Batteries Boiled Over - Now What?

Originally Posted by Pelagic

It completely dried out!

I put 22 litres of distilled water back into this one battery and have been re-charging for the last 4 days.

What gets me is the strong Sulpher-Rotten-egg smell that has been happening when I put a charge on it.

Is that normal?

NO! Absoluetly not normal. Rotten egg = hydrogen sulfide, and it is really bad for you, even at very low concentrations. This is not normal battery chemistry.

In my opinion you have taken your batteries and converted them to boat anchors. They have lost all but a tiny fraction of their original capacity if they even will hold a charge at all.

[H/V Vega]

I have the same charger inverter and mine has never given any problems at all, well other than going wonkie when my BEP battery switches melted at 1/3 their rated amps. There is a " reconditioning" setting for that unit. I forget what it is called. I have AGM batteries so never use it. What it does is pump 15+ volts at very little current into the batteries and is suposed to clean the plates of sulfates etc. If you are one very lucky man you may have had that function set. That will boil off the water, in fact that has to do with the cleaning according to the manual. Recheck your settings and best of luck. Batteries are always a pain but buying them is even more so.

[richardhula]

Everyone has their own opinion on battery maintenance, & advice that works for one person might not work for another without knowing the EXACT state of the batteries cells.

Certainly one thing is clear, GEL batteries require a lower charging float/equalise voltage typically 0.25 to 0.4v less in a 12v battery than lead acid (not as reported above). Whilst GEL & AGM batteries are very popular given that they are maintenance free & in the latter case light, most people still regard the good old lead acid full traction battery for boats as they can be charged hard & fast, last 5-10 years, but do require regular checking/topping up of electrolyte.

Most modern switch mode four stage chargers have adjustements for the type of battery you are using, some as many as five different modes. Make sure the charger is set to match the batteries & use the same type within a battery bank.

If a cell dies it often does so with a short circuit. In the case of a 12v battery this means the remaining three cells share the charging voltage of four & get seriously overcharged, develop great heat & must be isolated as soon as possible. Generally this only affects the faulty battery.

Note also that new batteries are stored dry charged. i.e. they are fully charged after manufacture then all the electrolyte is drained out. This gives them a long shelf life in the dealers & allows for safer shipping, but requires filling them with battery acid (not distilled water) before use. For this reason beware of any new batteries you may purchase already filled with electrolyte. They start ageing as soon as that happens.

[Joli]

Sams Club, $60 for a 6 volt golf cart battery.

[Chief Engineer]

Those Sam's Club Batteries are ok with me.....my customers recommended them

[Badsanta]

I think you had a bad battery before you replaced the inverter, hence the low out put. Then the new charger did its thing and the bad battery caused overcharging all the way around. If I was going out for any length of time I would never trust the batteries. I would pull them all out and take them to a Battery Mart place and have them tested overnight. Then its either good or you need to replace. Even if one battery is OK you will get better life if they ALL are the same type and age.