|
11-12-2011, 07:49 AM
|
#1
|
Weekend Camper
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: long island n.y
Posts: 10
|
Today i found my battery boiling and smoke coming out of the battery compartment My camper has been pluged in for the last few weeksand i never had any problems with it before .need some advise as to what could have caused this happen.
|
|
|
11-12-2011, 07:58 AM
|
#2
|
Full Time Camper
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 874
|
1. The battery is probably low on water - I would check that first.
2. How old is the battery - if 4-5 years old the battery may have reached the end of its life. I cell withing it can "reverse" and become a load on the rest.
3. If there was smoke coming out of it - I would replace it - check the wires to the battery to ensure they were not damaged.
4. Safety - remember during the charging stage hydrogen is produced and if "trapped" in a compartment it can be flammable or even explosive. This why most batteries installed in a compartment are installed in a vented battery box.
Edited by: NorskeNY
|
|
|
11-12-2011, 08:22 AM
|
#3
|
Weekend Camper
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: long island n.y
Posts: 10
|
The battery is 3 years old. it seem that the battery just overcharged ,i wounder if the on board charger cooked the battery .i left in plugg.ed all last year and had no problems with it
|
|
|
11-12-2011, 10:20 AM
|
#4
|
Full Time Camper
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 874
|
Just guessing - was probably low on water. I leave mine plugged in quite a bit in the summer and don't loose too much water/electrolyte. I take the batteries out in the winter and put them on a charge once a month. I run with two batteries in the camper. A few times during the year we "dry camp" and one battery will not last the weekend if we use the lights allot or run the furnace.
|
|
|
11-12-2011, 12:15 PM
|
#5
|
Full Time Camper
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Normal
Posts: 639
|
You can probably have it tested for free at a local battery center. If it is bad, you can get a fresh one on the spot...or wait till the spring....
__________________
2015 Rushmore Springfield
Disc Brake upgrade, Goodyear G614 tire upgrade
RV FLEX-ARMOR roof, Mor-Ryde IS suspension
2017 F350 Dually 4x4 6.7 Bronze Fire
|
|
|
11-12-2011, 11:29 PM
|
#6
|
Site Team
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: WI.
Posts: 9,162
|
I wonder if maybe your charger in the converter hasn't malfunctioned.
|
|
|
11-13-2011, 03:56 AM
|
#7
|
Weekend Camper
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: long island n.y
Posts: 10
|
That's what i wiil have to look into
|
|
|
11-13-2011, 07:00 AM
|
#8
|
Family Vacation Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Hollis, NH
Posts: 235
|
Do you have access to a voltmeter and know how to use one? Check your charging voltage. Checked with a battery connected, it should read between 13 and 14 volts, likely around 13.5 if it is charging the battery. After the battery is charged, it should drop down to 12.8 or so. If you find a voltage of 15 to 20 or more volts, your charger is bad. If you find your cells went dry, that may be your problem and the charger may be OK. If you don't dry camp a lot, consider using maintenance free batteries. They don't have the deep discharge capability as RV or Golf Cart batteries do but they work fine for the most of us.
|
|
|
11-13-2011, 11:03 AM
|
#9
|
Family Vacation Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 129
|
"If you don't dry camp a lot, consider using maintenance free batteries. They don't have the deep discharge capability as RV or Golf Cart batteries do but they work fine for the most of us."
Jim, Tell me more can I be most of us
|
|
|
11-13-2011, 11:32 AM
|
#10
|
Family Vacation Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Hollis, NH
Posts: 235
|
Tboy
Not sure I understand the question.
Que ce que tu dit?
|
|
|
11-14-2011, 12:01 AM
|
#11
|
Family Vacation Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: DeSoto,KS
Posts: 125
|
The same thing happened on our first Cruiser. I keep it plugged in at home. It was still under warranty so I took it to the dealer. He said that it was overcharged and that you should not keep the battery hooked up all of the time when the trailer was not used and plugged in. I put a battery disconnect switch in so I could dissconect the battery and did not have any more trouble. When we got our current Cruiser that was one of the firstmods I did and have had no problems. A lot of rv's come with them already installed. We had a Sunnybrook that had one. You will need a new battery.
__________________
2009 CT31RL
2016 Chevrolet 2500HD High Country
Hensley Hitch
|
|
|
11-14-2011, 03:53 AM
|
#12
|
Full Time Camper
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,012
|
I don't know what convertor is in the other trailers but mine has the WFCO 9865. Unless going down the road the trailer is plugged in all the time.
It has 3 states. Bulk mode where the battery is below 50% and the charger goes to 14.4v. Absorption mode is 13.6v, slow charges the battery, and provides trailer power. If the RV has not been used for ~48 hrs with no load if goes into a float mode of 13.2v and maintains the battery.
My last trailer had a smaller version of the same charger and I kept it plugged in all the time. Twice a year I added water, if needed, and when traded in the battery was fine at 3 years old.
Here's a link to the data sheet. http://americanrvcompany.com/assets/images/wf9800.pdf
__________________
Clif and Millie
Ozzie (half a dog tall & 2 dogs long)
Mabank, TX
2009 Ford Lariat F350 SRW CC Diesel
2013 Cruiser CF305SK Patriot Edition
|
|
|
11-14-2011, 04:04 AM
|
#13
|
Family Vacation Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location:
Posts: 160
|
My 3-stage converter seemed to over charge my batteries so I installed a battery cut off switch and normally keep the batteries disconnected except for a 24-hour charging period once a month during the winter. I was always adding water before, but not now. We normally don't camp on shore power so I haven't had to deal with the battery overcharging in that situation.
|
|
|
11-14-2011, 10:10 AM
|
#14
|
Weekend Camper
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: long island n.y
Posts: 10
|
thanks all .I found the problem a small hole in the bottom of the battery . battery went dry and caused the overcharging condition.Screw came thru floor into battery .
|
|
|
12-04-2011, 11:01 AM
|
#15
|
Weekend Camper
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: CT
Posts: 81
|
Take it from an RV park owner your battery is prob. shot. We see it all the time, as we get a complaint of a foul odor in the park near such and such like propane and we always find a boiling battery. Check voltage while plugged in, then replace it.
__________________
Hug your family
|
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|