Generator Not Charging Battery :-(

Nomad · August 2015

For some reason, the generator isn't charging the battery. Generator juice is powering everything else AC (charging the computer, etc) thru the T@B AC outlets and all the DC plugs are working. If I hook up to the TV the battery charges fine as well as from solar.

Last week I got an overload light on the generator but wasn't really running anything. Weird. So, I shut everything down, thru all the breakers, pulled the fuse at the battery thinking this might reset everything. Started everything back up and the only anomaly seems to be the above.

Oh, and one other goofy thing going on at the same time was the fridge wouldn't cool. That seems to be working after the reset but we'll see as I've been on the road.nI put a bag of ice in there in the interrim but now on propane and it's at 42.

Any ideas?

Verna · August 2015

PXLated, either here or on the LG forum, Michigan Mike posted on how to do a battery reset, but he might have called it something else. . See if you can find that. Try it to see if it works.

Nomad · August 2015

Nothing comes up in either for the two words together. Reset alone didn't get it. Battery alone brings up hundreds of posts - scanned for a Mike comment but didn't find what you're referring to. :-(

RZRBUG · August 2015

I assume you are monitoring the charge rate. So, you are saying when you start the generator, the voltage monitor does not show any change. It is my understanding that that an 80-watt solar panel will charge a battery more quickly than a generator. It may take several hours for a generator to charge a battery, depending on the design of the converter. I don't understand all the particulars, but it has something to do with how/to what extent the generator and the converter interact. This is true of most lower-end converters. Not meaning they are bad, but that RV's that require less power usually have these, thus their charging capacity, especially with generators, is less.

I would be interested if you find something that increases, or allows, the charge from generator, especially since I currently have a generator, but no solar.

Nomad · August 2015

When solar or the TV are hooked up, the little battery monitor indicates anywhere from 13.5 to 14.8 and when done charging or I disconnect them the monitor will indicate 12.8 and even by morning it's still at 12.5 ... If I use the generator, I get nothing but a 12.5 reading and when I shut it off, the battery level goes down a lot faster than normal.
I could swear that when on generator it's always in the past indicated higher like on solar.
If hooked into shore power what would one expect on the monitor?

Verna · August 2015

My Silver Shadow was always 13.6 on shore power, PXLated.

I can't remember what the T@B was on shore power. The T@B is connected to a Battery Tender on a 25' cord (drops the voltage on that length of cord) and it's reading 12.9 right now. If I disconnect the battery tender, it will go down to 12.3 within a week.

I say to try Mike's reset idea tomorrow or soon to see if the battery just needs a kick in the rear.

RZRBUG · August 2015

If hooked into shore power, you should get about the same as when solar or tv are hooked up, around 13.5.

One workaround you might try, assuming the converter is not charging from the generator, is to buy a 20A battery charger, connect it directly to the battery (bypassing the converter) and run it through the generator.

jkjenn · August 2015

@Vernait was for an AGM battery: http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/1101/how-to-revive-a-dead-agm-battery-that-wont-take-a-charge#latest

Verna · August 2015

jkjenn said:

@Vernait was for an AGM battery: http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/1101/how-to-revive-a-dead-agm-battery-that-wont-take-a-charge#latest

Thanks, Jenn. Hey, PXLated....ignore my advice!

Nomad · August 2015

I would think if shore gives 13.5 then the generator should als - and that's what I recall it used to do.

Between solar and the TV hookup I'm not hurting for a charge and I do have the cable for hooking up the generator directly to the battery. But when I have the generator running it's usually for other things and the battery getting charged at the same time is a bonus.

I do need to figure this out though as it's not normal, something's gone goofy somewhere :-)

Normfun · August 2015

I think your generator has a DC 12V battery charge built in with 8 AH load. It sounds to me like your converter is toast as far as the charge circuit is concerned. It may have a hidden fuse or might have a loose wire. Just a few thoughts.

Nomad · August 2015

Will have to check the wires tomorrow.
Toasted converter is what I'm afraid of. Any reports of problem converters?

Verna · August 2015

PXLated said:

Will have to check the wires tomorrow.
Toasted converter is what I'm afraid of. Any reports of problem converters?

I have seen absolutely no reports of bad converters since LG quit using Elixir converters .

Nomad · August 2015

I'll check the wires tomorrow and see what I can find and then maybe call LG and see if they have any ideas.

mash2 · August 2015

As RZBug indicated, in the short run, you could pick up an AC battery charger (I carry one in the TV for just such an issue. Sounds like the 120 circuit works. You could plug in the DC charger to the AC plug and use it to charge the battery (bypassing the bad converter. Came in handy when I blew a converter 8K miles into a 11K mile trip last year. Was a lifesaver. When I had time, I dealt with the problem, but went on like nothing happened in the intervening period (simply replacing the lost convert function until I had the time. When boon docking, I just hooked the DC charger up to an inverter when needed. Not the most efficient use of gasoline, but necessity provided a work around. Do you have one somewhere in the TV (you should). I kept droning my car battery (left the lights on) so have carried once ever sense.

Converter shouldn't have problems, but you are using pretty intensely, right?

Nomad · August 2015

mash2... Yep, both the AC and DC sockets work.
Nice trick - routing around the converter :-)
Have a couple of inverters.
Did you replace your converter yourself?

mash2 · August 2015

In my case, it turned out it was a short that I couldn't find for the life of me. Eventually once home, I took my time tracing each location and finally found a bad wire connection on the charger. Fixed it and it's been fine since (9 years and still running). But the charger was a lifesaver for the few weeks until I got home to spend some time focusing on the issue. (Didn't really want to do this on the road, but I don't think you have that luxury.

What type charger is it. With the older ones it was a WFCO and there are some good instructions from Richard Lewis for replacing the older one. If it is a WFCO, let me know and I'll pull the PDF over on Yahoo and post it here for your use. Lots of wires to move so you need to be thorough in documenting where everything needs to get moved to (I was using lots of tape with marking to set mine up).

mash2 · August 2015

Here is the file (some light reading).... Replacement of WFCO 8712 with WFCO 8725 but approach should be helpful (thanks to Richard Lewis for the documentation).

Nomad · August 2015

The Honda has a socket specifically for charging batteries - have to buy that special cable separately. Luckily I did. It's overcast and rainy so not getting much solar, dug out the cable and it works like a champ. Now have a fully charged battery.

RZRBUG · August 2015

Great! So you had to connect that special cable directly to the battery?

jkjenn · August 2015

So, if you want to run the T@b off of the generator, you plug into the amp connect in on the trailer, but that doesn't charge the battery? If you want to charge the battery, you need a special cable that goes from the generator to the battery? Is that the norm with generators?

I know little about generates and will likely make a purchase in the next couple of years.

Nomad · August 2015

RZRBUG - Yep, Honda makes a battery cable, has a special plug on one end that plugs into the generator and the other end is battery clips.

Jenn - That's what I'm having to do because something's wrong in the converter - Normally you just plug the generator into the T@B and it both runs things and charges the battery.

ChanW · August 2015

PXL, does the special connection for the battery on your generator charge the battery any faster than a 120v battery charger connected to your generator would?

RZRBUG · August 2015

So, I did a Google search for "Charging RV batteries with a generator." I found out that people who know what they're talking about don't seem to know what they're talking about. I am more confused than ever.

What the majority seem to agree on is that charging an RV battery through the converter with a generator is often not successful and that it takes a very long time. Even if it does charge, it usually does not give a "full" charge. Some also say that using the Honda's charging cables will not give a "full" charge.

I did find a few opinions that the quality of the converter can have a great effect on the success of charging by hooking the generator directly to the RV's electrical connection. My T@B has a WFCO converter, and I'm not sure where it ranks in this task. I have not yet tried to charge the battery through the converter.

In any event, I have added yet more lug-around equipment to my ever growing list by ordering a 20A battery charger, as well as the Honda charging cables. I'm not likely to ever use them, but they will be in the storage bin that I haul around with all the other things I probably (hopefully) will never use.

Nomad · August 2015

ChanW - I have no idea :-) - I'm doing photo editing so I start the gen every 4hrs to recharge the computer thru the T@B AC and the cable to the battery is also hooked in so it's charging the battery at the same time.

Nomad · August 2015

RZRBUG - That's what ya get for diving too deep.

jkjenn · August 2015

PXLated said:

RZRBUG - Yep, Honda makes a battery cable, has a special plug on one end that plugs into the generator and the other end is battery clips.

Jenn - That's what I'm having to do because something's wrong in the converter - Normally you just plug the generator into the T@B and it both runs things and charges the battery.

I am happy to learn through your travails.

gilbutler · August 2015

PXLated said:

RZRBUG - Yep, Honda makes a battery cable, has a special plug on one end that plugs into the generator and the other end is battery clips.

So does the Yamaha.

Nomad · September 2015

Spent a few days visiting a brother and hooked up to shore power and no battery charging so it's not just with using the generator. Has been fine every other time I've been hooked to his outlet so my best guess is the converter in bonked.
Don't have a surge protector as I never hit campgrounds with power hookups - at least haven't since probably April/May - long before this problem showed up. It's been solar or generator since early July when I was last hooked up at my brothers. This problem started roughly a month after that.

Probably need to get a hold of Ed :-(

RZRBUG · September 2015

PXLated, hope you get your problem solved without too much trouble or expense. I'm sure you already have, but it's standard procedure at this point to ask, "Have you checked all your fuses?"

CAUTION: To those who have been reading this thread, it has been stated that the Honda (and Yamaha) generators have a special cable that you can run directly from the generator to the battery to charge the battery. After I received my cable, I was reading instructions (something unusual for me) and discovered that the generator does not have built-in circuitry to prevent overcharging the battery. So, I suggest that if you use the dedicated charging cable that you monitor the charge carefully. If I ever need to charge my battery with the generator, I might just connect a regular battery charger from the generator to the battery.

Nomad · September 2015

Yep, threw the breakers, checked the fuses - Unless there's one hidden somewhere I don't know about. Also yep, monitor the battery while charging with the generator. Good point on just hooking up a battery charger - one more thing to carry though and I'm topped out. If I keep adding things I'm going to need a top rack like Jenn :-)

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