[Kennyd]

Oh boy, Kenny. It blowed up reeeeeal good.

That’s the way we do ‘round here 😉😝

 

[Kennyd]

I don't know that I'd want to test it with a new battery. Maybe a good used one out of something else.
Calling Generac might get you some guidance. You'll need to get passed the person that does the troubleshooting and actually talk to one of the engineers. The troubleshooters work out of the same offices as the rest of Generac.
If it was just a bad battery, eh. That will just leave you unsure for a few years.

Yeah I think I'll borrow the one out of the 455 to do some testing.
We installed this about 2008, it has 500+ hours on it, not sure how much they'll be wiling to help.

 

[Kennyd]

I installed this unit in 2008, and it has over 500 hours on it now. Bought right before they came out with the aluminum enclosures they have now-of course. Some of the rust you see is years old, and there is some you can't see far away from the battery, so that's not the only reason for it.

 

[Kennyd]

Is there a charger maintainer on it?

I don't know about Kenny's generac, but my 22kw unit has a built in trickle charger (as long as you've got "shore power")

Yes, it's built in to the control board somehow.

Time for a baking soda bath to rinse everything down with.

Already done, thanks.

 

[Kennyd]

My unit doesn't have an hour meter

This one didn't either, I added it shortly after I installed it.

Kenny, order a new generator. They come with a new battery.

Actually, I don't think they do.

Hey @Kennyd - I've got a battery box that you can have next time we burn a stick. - Brand new, bought the wrong size, tried to return to Amazon and the said "keep it", here's your refund. It's yours.

Thanks Matt.


And thanks to everyone else. We had a few family issues today so I haven't had time to really read all the responses in depth yet, but I will. I appreciate everyone that has taken time to reply.

 

[Kennyd]

I'm seeing 14.10 VDC at the leads, this is from the onboard charger. While it seems a bit high to me (was expecting 13.8 +/-) it seems to be normal for these units. A new OEM charger is about $175, but many adapt in a regular "BATTERY TENDER" style to replace these.


Many in this thread have suggested an AGM battery as a replacement, but they have different charging profiles so unless I wire in a different charger, that's not a good option. Wiring in a different charger has its own list of issues, so I'm not sure what direction I'm heading to now.

The Ziller forum has been a wealth of info, just like GTT is, I appreciate the mention of them.

 

[Kennyd]

Plus, if you go the separate charger route, you have to have it supplied by a line that's energized while the generator is running. Otherwise, the battery will go dead when utility power is out.

Exactly one of the issues I was talking about.

Fwiw....you have 120v power when line power is on.....and you have 120v gen power when line power is out...so its not a issue

In my case, not necessarily. I have a 3rd panel that has the backed up circuits in it, I don't have a 400a transfer switch to throw both of my main panels.

 

[Kennyd]

If it's like mine, there's only a minimal current to the control board when line power is on. My transfer switch is inside the house and the sensor connection is very small wire, like 24 ga so it can be much amperage running through it, just enough to tell the engine to crank it up. Then after 45 seconds or so, the transfer switch flips.

Exact same.
According to what I read at Ziller, the control board can draw up to 2.5 amps from the battery when its running, so in an extended outage the battery would go dead if it wasn't being charged.

 

[Kennyd]

Mine is setup with the transfer switch on the pole upstream of genny so I have 120v either way...all internal as setup by the generac system...so maybe they corrected a possible issue in their systems?

Yes, the charging circuits are much improved on the newer models for sure.
When I bought/installed mine, 200 amp transfer switches where not the norm for these residential style gensets, they gave you panel to wire your "protected" circuits into. It's basically wired in like a sub-panel off of the main. To complicate things, we have a 400 amp service with two 42 space panels, so I would have had to either need to throw just one panel, or get a 400 amp transfer switch, and those are crazy money. Where I to install one today, I'd do a few things a bit different.

This is what my setup looks like inside:

 

[Kennyd]

There is a trend with Generac to have the control panel do a lot of stuff, like battery charging and voltage regulating, which is all well and good, but it costs upwards of 500 bucks to replace.

The charger is a separate unit in these, But it is crazy overpriced.

 

[Kennyd]

So are you all batteried back up and back in the saddle?

Best,

No, still researching.