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07-10-2015, 09:21 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,312
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Pro-Fill battery watering system - warning
I saw a thread about the Pro-Fill battery watering system on an owners' sub-forum and was sparked to reply, but realized my experience might be helpful to owners of other brands of RVs, as well, so I'm posting here.
I have six Interstate golf cart batteries and battled terrible corrosion, so I bought the Pro-Fill system when I replaced the batteries about five years ago. (The previous set lasted 8 years and still had a little bit of life, so I get pretty decent life out of them.)
A few months ago I took the Pro-Fill caps off to inspect them and discovered some foam-looking stuff in them, like an o-ring or something. I contacted Pro-Fill and was told there was no o-ring or anything of a foam nature in the caps at all. He said the foam-looking stuff must be coming from the batteries and getting matted up in the caps.
Upon close examination, I could see tiny strands floating in each cell, perhaps dislodged from the battery plate separator material. Those tiny strands would normally be quite harmless, but with the Pro-Fill installed, they find their way into the float assembly and basically congeal into a foam-like mat around the float.
The problem with the mat is that it makes it so the floats inside the caps get sticky, which affects the watering process. Thinking about this, I realized that a while back, I noticed that sometimes water would be coming out of the cap on a couple of the cells as I squeezed the Pro-Fill bulb. The Pro-Fill guy confirmed that if the float sticks a little, it might not close when the cell reached full and would keep letting water past it. Or, it might not open at all and that cell would not get watered.
So I removed all the caps again and picked all the mat stuff out of each one, and rinsed them clean. Some of the floats still didn't seem very loose, plus I could see little bits of mat I couldn't get to with a toothpick.
I realized I had to take the cap apart to gain access to the innards. And I found that the area between the float and the cylinder on each cap was full of matted foam--much more than the o-ring looking thing I could see and pick at on an intact cap. There was no way to see it, much less get to it, without taking the cap apart, and doing that is tedious, to say the least. Doing it 18 times, well, at least you get pretty good at it. So I took each cap apart and picked at it to remove all the foam mat. Each cap had enough matted foam to affect the movement of the float.
When I did all this, it had been maybe six weeks since I'd filled my batteries with the Pro-Fill, and I didn't do it this time before removing the caps. The water levels in the batteries were not consistent at all. All had water over the plates, but one battery in particular had much less water in all three cells than any other battery.
I tested all cells with a hydrometer. Most of them were okay, but probably 6 tested low. So I equalized them, after which only one cell tested low (it wasn't in the battery with three cells with less water than the others). I equalized them again, and that cell tested normal.
Which reminded me that a year before that, I tested all the cells and had a few that tested low. That time I ran three equalization cycles to bring them all up to normal.
I can't know if any of this was related to the Pro-Fill, but I do know the Pro-Fill was malfunctioning. There's obviously a correlation, but that doesn't prove causation. But I'm suspicious.
All this being said, I am extremely happy with the lack of corrosion I get when using the Pro-Fill. On the previous set of batteries, I don't know how many cans of battery terminal cleaner I went through, and how much concrete I discolored while using it. It was a never-ending battle. But with the Pro-Fill, there's simply no corrosion. It's truly amazing. But at what price?
When I bought the Pro-Fill, I was a little nervous about not eyeballing the water levels myself, and I now think my initial hesitation was well founded. If you don't remove the caps, then you can't know what's going on in there. And a big reason for using a Pro-Fill is so you don't have to remove the caps. And the Pro-Fill can malfunction; if it does, how will you know?
If you have a Pro-Fill system, I would suggest that you periodically remove and visually inspect the caps to see if you have matted foam collecting in them, and to look for cells that aren't getting water. And if you have any water come out around any cap while watering, then you absolutely need to take the system apart and see if you have any substance inhibiting the movement of the floats, and if you have it in one, then you probably need to clean them all.
The Pro-Fill guy did say it would be okay to remove the outer cylinder completely and reinstall the caps without it. I assume that would be an attempt to eliminate the cylinder-within-a-cylinder arrangement that can trap strands and turn them into a mat that inhibits movement of the float. I had already reinstalled the caps by this point, so I haven't tried that yet.
However, I looked at the Pro-Fill website and noticed that they've redesigned the caps. (I told the Pro-Fill guy that my system was four years old AND I sent photos, but he never mentioned a redesign. Grrrr.)
The new design looks like they tried to eliminate the cylinder-within-a-cylinder arrangement. It may have even cured the problem. I don't know. And unfortunately, it's impossible to know for certain that the Pro-Fill is working correctly unless you take it off and visually inspect the cells, but not having to remove caps is a major reason for getting the Pro-Fill in the first place.
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07-10-2015, 11:28 AM
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#2
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"Formerly Diplomat Don"
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Moorpark, Ca.
Posts: 23,914
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I know you had issues and who knows if ProFill is the cause. I've been using ProFill for almost 8 years and have never had an issue. Something I learned and seems you have an issue with, is charging rate. If you're getting that much battery acid/corrosion, your charge rate is improperly adjusted. On some chargers it can't be adjusted, but on the better quality models it can.
Before I installed the ProFill system on my previous coach, I had a lot of acid build up, while our fiends with the same coach had a dry and dusty battery bay. That's when I learned the batteries were being overcharged. I contacted the charger manufacturer (Magnum) and they gave me the settings for my batteries and both size and number. Once I corrected this, the battery acid issue disappeared.
__________________
Don & Mary
2019 Newmar Dutch Star 4018 (Freightliner)
2019 Ford Raptor
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07-10-2015, 02:05 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 3,453
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Interesting post. I will check mine. thanks.
__________________
2021 DSDP 4326 Freightliner
2023 Winnebago ERA 70A
2005 KSDP 3910 Spartan
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07-10-2015, 02:09 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Canton, MI
Posts: 1,004
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Thanks Oatmeal for the heads up, will keep an eye on the cells as you suggested.
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07-10-2015, 05:36 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,312
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I'll add that I added water manually with one of those jugs with the shutoff spout thing for 8 years and never got a speck of battery acid on me.
But in messing with the Pro-Fill caps, I ruined a jacket and a pair of jeans. My Pro-Fill has three batteries connected on one side, and three on the other, so I was having to remove and maneuver 9 caps at once, and battery acid apparently got slung around.
Next time I inspect them, I'm planning to see if I can remove some tubing to make it more manageable. That 3x3 grid of caps dripping battery acid, held together with flexible tubing, is a bear.
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07-11-2015, 03:42 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Kelowna, BC
Posts: 131
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tigerfan1
Thanks Oatmeal for the heads up, will keep an eye on the cells as you suggested.
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X2
Rob
__________________
Rob & Dee & Harper, our Zuchon. RIP Bailey
2014 VENTANA 4037 400 hp ISL, Freightliner, 2015 Jeep GC, Blue Ox Aventa, Air Force 1, Silverleaf VMSpc, Garmin RV760LMT.
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07-12-2015, 11:33 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,312
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don
I know you had issues and who knows if ProFill is the cause. I've been using ProFill for almost 8 years and have never had an issue.
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I do know that the Pro-Fill malfunctioned in that the floats got matted up and wouldn't work properly. The Pro-Fill representative confirmed that.
Mine appeared to be working fine, except for sometimes seeing water coming out the tops of some battery caps. I figured I'd just done something wrong that time and didn't find out until later that it was an indicator of a malfunction. But at least that's something you can see.
A bigger problem, for me, is that if some cells aren't getting filled, there's no way to know that without taking the thing apart. That particular malfunction, and it's an important one, doesn't display symptoms. And since the whole idea behind the Pro-Fill is not having to take battery caps off, I figured there were others like me who didn't even think about ever dismantling the Pro-Fill to see if everything's working okay.
And actually, it happened that I did just that and even then didn't realize that the matting I saw was a very serious problem; it really did look like an o-ring. I'm just glad I checked with Pro-Fill and kept at it until I was sure what it actually was.
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12-05-2015, 04:38 AM
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#8
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RV LIFE Support Team
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This might be the wrong thread if so point me in the right direction. I am interested in getting the Pro-fill system for our house batteries. Question: Did you have to replace any of the battery cables to install the Prof-fill?
__________________
Sue
2015 Winnebago Vista 36Y + Honda CRV
RV LIFE Support Team
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12-05-2015, 07:49 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,295
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Crap. The reason I got the system in the first place was that I cannot get to the batteries without climbing into the compartment. Thanks for the update.
I just found that trojan has a similar system for their batteries and it has a mechanical indicator for water level.
__________________
Pcurt
2007 Fleetwood Bounder 38V
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12-07-2015, 03:54 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 3,453
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sue46
This might be the wrong thread if so point me in the right direction. I am interested in getting the Pro-fill system for our house batteries. Question: Did you have to replace any of the battery cables to install the Prof-fill?
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I didn't have to replace any, per se, but I did have to remove and reinstall a couple of cables to work around the pro fill assembly.
__________________
2021 DSDP 4326 Freightliner
2023 Winnebago ERA 70A
2005 KSDP 3910 Spartan
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12-07-2015, 11:14 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
National RV Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 4,581
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sue46
This might be the wrong thread if so point me in the right direction. I am interested in getting the Pro-fill system for our house batteries. Question: Did you have to replace any of the battery cables to install the Prof-fill?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by USMCRET
I didn't have to replace any, per se, but I did have to remove and reinstall a couple of cables to work around the pro fill assembly.
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I had to change the angle of a couple of cables but it was not a problem. New cables were not needed. I'm pleased with the system since 2 of my 4 house batteries are back "in there" and hard to fill manually.
__________________
Bob & Sandi, dogs Tasha a Frenchie and Tiki a Skipperkey
SW OREGON 2005 34 foot DolphinLX
If towing: a bright red 2016 Mini Cooper on a tow dolly.
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12-08-2015, 06:12 AM
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#12
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RV LIFE Support Team
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OK. System has now been ordered, delivery this week.
__________________
Sue
2015 Winnebago Vista 36Y + Honda CRV
RV LIFE Support Team
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02-06-2016, 12:52 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,312
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Here's an update to my original post.
In December 2014, I removed and completely cleaned my Pro-Fill system, and reinstalled it. I watered my batteries monthly thereafter, using the Pro-Fill as designed--not removing any of the battery caps.
I watered them in early September 2015, and about three weeks later removed the Pro-Fill system to inspect the caps for matting, and to measure the cells with a hydrometer.
Two of the batteries had cells that didn't have enough water to get a hydrometer reading, despite having been recently watered with the Pro-Fill.
All the Pro-Fill floats had matting in them just like they had in December 2014, although none seemed as badly clogged as that other time. However, it had been less than a year since a completely cleaned Pro-Fill had been installed and there were already signs of trouble.
I removed the Pro-Fill tubing and capped off all the water inlets, and have been watering the batteries manually since then. The water levels have been quite consistent with manual watering, while they were not while using the Pro-Fill.
I contacted Interstate Batteries and was told that the positive plates are wrapped in a thin fiberglass mat, which acts as a paste stabilizer, and that over time it can shed fibers. These fibers don't harm the battery, but that has to be what is clogging the Pro-Fill floats. And when that happens, the Pro-Fill no longer properly fills your batteries.
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02-06-2016, 01:35 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,031
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So oatmeal's lesson is to use another battery manufacture when using Pro Fill?
And not use it with Interstate batteries.
In over 15 years no problem using Pro Fill on my T-105's
__________________
99 Discovery 34Q ISB
2014 MKS AWD EcoBoost Toad
Fulltime Since "99"
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