ksg5000
Oregon
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My dometic fridge went toes up last week and I had camping world install a replacement. Unfortunately within 24 hrs of having the RV hooked up to shore power the RV started to stink (wife said it smelled like rotten eggs)and the gas detector would go off. I brought the RV back to have them look at it and they could find nothing wrong with it .. they kept it a couple of days.
When I brought the RV home I noticed a similar smell within 24 hrs and quickly figured out that Camping World kept the RV on gas where I had it hooked up to shore power.
I unhooked the RV from shore power and sure enough there was no problem ... as such I think I narrowed the problem down to an electrical issue.
I used my nose to tract down one possible source of the problem .. the batteries. One of the new (2 months?) coach batteries had lost significant water and was both smelly and hot. The other coach battery was also down on water but not hot. Just guessing but I suspect I may have been smelling water/acid burn off from the batteries gassing? Suppose that would make the gas detector go off?
I am using one of the 9200 series inteli power converters which I think are not suppose to charge above 14.4 volts .. but I was reading something much closer to 16 volts at the battery terminal. When I removed the converter and tested it in the house it was reading closer to 45 volts output (which made no sense to a non electrical guy like me)
The converter is only about 26 months old but I am not going to put it back into the RV without having some assurances from some of you guys/gals. I could see the darn thing breaking and not putting out any juice but I would have thought they would have built in protection from having it put out too much juice.
I plan on calling the mfg on Monday.
Would sure appreciate any advice.
Thanks
Kevin
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whistlebritches
Cherryvale, KS
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Kevin, I don't know about the rv batteries, but last week when we were in SW Missouri attending a softball tournament, we noticed a sulfpher smell (rotten eggs) and thought it was some factory in the town we were in. Later, we drove to another town and still smelled it, then when we got to our rv park in Roaring River, we could still smell it, so decided it was coming from our truck! Turns out it was the battery leaking. We have two since it is a diesel, so we went to Walmart and had them replace both batteries since they were 60 month batteries and the truck is five years old next month. It was our first experience with batteries smelling like sulpher when they go bad.
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ksg5000
Oregon
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Thanks ... that confirms that the batteries may be the cause of the smell. If so .. then perhaps the electronic converter is overcharging the batteries?
Not sure ... in the past the converter has never registered above 14.4 volts ... certainly not 16 + at the battery terminal. Still don't have a clue why it registered 44+ when I removed it from the RV but I am wary of putting it back into the RV without understanding whats going on - don't want to start a fire or further damage the batteries.
Maybe just my ignorance ... but when in doubt I will wait for someone who knows a bit more than me before going further.
Further advise from anyone will be appreciated.
Thanks
Kevin
* This post was
edited 07/26/08 09:08pm by ksg5000 *
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samert
Rockford, MI
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Joined: 03/02/2003
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The batteries were definitely the source of your smell and it sounds like your converter/charger has gone toes up also. It's obviously over charging the batteries and I suspect may have caused your first refer to fail because the controls are also 12 volts. I suspect your batteries have been damaged beyond recovery also.
You may want to check your other 12 volt controlled appliances like built in stereo systems etc.
Friends of ours had a similar problem. The converter/charger was putting out excessive voltage and boiled the batteries and eventually the charger started smoking and eventually failed along with some other 12 volt appliances.
* This post was
edited 07/27/08 05:07am by samert *
Steve & Judy
1996 American Tradition
Spartan IC 2242 Chassis
C8.3L Cummins, Allison MD3060
Doran 360RV TPMS, Progressive HW50C EMS.
Koni shocks, Safe-T-Plus
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ksg5000
Oregon
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Well thats bad news - but I kinda expected it.
I replaced the stone age MAGNETEK to stop having to constantly replace the coach batteries and I end up frying the batteries and perhaps ruining the 12 volt appliances.
Anyone have a recommendation for a new charger? The one that created the problem is a 45amp Inteli power 9200 with integrated "wizard". It had a 2 yr warranty and died just about 2 months after the warranty expired.
Anyone have any experience dealing with Progressive Dynamics Inc .. any chance they will provide a new charger given the circumstances?
Thanks for help.
Kevin
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Nick Wildwood
Hell California
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We had the same problem. It seems to be the charger gets over zealous when we are hooked up to shore power. It boiled away the water in the battery. That is the cause of the rotten egg smell. We are going to have to replace it.
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ksg5000
Oregon
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Thanks for the replies.
Since these converters apparently don't have protection mechanisms to keep them from having too high voltage ... is there something like a fuse that I can place between the converter and the RV electrical system that would help prevent a problem in the future. I know zip about electrical stuff and am frankly surprised that these devices don't have some built in protection to keep from frying your electric system.
Kevin
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wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
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Rotten eggs is sulfur dioxide. This can sometimes be given off by batteries during a de-sulfate cycle on your converter. It can also come from sewer gas or from the hot water heater if it's had a shot of high sulfur water.
About the only thing it won't come from.. baring a load of rotten eggs, is the 'fridge.
It is also not produced by electrical/electronics save for the battery.
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
John is Near Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
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ksg5000
Oregon
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Update
I just got off the phone with the service dept at Progressive Dynamics ... they confirmed that while rare there built in protections do occasionally fail.
They are going to send me a new unit for free and if I pay for the postage to return the old product and they confirm its a mfg problem they will reimburse me for the new batteries.
Might be a good ending to a bad experience.
Thanks for all the help.
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