliminates this moisture build up. This monthly exercise regime also lubricates all of the engine seals and components and helps to prevent carbon build up. When you exercise the generator it should have a minimum 1/2 rated load on it, and it should run for at least two hours every month. Check your generator owner’s manual for load ratings specific to your unit.
* Add a fuel stabilizer to the motorhomes or generator’s gas tank and run the generator long enough for the stabilizer to get through the entire fuel system. This will help prevent gas related problems on generators, like not starting or surging. Fuel stabilizers can protect the fuel system for up to six months or longer, but keep in mind the importance of exercising the generator too.