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RV Generator Quick Tip
For a gasoline generator you should start and run the generator with at least a half rated load for a minimum of two hours every month. It is extremely important that you run it with this minimum rated load. Generators are designed to run with a load placed on them. Our motor home has a 4,000 watt generator so I can either turn the roof air conditioner on in the summer time, which is about 2,000 watts or I can use a couple of small portable electric heaters if it's cold out. It's always better to let your generator run for longer periods than it is for short periods. Check your generator owner's manual for load ratings specific to your unit.
Other maintenance intervals for generators are based on usage. Your generator set will have an hour meter so you can monitor the usage. Consult your owner's manual for maintenance intervals.
Changing the oil and filters on a regular scheduled basis and for seasonal changes is just as important for your generator as it is for your automobile. For extended storage requirements consult your generator owner's manual.
Happy and Safe Camping,
Mark
Check out Mark's series of DVD's, videos, books, and e-books. http://www.rveducation101.com/
Other maintenance intervals for generators are based on usage. Your generator set will have an hour meter so you can monitor the usage. Consult your owner's manual for maintenance intervals.
Changing the oil and filters on a regular scheduled basis and for seasonal changes is just as important for your generator as it is for your automobile. For extended storage requirements consult your generator owner's manual.Happy and Safe Camping,
Mark
Check out Mark's series of DVD's, videos, books, and e-books. http://www.rveducation101.com/
Neglected RV Batteries
The RV coach battery(s) are one of the most important and neglected components in the RV. The converter in an RV also has a battery charger. Whenever you are plugged in to electricity, or the generator is running, the coach battery(s) is being charged. It is also being charged by the automotive alternator when you are driving the RV or in the case of a towable RV if you had a charge line wired into the light plug. This constant charging depletes the electrolyte level in the battery(s) cells. If the battery is not maintained properly it will fail much sooner than it should. Depending on how often the battery(s) is being charged will determine how often it needs to be checked.
You should check the battery(s) at least monthly and if you use the RV on a regular basis and / or you leave it plugged in when you’re not using it you may need to check the battery(s) more often. If you are not familiar with batteries and battery maintenance have them checked by an authorized service center. Batteries can be extremely dangerous. They emit gases that are explosive and they contain a very corrosive acid. If you do perform your own maintenance certain precautions must be taken.
Do not use an open flame or smoke around batteries. Avoid any electrical arcing or sparks around the battery(s). Wear protective clothing and safety glasses and avoid getting any battery acid on your skin or clothes. If the electrolyte levels are low in the cells use only distilled water to fill them to the proper level. If you do come in contact with battery acid flush the exposed area immediately with a lot of cold water.
Happy Camping
Mark
Check out my Deep Cycle Battery Care and Maintenance for RV's and Boats DVD
You should check the battery(s) at least monthly and if you use the RV on a regular basis and / or you leave it plugged in when you’re not using it you may need to check the battery(s) more often. If you are not familiar with batteries and battery maintenance have them checked by an authorized service center. Batteries can be extremely dangerous. They emit gases that are explosive and they contain a very corrosive acid. If you do perform your own maintenance certain precautions must be taken. Do not use an open flame or smoke around batteries. Avoid any electrical arcing or sparks around the battery(s). Wear protective clothing and safety glasses and avoid getting any battery acid on your skin or clothes. If the electrolyte levels are low in the cells use only distilled water to fill them to the proper level. If you do come in contact with battery acid flush the exposed area immediately with a lot of cold water.
Happy Camping
Mark
Check out my Deep Cycle Battery Care and Maintenance for RV's and Boats DVD
Battery Life Expectancy
The life expectancy of your RV batteries depends on you. How they’re used, how well they’re maintained, how they’re discharged, how they’re re-charged, and how they are stored all contribute to a batteries life span. A battery cycle is one complete discharge from 100% down to about 50% and then re-charged back to 100%.
One important factor to battery life is how deep the battery is cycled each time. If the battery is discharged to 50% everyday it will last twice as long as it would if it’s cycled to 80%. Keep this in mind when you consider a battery’s amp hour rating. The amp hour rating is really cut in half because you don’t want to completely discharge the battery before recharging it. The life expectancy depends on how soon a discharged battery is recharged. The sooner it is recharged the better.
What does all of this mean to you? That depends on how you use your RV. If most of your camping is done where you’re plugged into an electrical source then your main concern is just too properly maintain your deep cycle batteries. But if you really like to get away from it all and you do some serious dry-camping you’ll want the highest amp hour capacities you can fit on your RV.
Deep cycle batteries come in all different sizes. Some are designated by group size, like Group 24, 27 and 31. Basically the larger the battery the more amp hours you get. Depending on your needs and the amount of space you have available, there are several options when it comes to batteries. You can use one 12-volt Group 24 deep cycle battery that provides 70 to 85 amp hours
or you can use two or more 12-volt batteries wired in parallel. Parallel wiring increases amp hours but not voltage.
If you have the room you can do what a lot of RVers do and switch from the standard 12-volt batteries to two of the larger 6-volt golf cart batteries. These pairs of 6-volt batteries need to be wired in series to produce the required 12-volts. Series wiring increases voltage but not amp hours. If this still doesn’t satisfy your requirements
you can build larger battery banks using four 6-volt batteries wired in series/parallel that will give you 12-volts and double your AH capacity.
Happy Camping!
Mark
Copyright 2007 by Mark J. Polk owner of RV Education 101
RV Expert Mark Polk, seen on TV, is the producer & host of America's most highly regarded series of DVD's, videos, books, and e-books. http://www.rveducation101.com/
One important factor to battery life is how deep the battery is cycled each time. If the battery is discharged to 50% everyday it will last twice as long as it would if it’s cycled to 80%. Keep this in mind when you consider a battery’s amp hour rating. The amp hour rating is really cut in half because you don’t want to completely discharge the battery before recharging it. The life expectancy depends on how soon a discharged battery is recharged. The sooner it is recharged the better.
What does all of this mean to you? That depends on how you use your RV. If most of your camping is done where you’re plugged into an electrical source then your main concern is just too properly maintain your deep cycle batteries. But if you really like to get away from it all and you do some serious dry-camping you’ll want the highest amp hour capacities you can fit on your RV.
Deep cycle batteries come in all different sizes. Some are designated by group size, like Group 24, 27 and 31. Basically the larger the battery the more amp hours you get. Depending on your needs and the amount of space you have available, there are several options when it comes to batteries. You can use one 12-volt Group 24 deep cycle battery that provides 70 to 85 amp hours or you can use two or more 12-volt batteries wired in parallel. Parallel wiring increases amp hours but not voltage.
If you have the room you can do what a lot of RVers do and switch from the standard 12-volt batteries to two of the larger 6-volt golf cart batteries. These pairs of 6-volt batteries need to be wired in series to produce the required 12-volts. Series wiring increases voltage but not amp hours. If this still doesn’t satisfy your requirements you can build larger battery banks using four 6-volt batteries wired in series/parallel that will give you 12-volts and double your AH capacity.
Happy Camping!
Mark
Copyright 2007 by Mark J. Polk owner of RV Education 101
RV Expert Mark Polk, seen on TV, is the producer & host of America's most highly regarded series of DVD's, videos, books, and e-books. http://www.rveducation101.com/
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