Generator/battery questions..

[AlmostThere]

Today the sun came out for a bit so I got the itch to go visit my MH, Little Missy. She was due to have her genny exercised anyway so off I went.
Little history first; The first thing I do is pull her partially our of her stall so the genny will exhaust better. (learned the hard way that the exhaust in a confined space can come into the cabin and set off all kinds of alarms! ). When I tried to start her up all I got was a sound. It wasn't a sound like the engine was trying to start, nor was it just a clicking sound that I've heard before in other vehicles when the alternater or somesuch goes out. The only thing I could think to do was to use the emergency switch that I found on the ceiing over my head and hope that connected me to the house batteries and the engine would start. Ta-da! It did on the first try.
Now for my first question: Once I got the engine going, how long did I need to keep it running to recharge the battery again? As I didn't believe the battery was completely dead, I let it run for 20 mins. I then shut if off and restarted with no problems. (I will have my SIL check the battery to determine if I'm having some other issue, too.)
Question 2: When starting my genny it never wants to catch on the first couple tries. After about the 3rd try it fires up and backfires. I think I know why it's backfiring, but need to know how to remedy that issue.
Looking forward to you input. Thanks in advance!

[retiredhappy]

First check to see if you have a switch on your generator that says "summer" or "winter". When mine was on summer and it was cold it didn't want to start. If it doesn't start on the first try, wait long enough so it isn't flooded.

[Rufflesgurl]

Lenora - Must be the day to check our coaches. I spent a couple of hours at mine today. Took it for a nice long drive and went on a few roads that I hadn't been on before. But, before I left the storage spot, I wanted to start the generator - started right up and also put the A/C on so the genny had a load. Couldn't get the A/C to register on the thermostat, the radio & its light wouldn't come on, etc.

Anyway on my way back to storage, I went by the place where we get it repaired and the tech spent about 1/2 an hour with me in the coach. There is a battery disconnect switch by the door that needed to be on to get the 12V things - ceiling lights, thermostat, etc to work. DUH!!! I will remember that (I think). Everything worked as it should - I just didn't turn the disconnect switch on.

Over Christmas, I did my maiden voyage by myself up to my daughter's - 4 hours away and the coach had a complete power failure (inside lights, heater, etc.) but the coach started just fine. Ended up needing a solenoid relay and converter. Thought today the same thing was happening BUT no thankfully. Other than that, the Christmas trip went good.

There are just way too many mechanical things on a MH and I am NOT mechanical at all. My traveling buddy always knows what to do when something isn't working on the MH.

Good luck, Linda

[AlmostThere]

I just called my SIL and he suggested that I'd probably need to replace my battery, but to take it to my RV guy and have him do a test load on it first.
I told him your suggestion on the genny, Karen, and he said for me to check if I had one of those switches as it's getting too much gas trying to start when it's cold, so I'll certainly do that. I had no idea about the switch so that's something new to remember.
Again, thanks!

[Acadianmom]

My generator will start better if I start the engine first. Even though my coach batteries have a full charge the engine gives it a little help. Motorhomes all have about the same systems but it seem like they are all wired a little different. At least mine have been.
I think it is recommended to keep your gas tank full to keep water from condensing in the tank. It seems like I have heard about a gas additive you can put in the winter. I know we had to put something in our boat over the winter so it would start in the spring.

Martha

Martha

[AlmostThere]

I did put Sta-bel additive in the gas tank the last time I filled up just before I put the MH in storage and it's still registering as a full tank.
As for running the MH engine at the same time as the generator, I thought that was a no no. Am I wrong on that one??

[dcricket]

I try to remember to go and start up my engine each month, run water through my lines, and then will either turn on the gen (not while engine is running), and watch TV, or cook something in the convection to exercise the gen on a load. I also top off the batteries with distilled water. Even when not in use there is evaporation so if you don't keep your batteries topped off that can shorten the lifespan of your batteries. When starting my gen it usually takes about 2 cycle button pushes to get it to turn over. I always check the oil level of the gen and inspect the compartment to make sure I don't have any critters. One month I discovered a little mouse nest and the little buggah had chewed through the platic covering of the wires and into the wires so I had to rewrap the wires and but some add'l protective tubing around it.

[Acadianmom]

I run my generator going down the highway sometimes. Don't know any reason you can't.

Martha

[retiredhappy]

My engine battery is not connected in any way to my MH. If my engine battery is dead, I can't use my housebatteries to start. Some people can. You DON'T want to be connected to electric in a park when you start your generator.

[AlmostThere]

So the rule is NOT to be plugged into electricity when using the gen. That makes sense. Something else I need to wrap my brain around to remember. Thanks!

NOTES:
My battery is the kind that doesn't have to have water added so I didn't see any reason to be checking it.

When I had the gen running and the electric switch inside the coach switched off, I still could use my TV and also the portable heater that was plugged in. No lights would work though and also the switch to check my water levels etc didn't work. I thought that when I had the electric switched off NOTHING electric would work. I guess there is something that lets the TV and outlets work separately? Huh...

[Birdie]

Seems to me that the generators are a lot alike, but a little bit different. I started mine two weeks ago and though it ran, it was not generating any power to the coach. So I got the idiot sheet (operating manual) out and read it front to back and nothing addressed my issue. I asked my RV tech what was happening and he said the circuit breaker or the plug. So when I checked it out, the circuit breaker was okay, but I had failed to plug the unit's power cable back into the coach. When I did that it generated power.

So on my unit, the electric power plug that would go to the campground electric, must be plugged into the motorhome unit in a special plug in order for it to generate power for the motorhome to operate microwave/refrig, etc. All of my lights will operate on battery power as they are 12 volt.

Now trying to start it the first time was not easy. However, the idiot sheet said prime the pump at the genset if it failed to start from the inner switch. So I went out pulled the cover off and primed it - 30 seconds. Started right up. If the Aux battery switch is off, the genset won't even run on my rig. It also said try 3 times and if it doesn't start, to let it rest 15 minutes to keep from burning up the starter switch.

It is all new to me and I find the idiot sheet of only a small amount of help. Perhaps that is on purpose.

[Ladyhawk]

I'm glad you guys are talking about this. I've been behaving badly and slightly ignoring my generator. (I know, I know...) I'll be better about exercising it, but I'm so unfamiliar with the thing, I just don't get it. This discussion has helped. I'll exercise it this weekend, I promise!

[Carol]

Today I started the gen. and let it run for about an hour as I saw on the internet that I should do. But now I am reading all of these posts that say I should turn somethings on to excersize the generator. I hope I didn't do anything wrong to it.

[kelpie]

I went over to my rig today as it was supposed to go to the dealer/svc center for the insurance work and it wouldn't start. Noticed I haqd forgotten to unplug GPS from cig lighter plug. Did have jumper cables so hooked up to my car but could not get it to start. On the instrument panel is a gauge for battery from 0 - 18 it did show 12 volts. It did not make that clicking noise but sort of grr...rrr.rrr. Came home and a friend was there, very knowledge about all things mechanical. He suggested I take battery out and take it Auto Zone or somewhere and have it tested. Battery less than 18 months old so should be eligible for partial credit if that is what's wrong. Don't really want to buy another one but that's probably the cheapest thing that could be wrong. I'm afraid it may be a starter or something. Hopefully I can find someone who knows about this and could go there an look at it and possibly even fi it there, rather than try to find someone to tow her. Any advice/suggestions welcome.

[sharon]

If you're talking about the gauge on the dash, that's not how much battery output you have, it's how much your alternator is charging. Could still be the battery. Could be the battery in your car isn't strong enough to start your engine...not sure, I could be totally wrong on that one. You could try hooking the battery cables up again, starting your car and letting it run for 15 or 20 minutes and then try, or borrow a battery charger from someone and see if the battery is good. The charger will have a gauge on it that will tell you the voltage. Sorry couldn't be more help.