Community Forums

sgtjoe · 04-14-2012, 08:30 PM

For the past month I've tried to get the stink out of the MH. I figured it was the grey tank since I've been pouring a lot of green bean juice down the sink. (add green beans to dog food). Then after doing a search I saw mention of possible causes and one is boiling over batteries. I did notice the smell goes away when the MH isn't plugged in. So today I plugged her in and went out later and opened the battery bay door, stinky. So it appears I may be boiling a battery. This just started in Yuma and I had no stink in CA or Laughlin after Yuma. Then it shows up again at home. Batteries were bought in Sep 2011, all four.

????????????????QUESTIONS????????????????????
Are one or more batteries bad???

Would the one boiling get hotter then the others??

If it's a charger problem wouldn't all four batteries be hot??

Is there a problem with my charger??

Why does it not happen all the time??

Any other thoughts on this??

bdpreece · 04-14-2012, 08:41 PM

A shorted cell in one battery will cause this problem. If it has charged for a long enough time the battery will be much warmer than the others. By the time I found mine. visible vapor was coming off the battery so it was easy to see. If you can't see or feel anything pull the batteries and take them some place and have them load tested.

tnarvs · 04-14-2012, 08:44 PM

IMO what i would do is ck each batt with a volt meter while plugged in ,, and see which one is over charging ,, u could have a shorted cell even though they were new ,, i hope u went with a good brand of battery ,, i know the cost ,, but in the long run it is well worth it ,, let us know back

Shadowcatche · 04-14-2012, 08:48 PM

Check the voltage going into the batteries, you have a problem. Check the water level in the batteries, you should also clean the batteries (baking soda) and check specific gravity is the cells.
Source for information is Car and Deep Cycle Battery FAQ, Battery Manufacturers and Brand Names List, and

sgtjoe · 04-14-2012, 09:05 PM

Batteries were new in Sep 2011. Had MH plugged in at house a week before heading south in late Nov. Had no smell until early Mar. I use a pro fill system and check every two weeks, water useage was very little. There is no cable corrosion as I used dialectric grease on all post and connectors. These are the 6 volt Golf Cart batteries from Sams Club. Last ones were in the MH for 7 years. BTW, I'm always plugged in, DW won't boondock.

I'll plug it in early tomorrow and watch for any batteries getting hot. I'll also check to see what's coming in to charge them.

sgtjoe · 04-15-2012, 10:29 AM

Plugged her in and after a few hours stinky is back in the battery compartment. All four house batteries are cool to the touch. But one of the chassis batteries is warmer then the other. I'm going to keep it plugged in longer to see for sure if it's a chassis battery. If it is there is good news and bad news, good news is now I know for sure that my chassis batteries are being charged from shore power, bad news is the two batteries are old and no replacement warranty. Wonder how much these babies are going to cost me?

kennersonf · 04-15-2012, 10:51 AM

I just replaced my chassis battery a month ago for the same reason. In fact, the odor of the boiling battery set off my propane alarm. Same thing happened four years ago when two of the four coach batteries started boiling. Can you open the caps to see if the battery is boiling?

bigdog · 04-15-2012, 04:28 PM

Same problem here,but one of the batteries had a lot of corrosion on it.I cleaned most of it off and checked the cells and had to add a lot of distilled water,CPAP user, to it and some to the others.The one that was corroded was the closest one to the area where my tailpipe burned out.Uoi might also check your inverter and see ehether your are charging wet vell or gel.It turns out that mine is set gor gel and now I have to dig down thru the DW's clothes to find the manual so that I can change it.

sgtjoe · 04-15-2012, 04:47 PM

I found my receipt for the two chassis batteries. Replaced in Sep 02 at a cost of 84.56 each, what do they cost now????

There is no corrosion on them at all. Pretty good service for 9 1/2 years. I'll pull them out tomorrow and have good ole Auto Zone check them. These were installed at Freightliner here in SLC, can't wait to see how much they are now.

bdpreece · 04-15-2012, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgtjoe

I found my receipt for the two chassis batteries. Replaced in Sep 02 at a cost of 84.56 each, what do they cost now????

There is no corrosion on them at all. Pretty good service for 9 1/2 years. I'll pull them out tomorrow and have good ole Auto Zone check them. These were installed at Freightliner here in SLC, can't wait to see how much they are now.

Probably going to run you about $130 each. Replace both at the same time. I got mine at Interstate Battery. They also tested the old ones for me.

sgtjoe · 04-16-2012, 04:36 PM

Pulled the chassis batteries and checked them with a multimeter. One read 12v and the other read 3v and would go down and back from 2 to 3. This one showed leakage. These were purchased at Freightliner in SLC UT in Sep 02 at a cost of 84.95 each and today my new ones at Freightliner were 94.95 each, not bad, huh? BTW, these are engine cranking batteries and are Maint. Free.

Too bad they don't carry 6 volt batteries.