Community Forums

hydro45640 · 04-19-2014, 10:58 AM

I have a 2002 Dolphin 5355. It has been parked in my driveway for about 2 months. I entered the coach and it had a distinct odor of battery gas. I opened the compartment under the step and there is 2 Interstate 12 volt batteries hooked negative to negative and positive to positive. One battery is cool and the other is very warm and there is some bubbling when I removed the caps. Is this a sign that the battery is going bad due to a dead cell or do I have a different problem.

Rook · 04-19-2014, 11:13 AM

Could be a shorted cell in the hot one. Remove it from the battery bank and measure the voltage from + to - with a load on it.......that will tell you. Rook

donhoward49 · 04-19-2014, 10:13 PM

Google "the 12 volt side of life" Good infor on RV batteries

hydro45640 · 04-21-2014, 10:12 AM

Rook;
Thanks for your advice. I had the battery tested this morning and it had a dead cell.
Can you see any advantage of an AGM over a standard wet cell?

dennis45 · 04-21-2014, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hydro45640

Rook;
Thanks for your advice. I had the battery tested this morning and it had a dead cell.
Can you see any advantage of an AGM over a standard wet cell?

Depends on how much you want to spend, how long do you plan to keep your coach and do you mind doing a little battery maintenance.
IMHO, the cost of AGMs is not worth it. I put 4 new wet cells in my coach about for years ago for under $400. About 18 months ago I added 4oz of mineral oil to each cell and have not added water since and the terminals and battery compartment are clean as new. Considerably less cost than AGMs.
Check your battery voltage when you are plugged in to shore power. It should not be higher than 13.7 VDC. (With new batteries installed after at least a day plugged in) High charge voltage is one of the leading causes of battery failures.

Rook · 04-21-2014, 11:11 AM

Don't know much about AGM batteries, but I agree with what dennis45 said.......especially the part about AGMs being EXPENSIVE compared to a good 12vdc wet cell battery. I have no plans to replace my wet cell batteries with AGMs. Rook

chboone · 04-21-2014, 11:27 PM

Being a 2002 coach your charger may not be capable of correctly charging AGM batteries.

Chuck

njs42 · 04-22-2014, 03:52 AM

To make watering easier (and therefore preformed more regularly) I added a pro fill set up to my batteries (4 six volts) it now takes seconds, no bending or mess so I do it happily.

Saved a lot by buying wet cells and making maintenance easy and painless.

homecan1 · 04-22-2014, 11:01 AM

I second the wet cell with Pro-fill installation. AGM's are big bucks and properly maintained wet cells will give you the necessary performance and longevity.