does anyone here with Generac evolution 1 controller have genmon always show battery charging.

[grsthegreat]

Checklist

• I made sure that there are no existing issues or discussions - open issues,closed issues,open discussion, closed discussion - which may answer my question or that I could contribute my information to.
• I have read the Known Issues Wiki Page and my question / issue is not listed.
• I have provided the version of the software and the operating system in my post.
• If I have an issue with genmon not communicating with the controller, I have read and followed the serial troubleshooting guide.
• I have included the generator make and model in my submission.

Version

V1.19.07, windows 7

Have you submitted your log files from the About page? Note that outbound email must be working for logs to be submitted.

I have not submitted logs

What is/are your question(s)?

just a general question. my genmon always shows battery charging, even if battery is at 14.2 volts. right now battery voltage shows 14.1 volts battery charge at 415 MA. While watching screen it will drop to 70 MA, than 20 seconds later jump to 215 MA.

i have checked controller and it shows charging also under dealers menu.

i have tried new battery and also i installed a new controller from inventory and it never says not charging.

can this possibly occur because Genmon is drawing power from the onboard battery???

the fact that it shows this with a brand new controller is puzzling.

do es anybody here have the same thing happening on their generators?

my unit is a 9 year old evolution 1 unit . its a 22kw generac.

other than this small issue the Genmon and generator work just fine.

Additional information

No response

[jgyates]

I do not know the exact algorithm that is used to charge the battery or how it varies from model to model, but some of it is described in the maintenance manual. I would take this a a general guide on the charger operation as it can vary between firmware versions and controller types (air cooled vs liquid cooled, etc). From the maintenance manual:

  The charger operates at one of three battery charging voltage
  levels depending on ambient temperature.
   - 13.5VDC at High Temperature
   - 14.1VDC at Normal Temperature
   - 14.6VDC at Low Temperature
  The battery charger is powered from a 120 VAC Load connection
  through a fuse (F3) in the transfer switch. This 120 VAC source
  must be connected to the Generator in order to operate the
  charger.
  During a Utility failure, the charger will momentarily be turned
  off until the Generator is connected to the Load. During normal
  operation, the battery charger supplies all the power to the
  controller; the Generator battery is not used to supply power.
  The battery charger will begin its charge cycle when battery
  voltage drops below approximately 12.6V. The charger provides
  current directly to the battery dependent on temperature, and the
  battery is charged at the appropriate voltage level for 18 hours.
  At the end of the 18 hour charge period battery charge current
  is measured when the Generator is off. If battery charge current
  at the end of the 18 hour charge time is greater than a pre-set
  level, or the battery open-circuit voltage is less than approximately
  12.5V, an Inspect Battery warning is raised. If the engine cranks
  during the 18 hour charge period, then the 18 hour charge timer
  is restarted.
  At the end of the 18 hour charge period the charger does one of
  two things. If the temperature is less than approximately 40F
  the battery is continuously charged at a voltage of 14.1V (i.e. the
  charge voltage is changed from 14.6V to 14.1V after 18 hours). If
  the temperature is above approximately 40F then the charger will
  stop charging the battery after 18 hours.
  The battery has a similar role as that found in an automobile
  application. It sits doing nothing until it either self-discharges below
  12.6V or an engine crank occurs (i.e. such as occurs during the
  weekly exercise cycle). If either condition occurs the battery charge
  will begin its 18 hour charge cycle.

Keep in mind that when the battery is charging, the battery voltage read is coming from the charger connected to the battery, not the battery by itself. So when you read 14.1V or 14.6V and the charger is on, this means the charger is applying those voltages to the battery to charge it.

If you are not getting na inspect battery warning then I would not worry about it. The charge cycle is long and voltages and current is optimized for a longer battery life. I would expect the battery to easily power the pi. Of course the type of pi and how much is is loaded changes the current draw. I have not had reports of battery alarms and do not have experience with that on my system.

[grsthegreat]

hmmm, this same thing occurs in the summer also. im not too worried about it, as its not boiling off the battery or anything. its just strange that the charging never stops.

[jgyates]

You could try power cycling your controller.

https://github.com/jgyates/genmon/wiki/Appendix-I-Power-Cycle-the-Evolution-or-Nexus-Controller

If there are too many charge cycles without going above a certain level then it will generate an alarm.

Also, if you leave the browers open the live register view (click the icon in the upper right once) will show the values of all the registers and it can graph them over a 24 hour period.

[grsthegreat]

heres the twist. power cycling does nothing. this is actually a brand new controller. i took my old controller and replaced a defective controller on a cell site i monitor. that sites controller had a defective auxiliary port and could not communicate. since replacing that controller with my old one (which NEVER posted NOT CHARGING after a charge cycle on my generator), it shows the controller showing NOT CHARGING after a time period of charging after running generator like it should on this other generator. also a evolution 1 22 kw like mine.

my new controller NEVER shows not charging, when the old controller was in my generator, it NEVER showed not charging after a charge cycle.

all mine does is drop the MA rating and cycles the charge.

this is why i ask if anyone else has seen this on their units.

[jgyates]

I don't recall anyone seeing something like this. Also, different firmware revisions can cause different behavior on things like charging and even reporting charging stats over modbus. A good data point would be to see the firmware revision on each unit and the behavior of each controller. It sounds like the behavior follows the controller, but I an not 100% certain from the description.

[grsthegreat]

both units have same, most current firmware from generac. the issue does not move with the controller. the original controller on my generator was always charging, but once i moved that controller to new generator, it will stop charging after 18 hr charge cycle.

the new controller is never goiung to stop charging.

i think my next step is to grab a brand new Deka 26R battery from my fresh stock and replace the battery. maybe there is an issue with the other relatively new battery i installed about a year ago. the old one is an Exide and not as reliable as the newer Deka ones.

[jgyates]

Is the charger separate from the controller or are they an integrated unit?

[grsthegreat]

There integrated with the controller on the evolution series.

[NorthernMI]

My experience is genmon shows charging mA cycling from about 330 to zero over a period of 2-3 polling cycles. Then stays at 0 for a polling cycle or two, then repeats. The polling cycle appears to be 5 seconds. This is with a fully charged battery that was installed in Sept of 2025. I'm using a raspberry pi zero 2 W and it gets its power from the battery.

This was a good thread as I was about to post a question about charging voltage. During very cold periods genmon was reporting battery voltage at 15 volts, which had me concerned. Right now, at 16 deg. F, voltage is at 14.7 volts.

EDIT: I've got a generac 11kw with an Evo controller.

[grsthegreat]

Mine is always fluctuating, but never goes to 0. it also changes ever 5 seconds..... i have a new battery on charger overnight just to make sure its topped off, than im going to try a new battery.

[grsthegreat]

well, i replaced the battery with a brand new one, while i was at it i replaced the red battery cable because the end was a little iffy. ill let it go thru the charge cycle and see what happens. if this doesnt do it...than im stumped.

[grsthegreat]

well, did absolutely no difference. after 20 hours, still shows charging with the MA rating switching every 5 seconds or so. never goes into not charging. battery level flucuated between 14.1 and 14.2

i guess thats just how its going to stay.