Rotten egg smell

[mkultra]

I have my 2009 1207 plugged in sitting in the garage packed up so the frig can get cold. I walked into the garage this morning and was hit by a strong rotten egg like odor. I cant find the source. Any idea what that is?

I checked that the propane tanks are off. I don't have a toilet or a grey water tank.

[Camper_bob]

Water heater? Though you usually only smell that when the hot water is running I would think... Anyway, skunky water in the water heater has a rotten egg smell to it.

[mike837go]

Sulfur water in a water heater with the wrong or missing anode rod. Yes, if you are dealing with that smell when running the hot water.


Sulfur dioxide is also released from an overcharged flooded-cell battery. H2SO4, anyone?


Check your battery for insufficient water and see if the converter's battery charger is outputting properly.

[TWP723]

...or

there's a 3 week old Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich under it.

[mkultra]

I think if it was the water in the heater i would have smelled it before now.

I checked the battery and it was hot to the touch. The water level was a little low but not to bad. I filled it a bit and kept charging for an hour. The camper had been plugged in for 24 hours so it should have been charged by now so i pulled it off and checked the voltage. It showed 11.3 volts on the battery and the incoming charge was 13.8 volts.

Seems like the converter is working fine but maybe the battery is toast. Any opinions?

[norty1]

I think you are right. Do you disconnect the battery when not in use? Looks like a new battery is in your future.

could be the converter is overcharging it.

[mkultra]

I do not. Is that really a thing?

[Old skipper]

It is imperative you disconnect your batteries when in storage if not plugged in. Good luck on recovering your low battery but good chance it is toast.

[MtnMike]

Great thread...very helpful. This was our fourth trip with our trailer. Never had a problem before. Connected to the park power, we got 13.2-13.6 volts incoming. Planning to take it to the place we bought it, today. We were burining out fuses at the battery EVERY TIME we attempted to raise the trailer to attach to the car. The trailer service department put in a different fuse that "automatically resets" after "tripping." Could this burning up of fuses be a sign that the converter is/was a problem?

Plan to take it out next week for another trip. This thread makes me think:
batteries are toast
must evaluate converter
disconnect batteries when in storage - I didn't and they were always dead after a couple weeks

The help on this forum has saved our bacon before. Thanks for the help.

[MtnMike]

Fan running 24/7...Problem? Related to our converter? When the batteries were overcharging, creating the sulfur smell, we had a fan that was running below the oven, below the fuse box. Disconnecting the batteries and running directly with park power STOPPED the continual fan problem.

On our 3 previous trips, we never had this fan running constantly. Could this be a sign that our converter was the problem?

[norty1]

Originally Posted by MtnMike

Fan running 24/7...Problem? Related to our converter? When the batteries were overcharging, creating the sulfur smell, we had a fan that was running below the oven, below the fuse box. Disconnecting the batteries and running directly with park power STOPPED the continual fan problem.

On our 3 previous trips, we never had this fan running constantly. Could this be a sign that our converter was the problem?

Depends on what type controller you have on your rig.

[mike837go]

Originally Posted by MtnMike

Fan running 24/7...Problem? Related to our converter? When the batteries were overcharging, creating the sulfur smell, we had a fan that was running below the oven, below the fuse box. Disconnecting the batteries and running directly with park power STOPPED the continual fan problem.

On our 3 previous trips, we never had this fan running constantly. Could this be a sign that our converter was the problem?

The converter (battery charger portion) is trying to do its job against a failed battery. The charger is working hard, generating heat that the fan must get away from the circuitry.

Replace the battery, let the rig sit 24 hours plugged in and then see where you are.

[mike837go]

For this new battery, read and re-read the sticky on long-term battery care:
- Complete disconnection and avoid freezing when the RV is out of service
- Leave on an automatic charger year round


Either of those choices will give maximum life to a flooded-cell battery.