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12-16-2017, 02:13 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Bristol Tn
Posts: 10
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Generator battery dead and house batteries dead
I have a problem with my generator will start and run for a few seconds and then turn off.
The house batteries will not turn the house light on. After my last trip I turned the chassis batteries main disconnect off inside chassis battery compartment. I went back today and turned on the chassis disconnect and the batteries would not turn the house light on again. sounds like I have battery issue.
Anybody had this problem with their coach?
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12-16-2017, 02:16 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 146
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The generator won't start with low batteries. We haven't had that problem, sorry.
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12-16-2017, 02:49 PM
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#3
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Bristol Tn
Posts: 10
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does generator start of house batteries or engine battery?
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12-16-2017, 02:50 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 146
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House
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12-16-2017, 03:01 PM
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#5
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Bristol Tn
Posts: 10
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I wanted to see if the there might be something left on in the coach so I turned off both set of batteries to see if it was in batteries or house. Turned them back on and the interior lights will not cone on. the generator will not start either. I guess that is why since it starts off house batteries...
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12-16-2017, 03:55 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 799
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What is the voltage of your house batteries?
__________________
DYNAMAX 2016 FORCE HD
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12-16-2017, 04:31 PM
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#7
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Bristol Tn
Posts: 10
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they are brand new. does not mean that they don't have a bad cell but I have 4. that would take a lot of draining to kill them.
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12-16-2017, 04:33 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 799
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Agreed. One bad battery can pull the others down.
__________________
DYNAMAX 2016 FORCE HD
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12-16-2017, 04:34 PM
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#9
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Bristol Tn
Posts: 10
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by the way this is on a 2013 Berkshire of that changes anything.
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12-16-2017, 04:35 PM
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#10
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Bristol Tn
Posts: 10
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I thought if I segregated the rest of the home from batteries it would help me diagnose issue. Chassis battery is for engine correct? I would assume it is.
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12-16-2017, 04:39 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 799
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Chassis batteries are engine starting. House batteries are for the 12 volt systems in the house part. The two sets of batteries are not connected. Some RVs have a momentary dash switch which would connect all of the batteries temporarily for a boost in order to start the coach.
__________________
DYNAMAX 2016 FORCE HD
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12-16-2017, 04:48 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Port Charlotte Fl/Hinsdale Ma
Posts: 4,823
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have all the batteries load tested.
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12-16-2017, 05:09 PM
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#13
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Site Team
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,556
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QG, please check your Personal Messages.
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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12-16-2017, 06:33 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Port Charlotte Fl/Hinsdale Ma
Posts: 4,823
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quality Guy
I thought if I segregated the rest of the home from batteries it would help me diagnose issue. Chassis battery is for engine correct? I would assume it is.
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Contact a mechanic.
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12-16-2017, 07:35 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Iowa
Posts: 449
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Easiest way to check all batteries is to disconnect them by removing all of the connections to all of the batteries and then let them sit for 24 hours. Then measure each individual battery voltage with a DVM. Will tell you if one or more is bad. Look for a battery voltage that differs from all others.
__________________
2017 Berkshire XL 40A & 2017 Ford Focus SE
I Built and Fly - Van's Aircraft RV-12
Ham Radio - W9EAA
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12-16-2017, 09:15 PM
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#16
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Bristol Tn
Posts: 10
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thanks
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12-17-2017, 03:21 AM
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#17
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Dragonship Captain
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Eastern PA, USA
Posts: 1,335
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All Berks have the "emergency" switch on the dash which closes a relay between the house and chassis batteries. It allows you to use the house batteries to help start the engine in case the chassis batteries run low.
There is also a relay that closes when 1: The engine is running and the engine batteries are sufficiently charged. This allows the engine to charge the house batteries. 2: The generator/shore power is on and the house batteries are sufficiently charged. This allows the chassis batteries to be charged. Any of these conditions result in the occasional flash/glow in the emergency switch on the dash panel.
You said in the OP that the Generator ran for a short while but then shut down. Once it's running the batteries are not needed to keep it running. It's a diesel. Un-commanded shut down of the generator may be cause by low oil level/pressure.
After that it behoves you to get a multi meter. Fully charged batteries should be approximately 12.6 Volts. Batteries being charged should read well above 13V. Anything below 12V is seriously discharged.
Yes, the generator starts off the house batteries. I THINK you can use the emergency switch to bring the chassis batteries on to help start the generator.
__________________
2020 RAM 3500 DRW Long Horn. In the hunt for a Palomino TC, formerly a 2017 Berkshire 38A: https://dragonship.blog/
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12-17-2017, 03:24 AM
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#18
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Dragonship Captain
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Eastern PA, USA
Posts: 1,335
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Quote:
Originally Posted by houstonstroker
Chassis batteries are engine starting. House batteries are for the 12 volt systems in the house part. The two sets of batteries are not connected. Some RVs have a momentary dash switch which would connect all of the batteries temporarily for a boost in order to start the coach.
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All Berks have this switch.
__________________
2020 RAM 3500 DRW Long Horn. In the hunt for a Palomino TC, formerly a 2017 Berkshire 38A: https://dragonship.blog/
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12-17-2017, 06:20 AM
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#19
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Bristol Tn
Posts: 10
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When starting the generator if the house battery was to low. the generator will start but it is like it has an electronic fuel.pump that has to have voltage fron the battery to run. If I go to the generator and use the manual start it has no light. That means that the batteries do not have enough power to even feed the manual start switch. I may be wrong in that assumption. If I start the engine and after about 30 min. it will charge the batteries and the generator will start and run just fine.
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12-17-2017, 09:43 AM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Broken Arrow, OK
Posts: 207
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"they are brand new. does not mean that they don't have a bad cell but I have 4. that would take a lot of draining to kill them. "
New batteries....Somewhere on this board was a battery problem close to yours, his problem was the new batteries had one wire in the wrong place dragging all the batteries down over night. took 3 shops to figure it out. recheck the battery connections, and good luck.
__________________
Bill
2015 Charleston 430RB
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