# generac battery



## drdriller (Jun 17, 2010)

For the electricians out there--I installed a 22kw generac standby generator. As you know, the generator has a built in trickle charger for the 26r battery. I want to delete the 22r battery for a larger, more powerful CCA battery. Will the generac trickle charger charge up that bigger battery?


----------



## KEMPOC (Aug 24, 2010)

I am the former owner of a large Generac sales/installation and most importantly, service company. I am not afraid to say that I am an expert on Generac and Cummins generators. 
First, the built in charger is not a trickle charger. It is a smart charger that charges the battery only as needed. It will charge any 12V battery. However, there is nothing to be gained by changing the 26 to a larger battery. If you are having problems with your battery, there is a problem that needs to be addressed. I would be happy to advise is if you have questions. 
KM


----------



## drdriller (Jun 17, 2010)

Ahh, my bad. I thought it was trickle charger. 

In less than 12 months, I have gone through 2 batteries. I have no error codes and the green light on side is on. I went through submenu, and battery shows as â€œgoodâ€. 

During the freeze, the generac would not start. It would go through the 7 (I think) start cycles, then throw an error code-something about too many start attempts. P.s., cold start is enabled.

Any idea why it would not start? No problems starting when not freezing cold


----------



## KEMPOC (Aug 24, 2010)

Because you said â€œless than 12 monthsâ€, I assume this is a new machine with very little run time on it. Given that, my first suspicion is inlet fuel pressure. A very common installation error is inlet fuel pressure too high. If the pressure is too high, the internal regulator will not allow fuel flow. The inlet fuel pressure Must be between 5â€wc and 15â€wc. There are some slight variations depending on model but that range covers most. Note that pressure is â€œinches of water columnâ€ not psi. 10 inches of water column is perfect. To confirm use a manometer to check pressure at the inlet side of the regulator inside the machine. There is a 1/4 tap for that purpose. 
Another possibility is a sticking fuel solenoid. That is the valve inside the machine just before the regulator. There was a rash of â€œstickyâ€ fuel solenoids that caused allot of start malfunctions. Likely culprit IF your inlet pressure is correct. 
If that machine happens to have run time greater than 100 hours, valve adjustment is suspect. Those air cooled engines are good but they require valve adjustment after they get some run time on them. A 100+ hour air cooled with slow starting problems is often a valve adjustment issue. 
An â€œOvercrankâ€ alarm just means the machine has gone through the allowable crank attempts without starting. This is a lockout alarm that requires resetting. Simply select â€œOffâ€ and â€œEnterâ€ to reset. 
The charger is integral to the controller. It works very well and battery failure is uncommon. If you have had 2 battery failures in 12 months, you either have a problem or really bad luck. Could be a charger problem. Confirm that you have not had a â€œCharger Missiing A/Câ€ fault. 
Hope this helps. Good luck!
KM


----------



## richg99 (Aug 21, 2004)

That was nice of you, Kempoc.


----------



## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

Tech told and showed me to hit "Off".."Enter".. "Enter"..then "Auto" to reset.
Resets the whole 'code'... Important to hit the "Enter" TWICE..


----------



## drdriller (Jun 17, 2010)

KEMPOC, than you so much for the reply!!

Actually, when scrolling through my error codes, I have had 2 "charger missing A/C" faults. 

My unit is only a few months old and less than 25 hours on it.

Do you think I should just pay for a technician service call?

p.s. I installed the generator and transfer switch myself, so I do not have a technician to work with


----------



## KEMPOC (Aug 24, 2010)

Drdriller,
A few months old? Heck, you are in warranty my friend. Have your nearest service dealer come check it out. Just understand that if the problem is an installation error (like gas pressure) you will be liable for the service call. If it a problem with the machine itself, no charge.


----------



## KEMPOC (Aug 24, 2010)

Tortuga said:


> Tech told and showed me to hit "Off".."Enter".. "Enter"..then "Auto" to reset.
> Resets the whole 'code'... Important to hit the "Enter" TWICE..


Yep, my bad. :headknock So much for the self proclaimed â€œexpertâ€. On an Evolution controller (newer type) you must press enter twice.


----------



## KEMPOC (Aug 24, 2010)

drdriller said:


> KEMPOC, than you so much for the reply!!
> 
> Actually, when scrolling through my error codes, I have had 2 "charger missing A/C" faults.
> 
> ...


I bet those two â€œCharger missing A/Câ€ codes correspond to your two battery failures. 
120VAC is provided to the controller by the â€œT1â€ circuit. You have a T1 terminal in the transfer switch that provides 120VAC from the load side of the transfer contactor. That must be connected to the T1 terminal in the generator control connection box. That circuit is fused inside the transfer switch. Test at the generator connection. You should have 120ish from T1 to ground. If not, your charger is not powered. Common problem is the T1 fuse in the transfer switch (often accidentally blown during installation). It is important that you use the T1 terminal in the transfer switch. If you have accidentally crossed it with N1 or N2 (it happens) your charger will not be powered when utility is failed. Kind of a sinister problem because all seems ok until the utility fails and then the generator will work for a few hours until the battery dies for lack of charger.


----------



## drdriller (Jun 17, 2010)

T1 to ground is 123v. The charge across the battery is 13.1v. The transfer switch fuses are good. 

What to do?


----------



## Gamble (Oct 27, 2005)

Kempoc will chime in I'm sure but until then...........having the same Generac as you......with the voltage you just said on T1, you have power like you should and it seems w/the 13.1v at the battery I'm suspect you're charging.


----------



## Jkmoore03 (Jun 19, 2015)

Gamble said:


> Kempoc will chime in I'm sure but until then...........having the same Generac as you......with the voltage you just said on T1, you have power like you should and it seems w/the 13.1v at the battery I'm suspect you're charging.


I have doubts you're charging. But I believe you stated the generator is newer and still under warranty. I would get it looked at/serviced by a dealer at this point.


----------



## KEMPOC (Aug 24, 2010)

drdriller said:


> T1 to ground is 123v. The charge across the battery is 13.1v. The transfer switch fuses are good.
> 
> What to do?


The charger does not charge constantly. It periodically â€œpollsâ€ the battery and charges as needed depending on the batter condition. 13.1 is not charging but it is a fully charged battery indicating that the charger is working. Please confirm that you donâ€™t have T1 crossed with N1 or N2. Simple test. Pull the T1 fuse at the Xfer switch and confirm voltage 0 at the generator. N1 and N2 are utility sensing. If you accidentally cross T1 with N1 or N2 all will appear fine until you have a utility failure. Then, T1 will be unpowered and thus the charger will be unpowered. Iâ€™ve seen it as an installation error. 
You still have a starting problem causing the â€œOvercrankâ€ alarm. First guess is fuel pressure. Second guess is fuel solenoid sticking. Happens. Generac has a â€œnew and improvedâ€ fuel solenoid to solve that if that is your problem. If that is the problem it is a warranty repair. Go to Dealer Locator on the Generac website to find your nearest service dealer. Any service dealer can (and has to ) warranty any machine regardless of where you bought it. Again, just be aware that if a Tech comes out and you have an installation problem you will have to pay for the service call. Thatâ€™s not unfair. If I can help further PM me and I will give you my phone number. 
Kenneth


----------



## drdriller (Jun 17, 2010)

Kempoc. I really really appreciate your help. Iâ€™m in Disney world for a week. Iâ€™ll check t1 and n1 n2 when I get back. Well, when I was installing it, I forgot to mark n1 and n2. I crossed my fingers when I hooked them up. (No ****). At the time, I was so overwhelmed with pulling wires etc I just rolled with it. Install of this generator is no easy feat. I should not have attempted it 

Anyway, in 7 days Iâ€™ll check

Still, thanks for your help!!!!!!!!!â€™n


----------



## lnbkr46 (3 d ago)

Same dead battery problems. When diagnosing I'm only getting 5v at T1 instead of 120VAC. Does anybody here know why that would be?


----------

