Section 8 - The Electrical Distribution System
Page 8-8
Foretravel Owners Manual
Rev. 06-02
Foretravel has gone one step further and integrated into the system a
means to maintain healthy batteries. Batteries (ideally) should never be drawn
down below 50%, and should NEVER be allowed to sit in a discharged state.
This spells quick death for your batteries.
When it is possible, the coach should always be connected to shore power
and the charger in the ON position. The on-board charger monitors and main-
tains batteries as necessary when on shore power.
Always check the charger
to be sure it is turned on.
When driving, the engine alternator keeps the bat-
teries charged.
When shore power is unavailable and the coach is unattended, the Auto
Start switch on the dash should be placed in the ON position. This brings a de-
vice into the circuit that monitors the house batteries. When the house battery
voltage drops to approximately 12.2 volts, the device will signal the genset to
start, the charger comes on line
(if it is turned on)
, charges the batteries to ap-
proximately 14 volts, at which point the device tells the genset to shut down.
When Auto Start is not desired, the switch should be placed in the OFF posi-
tion. The
primary
purpose of the auto start system is to maintain batteries
when the coach is stored and the master switch at the entrance door is off.
We at Foretravel have endeavored to make the batteries, charging systems,
and now the genset with automatic start and a low voltage sensing circuit as
"user friendly” as is possible. However, it is still you, the customer, who must
be responsible for battery maintenance by keeping the charger turned on, keep-
ing the coach on shore power, running the genset daily when dry camped until
the batteries are fully charged, or by placing the dash generator switch in the
AUTO position when none of the above is possible. It is permissible to dry
camp and leave the dash generator switch in the AUTO position as long as you
don’t mind the genset starting and stopping on a basis that increases as the 12
volt load increases. A better approach is to wait until the batteries are down to
around 50%, manually start the genset, and let it run until the batteries are fully
charged.
NOTE: The coach should not be placed in the auto start mode in a
sealed storage building. Lethal amounts of carbon monoxide can accumu-
late and exhaust particulates will coat everything stored in the building,
including both the building and the motorhome. Adequate ventilation
should always be assured if the coach is in the auto start mode. If the coach
must be stored in a sealed building, the house batteries should be fully
charged and then disconnected.
NOTE: The genset should exercised by running it once a month for 30
minutes under a full load.
