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The generator is not charging the house batteries
We are boondocking and ran the generator tonight so we could run the AC and charge the house batteries.  The AC and 110 power is working just fine with the generator running.  But the house batteries were not being charged when the generator was running.  Or if they were it was very little.  We have a Victron Smart Shunt.  We ran the generator for one hour.  The voltage never went above 13.05V, and the state of charge never changed from 92%.  We were running only a couple 12V lights, the everything else we were running on 110.  We were consuming more Ah than the generator was bringing in with only using a couple of the  12V lights in the kitchen area. 

The Victron showed (we ran the generator from 7pm to 8pm)
                     7:05pm.     ——   7:48pm
Voltage       13.02V.        —— 13.04V
Current       -.95A.         ——  -.98A
Power           -12W.         ——   -13W
Consumed Ah -31.1Ah.  ——    -31.7A
Time remaining 8d 5h.    ——   7d 8hg

Do we have a problem, or is this normal when running the generator?  What should we check?

Thank you for any input!!!
2019 Mid Bath 27’
Bonnie & David Prouty
Full timing since August 2019 when we picked up the LD.
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #1 –
With a partially charged battery, the voltage should be closer to 14 volts if the Converter (battery charger) is working.
Check the Converter's 120-VAC circuit breaker in the Power Center.
Also, check the Converter's two 12-volt fuses on the 12-volt side of the Power Center.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #2 –
As Larry said, this is a converter issue, not generator. Is this the original converter? If not, what make/model?

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #3 –
Original converter. We replace the batteries and added the shunt in January 2023. Everything else is original equipment. 
2019 Mid Bath 27’
Bonnie & David Prouty
Full timing since August 2019 when we picked up the LD.
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #4 –
As Larry said, check converter breaker and fuses.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #5 –
Hi Bonnie;  Four years ago Steve K answered Dave and Lee (RV-GetAways) with this same converter problem, also in their almost new 2019 Lazy Daze. The problem is nearly identical to yours, and also MikeH also with a new to him 2019 had this same issue.   Parallax 8300 series battery charger/converter mystery  .
    MikeH  at  Almost New Parallax 8355, no 12V DC   from reply #4.   This thread Reply  #12 has the RV-Getaways response about a blown fuse in the Parallax board.
    That same thread also has a comment from TomTillis Reply #16, from two years ago. (a 2018 rig)   Further reading of this thread implicates the 'TempAssure' module with AIRBUSGUY and KITTY and their 2016 and 2018 rigs.
     Warren (WhiteElk) had issues charging and replaced his converter with a Progressive Dynamics upgrade.  Reply #18.

    So it sounds as if your Parallax converter has gone bad,     Hope this helps.  RonB

  Thanks to Charles & Donna and Steve K for referencing that thread.
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #6 –
It helps, but does not make me happy.  :-)
We are not good with this mechanic / electrical stuff, so if I could ask a few silly questions…

So just to clarify, if the Parallax converter is bad, does that mean the only problem we have (because everything else seems to be working) is that the house batteries will only get charged with the engine running, or the solar panels?  So the shore power and the generator are not charging the house batteries?  I assumed our shore power was, but it might just always be the solar charging the batteries?  Tonight after dark, I am going to use enough DC to just confirm the shore power is not charging the batteries.

Guessing from what everyone is saying we should replace the Parallax with the Progressive Dynamics PD4655V power supply unit with charge wizard? 

Also, do we have the TempAssure module?  Where is it?  Sounds like that could be the problem that broke the Parallax power supply?  Would it go away with the Progressive Dynamics power supply unit?

We are currently in Portland Maine, does anyone have any suggestions for a repair place near here?

Thank you all so much,
2019 Mid Bath 27’
Bonnie & David Prouty
Full timing since August 2019 when we picked up the LD.
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #7 –
I would not replace anything until it has been confirmed the Converter is receiving 120-VAC input power and is not outputting 12-volt power.
The problem could be a bad breaker, a blown fuse, or another electrical issue where replacing the Converter would not solve the problem.

Troubleshoot first, then buy parts.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #8 –
I absolutely agree with Larry.  Make sure that the converter has something to work with. The generator power and the pedestal are reaching your motorhome 110V AC input. But the Victron reported that 'consumed AH' increased during the generator run. It should have decreased. (as power is restored to the batteries).  Also the voltage on the batteries should have gone up. The difference between 13.02 and 13.04 are essentially the same. It takes a higher voltage to 'push' power into the batteries (to convert energy into a chemical storage unit).
    If you had a voltmeter, you could measure the output voltage of the converter, at the fuse panel. It might be up at 14.5v dc, and just not be getting to the batteries. A blown fuse/circuit breaker, just needing a reset, could cause that.
    Otherwise, if the output of the converter stays at 13.02v dc, then the converter either isn't producing a charge voltage, or doesn't have 110V AC needed to produce that charging voltage. (the voltage is really the resting voltage of non charging batteries)
    Bonnie, can you confirm that you have a 8330 Parallax converter? A label on the inside of the top fold down door should be there. Along with whether you have that tempassure gizmo.  And can you hear a fan running in that bottom cabinet, just below the circuit breakers and fuse panel?   RonB
    edit: the Progressive Dynamics is a different company, and does not have the tempassure add on.
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #9 –
We have a model 8355 Parallax power supply, converter, charger, attaching 3 pictures.

We do have a voltmeter. 

The breaker for the converter/charger was not flipped, it is fine.  I turned it off and back on to make sure.

The two  30 amp fuses are fine, I tested them by grounding and touching each end of each fuse while it was plugged in. 

If you can tell me where to test the voltage I will, I am just unsure exactly where to and when to set AC or DC. 

Thanks so much for your help!!!



2019 Mid Bath 27’
Bonnie & David Prouty
Full timing since August 2019 when we picked up the LD.
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #10 –
I think the 110 shore power is charging the batteries.

The sun went down so solar is not bringing in anything.  The solar Boost 3000i shows no amp coming in.

I turned on a lot of 12volt lights and fan to see if it would draw the voltage down on the shunt or solar boost 3000i, but the volts shown on the solar boost 3000i went up to 13.6 and now are staying near 13.0.  The shunt app is showing:
state of charge  99%
voltage. 13.08
current -2.68A
power -35W
Consumed Ah. -5.0Ah
time remaining 2d 13 h

The fan on the Parallax did come on for a little bit.

I am wondering if everything is ok with the generator also.  I thought it would charge the house batteries a net gain after running for 1 hour, but we were at 92% state of charge before and after running the generator for 1 hour.  We were very careful on the 12 volt usage during that time.  And the consumed Ah did not change in that hour. 

We drove today for a little over one hour and the house batteries went from 91% state of charge to 100%.  And it showed the values on the shunt:
voltage 13.77  to 14.06
current 47 to 20
power 657 to 276
consumed Ah went from -33.9Ah to 0Ah

Maybe the generator and shore power do not show the current, power, and consumed Ah through the shunt like the engine and solar does?  So I thought it was not working when it was?  But I would have hoped the generator would have brought up the state of charge during that hour.  But maybe it just trickle charges very slowly?

Maybe I just cried “wolf” when everything is ok and I just don’t get the numbers yet?  I was just very disappointed in the battery state after the generator ran for one hour and thought it was not charging.  Does anyone have any thoughts on what their generator does when run for one hour?

Thanks a bunch.  I am learning a lot.  Thank you all for your patience.

2019 Mid Bath 27’
Bonnie & David Prouty
Full timing since August 2019 when we picked up the LD.
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #11 –
Quote from: bonnie  - 
Maybe the generator and shore power do not show the current, power, and consumed Ah through the shunt like the engine and solar does?  So I thought it was not working when it was?  But I would have hoped the generator would have brought up the state of charge during that hour.  But maybe it just trickle charges very slowly?

Everything going in or out of the batteries is measured by the shunt, regardless of source, so those readings are accurate. In general, if hooked to shorepower or the generator running, I would expect a minimum voltage on the charged batteries to be in the 13.5V range or so. Check the green 30A fuses to see if they are ok, and flip the second breaker from the left off then back on, to make certain it is not tripped.
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #12 –
We have a new Progressive Dynamics converter section in the old power center and my voltage while running on the generator is in  the 14+ range until it starts to cycle down to about 13.8 and then lower on maintaince. I have to ask, did you in fact pull the cover off the breaker section and check for voltage coming out of the breaker? Make real sure you have 115V going to the converter and the only real way to check that is on the line side of the breaker. When your engine is charging it goes directly to the battery's through a separate  circuit breaker in the battery compartment.

Jon
1994 MB
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #13 –
I pulled the cover off the breaker section and checked the voltage at each breaker.  They all tested 122V. I checked all the screws for tightness also.  They were all tight. 
2019 Mid Bath 27’
Bonnie & David Prouty
Full timing since August 2019 when we picked up the LD.
 
Re: The generator is not charging the house batteries
Reply #14 –
Hi Bonnie;  So I have to relate what happened to me when I first hooked up my solar and Lithium batteries. Drove to Morro Bay. The first morning I was getting no power into my batteries, about 9:30 AM. Solar voltage was good, but no current. I had charged the LiF batteries at home, then hooked it all up. The BalMar meter said 96% charge. What gives!  Then I realized I had to re-initialize the BalMar, I had been running it on lead acid batteries. After that  100%!
  The Solar had shut off because the LIF batteries were full, and the batteries had equalized themselves, an internal BMS function. I tried running the microwave and at 97 amps (12v dc) both the batteries turned on and the solar started providing 12v dc to the coach. So all was well and I just didn't realize that. The converter was jumper changed to accommodate the LiFePO4 battery pair. So I lost use of the new converter's Bulk, Absorb and Float (never used the Equalize) 4 stage charger. 
   So you may be impatient, and everything is OK after all.
   The converter input is the two small wires, one black and one white. White is neutral, black is hot. Between the two, meter on AC, should read 110 to 125 VAC all the time.  The converter output usually is two large wires, one White, and corresponds to ground, and on car wiring goes to a black wire connected to the shunt going to the battery negative terminals.  (Wire colors were set up 60-70 years ago, so conflict now in modern times). The large white wire goes to the tops of the DC fuses and is the Red large wire at the top. The bottom of the many fuses go to each branch circuit as depicted on the labels. From any ground, the meter black lead is connected to ground. The meter set to 12-16 Vdc the red lead will show voltages on the bottom of the row of fuses, the converter output, or the battery output. About 13.0Vdc per your Victron.    RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB