Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 10, 2025 ...

Re: Starting a dead coach

Reply #25 – January 09, 2024, 10:37:05 pm

Update - we're running.  Steps to get there:

• charge house batteries enough to get generator started
• turn on inverter / charger and enable boost switch so chassis batteries charge
• start engine

I still probably need to look at swapping out batteries, but I bought myself a little bit of time.

Thanks for all the help! 

Quote Selected

Re: Starting a dead coach

Reply #26 – January 27, 2024, 09:34:58 am

Hi Steve,
I would add this for storage. Although you may have already done this. Set your "AC Input" on the inverter to match your 15amp source. The charger will derate to prevent tripping the circuit. Also I pull the inline fuse on the aux compressor. There is no reason that you need it in storage. I too bought mine with batteries on their last leg. I managed to nurse them along for a while until it was in for maintenance and left unattended and unplugged for several days. That was the Coup de grâce for them. 😏

Robert

Quote Selected

Re: Starting a dead coach

Reply #27 – January 28, 2024, 09:45:23 am

Thanks Robert - I was able to find that setting on the inverter for derating the input amperage.  I fixed an air leak that was causing the aux compressor to run, so I might be good without pulling the fuse.  In the meantime, I hit the salesman switch to kill the extra power draw, hopefully I'm in a place now where I can leave it for a 2 or 3 weeks without having to worry.

I'm sharing a circuit with other RVs for my shoreline power, so who knows that they're drawing - they could be tripping the breaker or we could be tripping it with the combined draw.  I'm considering getting a place that is enclosed, not just covered.

Quote Selected

Re: Starting a dead coach

Reply #28 – January 28, 2024, 07:33:41 pm

I seem to remember there were several things that the DC disconnect "salesmen switch" didn't disable. You might want to verify that on your coach. I've noticed an interesting phenomenon on mine. While I was in Dallas during the big freeze a couple of weeks ago. The aux compressor would run about 30 seconds every 10 or 15 minutes. I found a very small leak at one of the lines coming out of the compressor and wrote it off to that. Seriously hoping it wasn't a slide bladder leaking. Now that it's in the 50s-60s again. I don't hear it run more than once or twice a day. Even though I haven't replaced the leaking shark fitting. So you may want to watch it in cold weather. That's why I pull the fuse. Kinda of a belt and suspenders thing for me. 😂🤷🏻‍♂️

Quote Selected

Re: Starting a dead coach

Reply #29 – January 28, 2024, 08:28:56 pm

Easy to check what's hot or not after disconnecting the salesman switch. Test each resettable breaker in your electronics bay with a DC volt meter. On mine, just about half of the breakers are still hot when that switch is turned off.

Quote Selected