Dale.Traveling
Newport News, VA
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Joined: 12/16/2010
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Years ago my junior high sceince teach filled a ballon half and half with hydrogen and air. Let if float the the ceiling before he held a lit candle on a pole to it. KABOOM and the ballon wasn't much bigger then a football.
Your battery out gassed and the hydrogen built up just waiting for a heat source. Drill a couple 1/8 inch holes in top of the battery case just to be sure from now on so you don't have a baby Hindenburg in the front yard again. Charge voltage seems a bit high considering usage or drain on the battery isn't very high. Might consider low rate charger just to be on the safe side.
2006 Hurricane 31D aka 'Moby' the Whale
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OnaQuest
Old enough to be a
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Joined: 01/15/2006
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1fastdad wrote: You don't have to use distilled water just a good filtered water like bottled water will do the job.
This is very poor advice. Even your, so called, filtered water has minerals that contaminate the electrolyte and most bottled water has added mineratls for taste. These are NOT good for any battery.
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RayChez
Barstow, Ca. USA
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Joined: 09/13/2003
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If the battery is showing 16 volts? Your charger is over charging. That might be the reason why the battery was boiling and creating hydrogen gas. Any spark will set it off. Your normal charge should be around 14.3 amps unless you are equalizing the battery. Then the amps could go as high as 16 amps.
2002 Gulf Stream Scenic Cruiser
330 HP Caterpillar
3000 Allison Transmission
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fcooper
Richmond Hill, Georgia
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Joined: 09/23/2003
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And it may be just "it happened". I had one of two batteries on a smart charger in a houseboat blow up like that. Ventilation was not a problem. Checked everything including charging voltages and all ok. Put in a new battery and no further troubles.
Fred & Vicki
Richmond Hill, Ga
2000 Holiday Rambler Endeavor/Freightliner/330 Cat
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PaulJ2
Northwest Oregon
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I would say it is nothing more than just a defective battery. A spark anywhere inside the battery that is not submerged in liquid will be that result.
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seekertom
home
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Joined: 12/21/2010
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i guess bottom line is, maint free batteries aren't fool proof. maybe rare explosions, but who needs to be the one when it happens, right?
i think ill start looking into the more expensive gel cells next. my needs are minimal so buying one now then two more later on might not be too bad in cost.
can't get overly worried, tho. thinking about what my propane is capable of would make me a basket case, and that's not what it's all about, is it?
thanks for the feedback. i'll go check some vent holes.
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jojocarman
Magnolia, TX
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I have been having battery issues. My marine battery gets very hot, to the point of smelling like rotten eggs. I have replaced it three times this year. Good ole Wallyworld has given me a new one each time. After reading your kaboom story, I've disconnected the battery in my Fifth Wheel until I find out what's making these batteries get hot. I'm on the road, in a campground in Arkansas. When we set up today, I checked the battery and it was sizzling. I picked it up at WM yesterday. Any ideas?
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2010 Forest River Sierra 356RL
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2inAlabama
Huntsville, AL
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It sounds like your converter/charger is overcharging it, boiling it dry, which will kill it pretty quickly. Or they are just defective, but it is unlikely that three different batteries were defective. Do you have a method of charging it on a different charger? If so, then refill it and try that.
Just DH & DW
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crasster
Dallas
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Joined: 07/06/2007
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Glad nobody was hurt. Those batteries blowing not only have shrapnel, but will spray acid. That stuff gets in your eyes, it could be lights out.
4 whopping cylinders on Toyota RV's. Talk about great getting good MPG. Also I have a very light foot on the pedal. I followed some MPG advice on Livingpress.com and I now get 22 MPG! Not bad for a home on wheels.
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MrWizard
Traveling
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Joined: 06/27/2004
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disconnect the power to the converter/charger
and replace it, or get a portable charger to charge your batteries
Options, always have options, and the journey goes much smoother
....
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