Understanding Charge/Boost button
We've recently bought our first motorhome--a 1988 Foretravel Grande Villa. Having lots of fun getting to know the details. On the dash is a two way switch (off in middle) noted as Charge/Boost. When t...
Forum Discussion
Two comments:
First: If the motor home sat long enough without a battery charge this can run the battery down since there are some things always on, Like radio memory, ECM memory and such, in all modern vehicles. Not like the old says when OFF was, well.. OFF.
Second: STARTING batteries... Generally do not like being run down too far.. If you get them to the "Vehicle will not start" point.. you often need to replace them.. This, however, is on cars.. A motor home engine is kind of large and thus it's starting requirements are larger so you may get lucky here.
DEEP CycLE batteries (like the GC-2 golf car battery often used in pairs for house batteires) also do not like being run down below half full.. but the odds of recovery if you do it.. MUCH HIGHER.
Facts:
I accidently ran my house batteries down several times in the 9 years they lasted, This was due to several things,, A tripped breaker (couple of times) not powering the converter.. And several times I pulled the stupid plug. to the converter and did not figure it out for like 3 days. And then usually at 3am or there abouts..
I also ran the chassis down a couple times leaving the headligts on (Beeper does not).
But all of them lasted 9 years.
One time the isolator failed to isolate, so I killed ALL the batteires, could not even start the generator.. had to get one of the small batteries off wife's scooter and used it to jump start the ONAN, by the time I got the scooter back together and the cables put away and traffic cleared (I was in a parking lot) I had enough battery power to fire up the main engine and go shopping.
I did not kill Generator till I was enoute campground and shore power though.
First: If the motor home sat long enough without a battery charge this can run the battery down since there are some things always on, Like radio memory, ECM memory and such, in all modern vehicles. Not like the old says when OFF was, well.. OFF.
Second: STARTING batteries... Generally do not like being run down too far.. If you get them to the "Vehicle will not start" point.. you often need to replace them.. This, however, is on cars.. A motor home engine is kind of large and thus it's starting requirements are larger so you may get lucky here.
DEEP CycLE batteries (like the GC-2 golf car battery often used in pairs for house batteires) also do not like being run down below half full.. but the odds of recovery if you do it.. MUCH HIGHER.
Facts:
I accidently ran my house batteries down several times in the 9 years they lasted, This was due to several things,, A tripped breaker (couple of times) not powering the converter.. And several times I pulled the stupid plug. to the converter and did not figure it out for like 3 days. And then usually at 3am or there abouts..
I also ran the chassis down a couple times leaving the headligts on (Beeper does not).
But all of them lasted 9 years.
One time the isolator failed to isolate, so I killed ALL the batteires, could not even start the generator.. had to get one of the small batteries off wife's scooter and used it to jump start the ONAN, by the time I got the scooter back together and the cables put away and traffic cleared (I was in a parking lot) I had enough battery power to fire up the main engine and go shopping.
I did not kill Generator till I was enoute campground and shore power though.
