House Batteries Corrosion?

[Buzz]

Hi:

I own a Winnebago Itasca with 3 Batteries total, 1 for the chasis, 2 for the house, all 3 are in the same compartment in the entry steps, the chasis battery has no corrosion on it whatsoever, but the 2 house batteries are always corroded, the terminals and brackets are full of ( crud/Acid??) I could clean them every few weeks, and still they get corroded, so much so that the wire brackets are getting worn very thin, especially since having been stored for the winter, the corrosion was really built- up.

Is there anything that can be done to prevent this corrosion, and why does the chasis battery not corrode??

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Buzz]

Hi:

I own a Winnebago Itasca with 3 Batteries total, 1 for the chasis, 2 for the house, all 3 are in the same compartment in the entry steps, the chasis battery has no corrosion on it whatsoever, but the 2 house batteries are always corroded, the terminals and brackets are full of ( crud/Acid??) I could clean them every few weeks, and still they get corroded, so much so that the wire brackets are getting worn very thin, especially since having been stored for the winter, the corrosion was really built- up.

Is there anything that can be done to prevent this corrosion, and why does the chasis battery not corrode??

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[MikeT]

Can't explain why the chassis battery doesn't, but you can get anti corrode products at an auto store. A coating of dielectric grease will work, unless battery acid is leaking at the terminals.

["007"]

Buzz Hi,
How much water do you put in battery when you top them off? You should just fill to bottom of filler neck. Use distilled water. As your batteries are charging they will vent off moisture thru vents. Thus battery acid. As long as they are not being over charged or over filled you will get some corrosion on top of house batts. You can clean with baking soda, remake connections an apply a batt coating, di-elect grease, or vasiline. Your chassis batt maybe a maintenence free batt an you will not have this problem. ---"007"

[Cruzer]

The key is to control the gassing. When you charge a battery it will produce corrosive gasses. As mentioned, if they are too full, they'll gas more than usual. The chassis batteries are undoubtedly sealed batteries. They're not perfectly sealed but it helps in controlling the out-gassing during charging. Also, your vehicle alternator generally doesn't overcharge batteries. If your converter or inverter/charger is set a touch too high, the extra charge at the end of the cycle will produce quite a bit of gas. Also, the constant charging of the coach batteries versus the infrequent charging of the chassis batteries also hurts in this area.

Using battery cleaner spray bombs is the quick and easy way to clean them. Just spray it on and hose it off. However, it's nothing more than glorified baking soda so you can use that also.

We've found that some of our construction equipment was prone to battery terminal corrosion and the best thing we ever did was to call our local auto parts store and have them drop off some battery terminal washers. These are felt washers that slide over the battery posts before you pout the cable connectors on. They are treated with some kind of chemical that really does an awesome job of neutralizing the acids that cause the corrosion. They last between 1 and 2 years, depending upon how harsh the conditions are. I'd highly recommend getting a pack of these. I had my doubts at first and was thinking "snake oil" but after having them a few years I am impressed.

[RV Wizard]

Buzz, you have gotten some good info and here are some links for even more if you want it.
http://www.dcbattery.com/faq.html#1
http://www.usbattery.com/care.htm
http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Bat...ery%20Charging

[Buzz]

Thanks for all the replies, by the way the chasis battery is not a care-free battery, but I will clean all of them and get some dielectric grease and try that, also make sure not to overfill cells.

We'll see what happens.

[Old Snipe]

I just went through the same issue with my Winnebago Adventuer 35U. Found all kinds of sulfation in the battery box and one of the house batteries had one low cell. Pulled all 3 batteries out, cleaned out the box, cleaned off the batteries and refilled the one low cell, then filled it again and by the third time, I found there was a crack in the battery case. Replaced both house batteries with larger, higher amp batteries as a pair, you just can't replace one new battery and pair it to an old battery. Have a perfect rectangle of dead grass on my lawn where I put the battery when I took it out!

Best Regards!

[hogbreth]

Chassis battery is probably sealed. Buy 2 AGM's for your house batteries and never worry about corrosion again.