Community Forums

Kxbronco · 09-22-2019, 09:30 PM

I've been having some trouble with my generator starting since I've been west of Denver, CO. I've gotten it started once since I've been out here. So today sitting in a campground outside Zion I decided to take the spark plug out to see what kind of shape it was in. Long story short, I couldn't get the plug out. I forgot to reattach the spark plug wire and while connected to shore power, I tried to start the generator. I primed it once and then hit the start button (on the generator itself). I immediately got a loud pop. One of my house batteries had literally exploded!

Anybody got any ideas what could have caused this? I have an Onan Marquis Gold 7000 gas generator. I had 2 Interstate 6v deep cell batteries. Will be looking for a couple of new batteries tomorrow.

Skip426 · 09-22-2019, 09:36 PM

Was this a single cell that blew , or multiple cells?

99% sure the only thing that could cause your issue is an internal fault in the battery.

Extra load from the gen set starter, finished it off.

Searching_Ut · 09-22-2019, 10:00 PM

You didn’t mention how long you had been on shore power, but especially when charging, batteries gas hydrogen and oxygen in the perfect combination to get a nice little flash should it find an ignition source. Any sort of loose/bad connection on the top of the battery could have caused a small spark when you applied the load for the starter.

Batteries can also arc internally, especially if a portion of the plate is exposed above the fluid you can get an arc from plate warpage and flexing. Less likely would be plate material sluffing off in chunks etc but an arc deeper in the fluid is less likely to ignite surface gasses. Areas where the plates are connected etc can also come in to play depending on the internals of the batt. You really have to open them up to do a good assessment.

Make sure neutralize any spilled acid with a baking soda water solution, then rinse well to prevent corrosion, or getting acid on you later on.

Kxbronco · 09-22-2019, 10:05 PM

Thanks for the reply Skip426. I'm not sure how to tell if it was a single cell or multiple. I do know the top of the battery is in pieces and the sides are split. If I knew how to post a pic I would. The batteries are Interstate GC2-HD-UTL 115mins@75Amps.

Skip426 · 09-22-2019, 10:10 PM

Info on posting photos . In the link below .

Remember to re-size; 640 pixels works for me; and wait for the download to complete before you close the attachment box.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f62/forum...ics-49134.html

Kxbronco · 09-22-2019, 10:11 PM

Thanks for the reply Searching_Ut. I had been on shore power for 48 hrs. After it exploded, I checked the other battery and it was a little low on water. You may have it the nail on the head.

I did neutralize everything and rinsed thoroughly.

Kxbronco · 09-22-2019, 10:21 PM

Here's a bad pic of the exploded battery

followingsea · 09-22-2019, 10:25 PM

I have had two batteries 'pop' on my boat and also saw one explode when I was working at a gas station many years ago.

The sequence is charging an old battery and then hitting the starter.

You should have an eye wash station handy if you face is near a charging battery.

Kxbronco · 09-22-2019, 11:24 PM

Thanks for the reply followingsea. In this particular case, the generator is on the driver's side rear of the coach. The batteries are on the passenger side under the entry steps so no chance of eye injury this particular time. Your point is well taken.

twinboat · 09-23-2019, 06:39 AM

Since your generator starts from the house battery and you have been having starting issues, you may have found the culprit. Bad batteries and dirty connections.

The combination of both is a sure fire way to blow up the battery.

Kxbronco · 09-23-2019, 08:22 AM

Thanks for the reply twinboat. I just cleaned the battery compartment about a month ago, including batteries and connections. You may be correct in that the batteries were going bad and was causing the generator not to start. Seems like it did sound a little weak when trying to start it.

winniman · 09-23-2019, 09:38 AM

Deep cycle batteries are not the best for starting engines. If you have a bit of a hard to start genny, probably best to hit the auxiliary start button on the dash to link both battery bays together. This would give the genny much more power to get it started, and be less stress on the house batteries. My genny is a bit tough to start at times. This works for me.

Kxbronco · 09-23-2019, 06:38 PM

Thanks for the input winniman. I will definitely keep that in mind.

I got a couple new Interstate batteries today. Put them in and everything is working as it should. When I took both batteries in to pick up the new ones, the guy that sold them to me noticed that the 1 unexploded battery was swelled up. He said that one was about to go too. They actually took the exploded one as a core exchange.

I haven't tried the generator yet. That will happen tomorrow when I change sites. I'm a little gun shy at the moment!