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Old 03-12-2012, 12:02 PM   #1
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Battery/Charger Issue?

I'm not sure what's happening so I'm going to ask the forum and see what others think. I just bought my Jayco Kiwi 25E last week. When I bought it the battery was basically dead. It had been in storage so I just hooked up to my TV and powered it up that way to verify everything worked. Once I got it home I plugged into the house using my 110v/15a outlet. I know when I got home I checked the battery and it was about 50% charged after being hooked up for about 8 hours to my TV. The next day, after being plugged into the house, I checked again and it was 100%. Over the course of the next couple days I continued to work on the camper cleaning it and making some minor modifications. While in the camper I noticed on occasion that the overhead lights would seem to dim and them come back to full a few times then be fine. I attributed this to what I thought was just a loose plug where the extension cord plugged into my house outlet. Yesterday it was doing it for a couple minutes so I walked over to the monitor panel and checked the battery level. It was at 25%... I checked again a few minutes later and it was 75%. It then went up and down from 25-75% while I held it. I was a bit confused since I was connected to the house how it could possibly drain the batter rather than trickle charging it. This morning as I was leaving my house I noticed what looked like steam coming off of or out of the battery box. I opened the battery box cover and saw would looked like stream coming from the battery vents... it smelled of battery acid. Being concerned I immediately disconnected the house plug so it would stop charging. Now I'm worried... is this a battery gone bad or somehow my power supply/charging system has cooked my battery??? No clue. I've been a camper for many years and previously owned a PU camper. Never had to deal with a RV with battery before so I'm at a lose. Your suggestions for this newbie would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Jon
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Old 03-12-2012, 12:40 PM   #2
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When the battery is charging, it will give off fumes, like you smelled. Also, if your TT has one of the 3-stage converters, then when it switches between the full charge - trickle charge - float charge, you will likely notice a small change in the interior lights level of brightness. This is because as the converter switches between the 3 charging states, it's output voltage changes to accomplish this. I suggest the first thing to investigate is the acid strength in the battery. This will give you a more accurate indication of the battery condition. This test is done with a Hydrometer. They only cost a few bucks and are well worth having on hand for future use. You may find that even though you got a 100% indication, the hydrometer will show one or more individual cells of the battery are weak or bad. In this case, you will need to replace the battery.
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Old 03-12-2012, 12:52 PM   #3
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And that would cause what looked like smoke to be coming from the battery vents? It was pretty warm as well. It got down to 40 degrees last night btw.
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Old 03-12-2012, 12:54 PM   #4
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I would also check the water level in all cells... use only distilled water if you find they are low.
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Old 03-12-2012, 01:16 PM   #5
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Ok, I can't recall ever not having a maintenance-free battery so I guess I'll check tonight when I get home...I'm guessing I just pull the plugs off the top and look inside to see the levels... how far up to I fill them if I find any low?
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Old 03-12-2012, 01:28 PM   #6
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On most of the batteries I have seen, there's a little lip that shows where the fill level should be.
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Old 03-12-2012, 02:03 PM   #7
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And that would cause what looked like smoke to be coming from the battery vents? It was pretty warm as well. It got down to 40 degrees last night btw.
Yes, for both the vapor and heat. I really do think you have a bad battery with one or more cells having sulfate build up on the plates. The Hydrometer will tell the story.
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Old 03-12-2012, 02:27 PM   #8
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Here is another thread on this topic which you may find interesting;
http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...hlight=battery
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Old 03-12-2012, 02:33 PM   #9
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Yes, thank you David... I read that post earlier today. What threw me off was the fluctuating power level and lights fluttering as well. I'll pick up a hydrometer on the way home and check tonight.
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Old 03-12-2012, 11:14 PM   #10
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Ok. I bought the hydrometer and a gallon of distilled water. No way to check it since no fluid was visible in any of the six fill holes. Added water to each and now charging overnight. It took nearly 1/2 gallon to fill all six cells. Making hissing sounds and warm after an hour. Battery meter showed 2/3.
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Old 03-13-2012, 05:40 AM   #11
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Sounds like maybe you were a tad bit low...

Assuming you can get it charged up, the hydrometer will tell you the real condition of the battery. From everything I've seen, the hydrometer will give you the most accurate reading so David472 was spot on.
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Old 03-13-2012, 05:44 AM   #12
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Ok. I bought the hydrometer and a gallon of distilled water. No way to check it since no fluid was visible in any of the six fill holes. Added water to each and now charging overnight. It took nearly 1/2 gallon to fill all six cells. Making hissing sounds and warm after an hour. Battery meter showed 2/3.
Oh oh, this is not a good sign. If the fluid has boiled off, exposing the plates to the air, the battery has been damaged.
Likely it had sulphate problems first though.
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Old 03-13-2012, 11:14 AM   #13
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So I went out this morning and checked with the hydrometer... got nothing from any of the cells... I was able to get fluid out but the float never floated... perhaps I need to charge it longer? Two of the six cells had cloudy liguid, the other four looked like clear water if that makes any sense. From what I can see in the paperwork given me by the original owners, the battery has been replaced twice in the 10 years it has been alive. It's an '02 that had the battery replaced in '04 and '07. Both times it was replaced with an Interstate SRM-24. I realize most batteries last 5 years but on an RV that never gets used?
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Old 03-13-2012, 11:48 AM   #14
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Okay, well to avoid early battery failure, keep the battery on a battery tender, otherwise known as a float charger. The current delivered by those is less than 1 amp, but keeps the battery from developing the problems you see there now. Even sitting unused for one month will shave time off its life. By using a battery tender, life expectancy of 7 years is achievable. From your descriptions, I would say your present battery is beyond hope. Sorry for that.
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Old 03-13-2012, 12:02 PM   #15
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Thanks David, that's my thought too... I keep my ATV's on a tender. Looks like I need one for the RV now. I have the IOTA DLS-45 that apparently only does 2-stage. Would you recommend I get the IQ-3 add-on or do I need to upgrade the converter altogether?
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Old 03-13-2012, 12:11 PM   #16
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There are several things going against this battery, From your first post it was stone dead to begin with, possibly for an undetermined amount of time. Not good. Then there is the very low water level, and age of the battery. Yes 5 yrs I would consider a good life for an RV battery, lucky to get that with the limited use which can actually harm a battery if it is not tended to properly and is discharged too low several times. I would go get a decent deep cycle battery right now and eliminate that from the unknowns. Not good starting off with a 5 yr old battery with unknown past care, even if it takes a charge it will come back to bite you at an inconvenient time. (Been there, done that!)

BTW welcome to the forum!
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Old 03-13-2012, 12:35 PM   #17
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Thanks Lee... online looking for replacement battery now. Any suggestions?
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Old 03-13-2012, 12:55 PM   #18
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If you are going to be camping where there are always electrical hookups, you do not need anything fancy or special. A Group 24 Deep cycle Interstate battery like the dealers install would be fine. Some even use Marine/Starting batteries with good success. If you will be boondocking with only your battery(s), you would want to step up to something better, perhaps one of our boondocking experts can recommend what is best size and amperage wise.
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Old 03-13-2012, 12:56 PM   #19
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Thanks David, that's my thought too... I keep my ATV's on a tender. Looks like I need one for the RV now. I have the IOTA DLS-45 that apparently only does 2-stage. Would you recommend I get the IQ-3 add-on or do I need to upgrade the converter altogether?
I'm not familiar with the options for upgrading your converter. Having a 3-stage converter either through upgrading your present one, or another model would be nice if the dollars are available. A TT dealer may be able to give you some options there. As for battery types, mine is an Interstate SRM-24. Generally they seem to have a good reputation. You may try using a tender between camping trips, and keep the present converter for now. Comes down to personal choice.
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Old 03-13-2012, 01:04 PM   #20
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The current battery is a SRM-24 so I'll probably stick with that. There really won't be a way to use a battery tender between trips because the unit will be at a storage facility. But now that I know more about batteries than I ever expected to, I can probably get the next one to last longer by checking the water levels and hydrometer readings on it. I'm not finding one of the IOTA IQ-3 smart chargers anywhere online. Looks like they are long past their life expectancy and the IQ-4 won't work on the older DLS series.
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