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Portable Generator Battery

RobWNY
Explorer
Explorer
I have a Champion 3100W RV ready Portable Generator that I bought last Spring for extended dry camping excursions. I'm not sure how to store it for the brutal winters we have here in the North. I called Champion and was on hold for an hour. I emailed over a week ago and still haven't received an answer so hopefully someone here can help. I keep it in our unheated shed and now that winter is approaching, should I keep the supplied trickle charger that comes with it plugged in all winter or should I make sure the battery is fully charged and just remove the Pos or Neg cable from it's post and call it good? The shed does have electricity. Thanks.
2020 Silverado 2500HD LT, CC, 4X4 6.6 Duramax
2021 Grand Design Reflection 311BHS

I asked him to do one thing and he didn't do any of them.
23 REPLIES 23

MrWizard
Moderator
Moderator
closer to this, I think

I can explain it to you.
But I Can Not understand it for you !

....

Connected using T-Mobile Home internet and Visible Phone service
1997 F53 Bounder 36s

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
Does your battery look something like this?


DiskDoctr
Explorer
Explorer
FYI. Most box stores have a display near the bolts and such with nuts mounted where you can try your bolts to get the proper size.

And bolts can be fitted into most of those nuts while still in the plastic bag packages.

But fortunately you got it all worked out..."the old fashioned way, you EARNED it" ๐Ÿ˜‰

Dave_H_M
Explorer II
Explorer II
pssssst, listen to Scott.

Additionally my champ has a drain valve/screw on the bottom of the carb. I just defuel the tank and drain the carb.

My champ is ready to go at a yank of the rope,. :W

RobWNY
Explorer
Explorer
What a calamity of errors. So as I'm taking the battery out of the generator, one of the nuts that you screw the battery cable bolts to comes out of the place in the battery post where it normally sits. It bounces on the ground and into a storm drain where it can't be retrieved. I try calling Champion one more time. Success! I get a nice guy who tries to help but in the end says, they can't sell be a nut but if I want to buy a new battery for $52, the nut and bolts come with it. I respectfully decline. Off to the Big Box store I go to get a new nut. Nope, can't get a new nut. HD doesn't have the right size out where I can try screwing the bolt I brought with me to it. Not a 1/4" nut but close. Must be Metric. Open the drawer where they keep the Metric nuts. They're individually packaged. Is it an M5 or an M6? Don't know for sure. Both look like they might work but can't rip one open to see if it threads on the bolt for sure because it wouldn't be right to do so and two employees are helping other customers literally 5 feet away from me anyway. So I buy 2-1/4" x 20 x 1/2" bolts and corresponding nuts from the imperial section of nuts and bolts. Back home, I try to insert the nut in the opening on the battery post. Nope, doesn't fit. Too wide. I grasp one of the nuts in a pair of vice grips and off to my Ridgid sander I go. I grind down two sides equally until it fits. Ok, grind the other one down. Ok. Problem solved. I put the battery on the battery tender. Oops, forgot to add fuel stabilizer to the generator. Ok, stabilizer added. Better start it up so the mixture gets through the lines and to the carb. Don't want that thing gumming up on me. Ok, battery is out of the generator so have to pull start it. Never done that before. Always used the electric start or remote with electric start. No problem. I pull and pull and pull some more. It won't start. I go take the battery off the tender and hook it up. At least I know the nuts and bolts work fine to attach the cables. I fire up the generator and let it run for 30 minutes. Ok, that should do it. When all said and done and I had the generator put away for the winter and the battery on a tender, it was only 2 hours after I started for a job that should take 5 minutes. Good thing it was 50 degrees today in Western NY or I would have been majorly P.O'd. I hate when these kinds of things happen!!!
2020 Silverado 2500HD LT, CC, 4X4 6.6 Duramax
2021 Grand Design Reflection 311BHS

I asked him to do one thing and he didn't do any of them.

DReisinger
Explorer
Explorer
If you can change out the battery if it goes bad, can you remove it and bring it inside during the winter

pianotuna
Nomad III
Nomad III
Hi,

My kipor generator battery lasted from 2002 until 2009 when I made the mistake of replacing the generator with a boiley.
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.

MrWizard
Moderator
Moderator
i would think that as long as the battery was FULLY charged before storage
it would be OK
like any other electric start tool, garden tractor, riding mower etc..
I can explain it to you.
But I Can Not understand it for you !

....

Connected using T-Mobile Home internet and Visible Phone service
1997 F53 Bounder 36s

ScottG
Nomad
Nomad
No to the trickle charger, yes to a battery maintainer.