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Old 07-12-2015, 10:38 PM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Windsport 34F
State: Florida
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THOR #1942
2015 Thor Windsport 34f generator won't start

RV has been sitting in storage for one month. When I get into it I go immediately try to prime and start the generator using the interior panel. It won't start. Doesn't even turn over.

I have to go up front, start the rig, let it run for a minute, then the generator will start.

Are my batteries dead perhaps?

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Old 07-13-2015, 12:02 AM   #2
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THOR #1469
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Originally Posted by fivekitties View Post
RV has been sitting in storage for one month. When I get into it I go immediately try to prime and start the generator using the interior panel. It won't start. Doesn't even turn over.

I have to go up front, start the rig, let it run for a minute, then the generator will start.

Are my batteries dead perhaps?
More than likely the house batteries were too low to start the generator. By starting the coach the engine's alternator charged the house batteries enough to start the generator.

You may want to determine what drained the house batteries or consider installing a disconnect switch at the battery terminal to remove any parasitic loads while in storage.
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Old 07-13-2015, 02:45 AM   #3
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THOR #1942
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Originally Posted by dstankov View Post
More than likely the house batteries were too low to start the generator. By starting the coach the engine's alternator charged the house batteries enough to start the generator.

You may want to determine what drained the house batteries or consider installing a disconnect switch at the battery terminal to remove any parasitic loads while in storage.

I actually have a use/storage switch but I haven't been using it. I did hit storage tonight as I left the rig. I'm hoping that will do the trick. I'm still learning :-/
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Old 07-13-2015, 02:51 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by fivekitties View Post
I actually have a use/storage switch but I haven't been using it. I did hit storage tonight as I left the rig. I'm hoping that will do the trick. I'm still learning :-/
One thing I learned is the Use/Store switch does not kill all power when in the store mode. For instance in my coach the inverter will still operate and power the appliances even with the switch in store mode.

The only way to kill all parasitic loads is to completely disconnect the battery either with a disconnect switch at the terminal or by disconnecting the battery terminal.
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Old 07-13-2015, 03:14 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by dstankov View Post
One thing I learned is the Use/Store switch does not kill all power when in the store mode. For instance in my coach the inverter will still operate and power the appliances even with the switch in store mode.

The only way to kill all parasitic loads is to completely disconnect the battery either with a disconnect switch at the terminal or by disconnecting the battery terminal.

If the inverter is off tho... And the storage switch is on.... Should be good or still no?
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Old 07-13-2015, 03:40 AM   #6
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If the inverter is off tho... And the storage switch is on.... Should be good or still no?
One would hope that would be the case but in today's high tech world where everything has some type of memory setting there is bound to be some type of load pulling power.

As a note, Thor even mentions in the owner's manual that a battery will lose its charge even when the battery disconnect is used. They recommend charging the batteries at least every 30 days.
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Old 07-13-2015, 03:45 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by dstankov View Post
One would hope that would be the case but in today's high tech world where everything has some type of memory setting there is bound to be some type of load pulling power.

As a note, Thor even mentions in the owner's manual that a battery will lose its charge even when the battery disconnect is used. They recommend charging the batteries at least every 30 days.

If we are plugged into a 50 amp shore connection does that continuously charge the batteries?

When the generator is running, does that also charge the batteries?
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Old 07-13-2015, 02:29 PM   #8
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Having learned the hard and expensive way too many times with my boat and old popup, One the very first things I did when I bought the motorhome was to order two disconnect switches

like this - BS200 Top Post Battery Master Disconnect Switch

one for the house battery
and one for the chassis engine battery.
When I park it to stow even for a night if not plugged in (and not camping), I disconnect both batteries

It was my first time using this type of switch. A lot cheaper than a marine type and working fine after a year of use.
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Old 07-14-2015, 12:23 AM   #9
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THOR #1942
2015 Thor Windsport 34f generator won't start

Quote:
Originally Posted by blw2 View Post
Having learned the hard and expensive way too many times with my boat and old popup, One the very first things I did when I bought the motorhome was to order two disconnect switches

like this - BS200 Top Post Battery Master Disconnect Switch

one for the house battery
and one for the chassis engine battery.
When I park it to stow even for a night if not plugged in (and not camping), I disconnect both batteries

It was my first time using this type of switch. A lot cheaper than a marine type and working fine after a year of use.

May I ask what you mean by the hard and expensive way? This really is my first RV ever. I jumped right in and bought a class a. I love the size, I love the functionality, but I'm completely new at the technical aspects of it.

I'm starting to think that I drained my battery is completely dead. I hit the storage switch on my RV yesterday when I left it in storage, I went back today and hit the USE switch and the generator would not start either. I had to start the engine to get the generator to start.

I've never filled the water on my house batteries and I have about 30 hours on my generator. I'm starting to think they're completely out of water and just not taking a charge. I'll check that tomorrow.

It looks like I'll have to take it back to Camping World and, with my head held hello, ask them what I've done wrong.

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Old 07-14-2015, 01:29 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by fivekitties View Post
May I ask what you mean by the hard and expensive way?

These batteries will be harmed permanently by letting them deep discharge....depending on the battery, and depending on who you ask, the number varies.... but basically if you let them drop below 50% (is the rule of thumb I've seen thrown out there the most) is when the damage happens. 50% is approx 12 volts.
\It may not be an absolute failure after that... meaning the battery may not be completely gone after once, but do it a few times an it will be.

Also, the batteries will self discharge over time. Even if completely disconnected from everything they will discharge maybe 2% per month.
(this is how I learned.... I'd park the thing..... flip the disconnect in the boat or pull the fuse on the pup, but it would still go dead over a several months of storage)

If you leave them connected, there are almost always some parisitic loads that will help them discharge, LP detectors, clocks, etc..... even stray currents.

If it's a golf cart battery or a true deep cycle it can handle deeper discharges... but your battery is almost certainly a marine type hybrid starting/"deep cycle".

One more comment. I had my battery replaced under warranty. I suspected it might be dead, but couldn't test it when I did my inspection since they had the coach plugged in. It soon proved to not hold a charge.
I figure this is likely a common problem.... imagine an RV sitting on a lot.
a salesman shows it to a customer
they flip on a few lights, push a few buttons
maybe even leave a light on over night accidental.
The dealer isn't likely to take care and recharge the batteries frequently..... so it's very likely to be discharged deep one or more times... maybe even to zero.
Each time that happens, if it doesn't kill the battery, it at least harms it.
1, 2, maybe 3 iterations of this.... you've got a battery that won't hold much of a charge.

Here's a great reference page
The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)
and a nice collection of reference materials
Library
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Old 07-14-2015, 01:35 AM   #11
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I'll go over to CW tomorrow and buy a new set of batteries I guess. :-/
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Old 07-14-2015, 12:36 PM   #12
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Attachment 608

I'll go over to CW tomorrow and buy a new set of batteries I guess. :-/
I wouldn't buy from CW, unless it was going to be some sort of warranty thing.

I like Batteries Plus. It's the only place I've found that keeps their batteries on trickle charge and topped up to combat the self discharge while on the shelf.

Even better, get true deep cycle batteries form a golf cart store.

or I've read that folks get good prices as Costco
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Old 07-14-2015, 12:37 PM   #13
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Oh, one more thing. have the batteries load tested to be sure they are bad.....
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Old 07-29-2015, 03:27 PM   #14
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I have a brand new Rv (Thor Hurricane) and we have mold issues in our home. We've stayed in the RV occasionally and used house current. Never turned on the generator or ran anything on it.,,,and hit the battery "storage" button the way out..even though we were not using them....started it up once or twice a month to run the motor a bit. Went out today and unhooked from AC power and put the trans in P and the brake is locked in position...does not move when you touch it...and totally dead when I tried to start it..used ER start..nothing! Tried to turn on the generator at the "start" switch on the panel and I hear no effort for that to start either...generator has "0" hours on it...have never driven the RV yet...we are super naive new RVer's and don't have a clue about most the stuff from the 5 minute Camper World explanation they gave....in fact I had to call the factory rep and they told me how to get in a stuck "slide-out" and it worked...but Camping World tells me to drive it to them with the slide out (which I thought was insane) and they would fix it! The Thor rep asked me if they "really" told me that and wanted to know the dealership name...so I guess both batteries are bad or could I be locked out somehow....can not even get a light when I hit the test buttons when you enter! TY Lori BTW...we did unplug it from the house current before trying anything else..
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Old 07-29-2015, 03:58 PM   #15
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THOR #937
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Originally Posted by blw2 View Post
These batteries will be harmed permanently by letting them deep discharge....depending on the battery, and depending on who you ask, the number varies........
Using a charger with a desulfating charger, I have resuscitated completely "dead" batteries.

The original 2004 Trojan Group27 battery that came with my PopUp was declared DOA when tested at my local auto supply store using their various testers. I kept it, (instead of leaving it for a core charge credit), and connected it to my BatteryMINDer Model SCC-015 for one month just for kicks. It came back to life, and has been in service 24/7/365 ever since.

I have been using that "dead" 2004 Trojan battery to power a wireless solar powered WiFi security camera for two years, it works great!
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Old 07-29-2015, 04:27 PM   #16
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Being the only woman here to do the work...as the husband is wheelchair bound..is it hard for me to remove the batteries to go take them somewhere and have them checked?? I really don't have a clue? Do most of you carry a new 12 V battery along with you on trips in case this happens while away from home?? Ours is only parked in our driveway and this is the 2nd problem we encountered (hope not a bad omen of the future) and have never even driven it yet or camped in my life..wondering if we made a big mistake ...but after owning 2 homes with mold and not wanting to throw out all my belongings again...we opted for the RV...since it has built in furniture..will be a big difference from a 3500 sq ft house!
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Old 07-29-2015, 04:54 PM   #17
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THOR #937
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Originally Posted by lorant50 View Post
Being the only woman here to do the work...as the husband is wheelchair bound..is it hard for me to remove the batteries to go take them somewhere and have them checked?? I really don't have a clue? Do most of you carry a new 12 V battery along with you on trips in case this happens while away from home?? Ours is only parked in our driveway and this is the 2nd problem we encountered (hope not a bad omen of the future) and have never even driven it yet or camped in my life..wondering if we made a big mistake ...but after owning 2 homes with mold and not wanting to throw out all my belongings again...we opted for the RV...since it has built in furniture..will be a big difference from a 3500 sq ft house!
You might want to give this a try............

The "dead" state of affairs could be that your battery disconnect didn't switch over when you unplugged the AC. That has occurred one time in my Hurricane 34E. When I called the concierge service in a panic, they walked me through the process and voila, it worked and came back to life. It has to do with abruptly disconnecting from shorepower, (which I did).

- Go inside and turn off everything you can. On the panel, and the refrigerator.
- Make sure your ignition is off.
- Place the store/use switch by the door in the "Use" position.
- Go outside and turn off the power to the outlet that you are going to plug your motorhome's AC shorepower cable to. You might have to turn off a breaker.
- Plug in your shorepower cable to the outlet.
- Turn on the outlet, (flip the breaker on at the house panel if necessary).

If you are close enough to the motorhome you will hear an audible "click" noise from the battery compartment area. That is good. That's the battery disconnect doing it's thing and connecting.

Now, if you go inside your coach all the electrical should be functioning off shorepower, (your home's electricity running through the motorhome's power converter/battery charger). If it's working, leave it like that for about an hour to charge your house batteries.

After an hour you should be able to crank the generator or start the motorhome engine.
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