Batteries are very hot....

[XoXSciFiGuy]

Years ago, I worked at the Exide Battery warehouse in Sumner, WA and it was my job to check and grade all the core batteries that came in. They were graded as Total Junk, Might Be Recharged and Saved, and Still Good. I was doing this to pallet loads of them each day.

If you have batteries that are getting that hot...do NOT use them one bit further until you figure out what the problem is and get it fixed. You can get killed or disfigured if one of them explodes. Or maybe it just catches fire and burns the RV if you are lucky.

I have heard many batteries explode. It sounds like a 12 gauge shotgun going off nearby and it is scary and extremely dangerous. Do not risk your life. Take that rig right to a professional battery installation place and get whatever the heck is going on fixed, checked, and verified that it is fixed, checked, and verified. Before you do that...disconnect ALL charging to those batteries. No power to them at all.

At the Exide warehouse, they would fill and charge hundreds of batteries at a time on these big racks and the guys who worked with them wore stuff that looked like heavy spacesuits. The rack room was separated from the rest of the warehouse with clear plastic tarp...but the tarp was very thick...maybe a quarter inch thick or more.

That was done to contain the explosions that happened occasionally. Even new batteries can explode on you if they have a shorted cell due to a manufacturing defect. No one got hurt because when they turned on the charging juice, everyone had to leave the rack area. About once a month the usual shotgun explosion would happen and everyone in the warehouse would duck involuntarily. It was a really crappy part of the job. After about six months and a dozen explosions, my nerves were shot and I quit.

Exploding car battery can be like a bomb. No. It IS a bomb. Not one more watt to those batteries, not ONE...until it is fixed. What is wrong? My best guess is that either something is not connected correctly, or you have a partially shorted cell in one of the batteries. The guys who installed them are responsible here, since I will assume there is a warranty. But you must stop all charging and use immediately, or chances are the bad cell battery will explode on you. It could ruin much of your RV with the splattering acid, and if you are nearby, you could even be killed or seriously hurt.

[GHen]

My brother had a battery explode, he got lucky. Several scars on his face and hands from the acid and plastic shrapnel but no damage to his eyes.

[craigav]

I had a battery explode on me, it wasn't a huge percussion but did throw plastic and acid into my chest and face. Fortunately I was also in the process of flushing out the battery tray and had a running water hose on the ground next to me and I was able to immediately flush my eyes, face, and chest within seconds which allowed me to not have any lasting issues. Since that time, I never work on a battery (especially a hot or gassing battery) without eye protection and running water handy as if you do get battery acid in your eyes, you only have a few seconds before permanent damage occurs, much less time than if you get acid on your skin. ~CA

[SmokerBill]

Originally Posted by craigav

I had a battery explode on me, it wasn't a huge percussion but did throw plastic and acid into my chest and face. Fortunately I was also in the process of flushing out the battery tray and had a running water hose on the ground next to me and I was able to immediately flush my eyes, face, and chest within seconds which allowed me to not have any lasting issues. Since that time, I never work on a battery (especially a hot or gassing battery) without eye protection and running water handy as if you do get battery acid in your eyes, you only have a few seconds before permanent damage occurs, much less time than if you get acid on your skin. ~CA

You might keep a container of baking soda nearby too, since it neutralizes acids.

https://www.batteryskills.com/what-t...-gets-on-skin/

[Learjet]

Originally Posted by cadman_ks

That's the plan...



You obviously missed post #4 where I said I didn't have a meter with me while we were camping, so I had no way to test them then. And then you missed post #58 where I talked about not having great access to the unit when it's in storage, so I'm only going in there once, after I have new batteries, and I had to put the unit away when we got home.



I knew that if they replaced them, they would be with the same exact same model / size / type



I'm actually wondering if they had a bad batch of batteries somehow? I haven't had a chance to talk to the shop owner who did the swap (another associate was there when I picked them up), so I don't know what they determined about them. The Interstate driver had this particular battery on his truck, so I didn't have to wait for them to order them. It is a pretty common battery though.

We're gone this weekend, but I should have a chance early next week to install the new batteries, and test the converter.

THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYONE'S HELP!

Stay tuned...

Turn off all the lights in the camper so there is virtually no voltage drop going through the BMPro Node, then go to the "Energy Center" on the BmPro tablet or app on your phone and read the "system voltage"....no need for a voltage meter. Normal should be between 13.1 and 14.4 volts. Note: it should not stay at 14.4 volts for days....after the batteries are fully charged and a day or two passes voltage should settle at ~13.2

[Chainfall78]

This weekend while on shore power I discovered the battery off gassing something terrible
Battery temperature was 220 degrees. I shut the converter down not knowing what the problem was.
Will talk to dealer tomorrow

21 29.5 bhds new in February

[cadman_ks]

Originally Posted by Chainfall78

This weekend while on shore power I discovered the battery off gassing something terrible
Battery temperature was 220 degrees. I shut the converter down not knowing what the problem was.
Will talk to dealer tomorrow

21 29.5 bhds new in February

WOW!! I don't think that ours was that hot, but it was hit for sure.

What brand of batteries did you have out of curiosity...

[Chainfall78]

Interstate. Jan of 22

From what I'm reading it's strictly a battery problem, it's going to dealer in the morning

[cadman_ks]

Originally Posted by Chainfall78

Interstate. Jan of 22

From what I'm reading it's strictly a battery problem, it's going to dealer in the morning

Hummm.... Interstate Nov 21 here.

[cadman_ks]

I finally had a chance to work on the 5er tonight.

This is what I did, in this order:

1. Tested the batteries BEFORE installing, and both checked at about 12.7V
2. Turned on the converter breaker. Had it off, when the batteries were removed so that I could continue to run the fridge
3. Tested the converter output at the end of the battery cable eyelets, and it was 13.2
4. Hooked up the batteries
5. Tested voltage at the batteries AFTER hooking them back up, and it is still running at 13.2

At this point, everything appears to be running correctly, but I haven't had the power hooked up to the batteries long enough to see how hot they get.

I will go out there after an hour or so, and see how it's doing. If it's hot again, then there's something wrong with the converter. If the batteries are not hot, and the power hasn't spiked or fallen to some ridiculous number, then it was the batteries.

Should be able to report more tomorrow...

[cadman_ks]

After about 1.5 hours of being on the converter, the voltage of the batteries is now about 13.4, and I just checked the temp of the batteries with the heat gun, and they are actually at ambient, which is about 80F here currently.

I'll check one more time in the morning, just to be sure, but at this point, it appears that the batteries were indeed the culprit...

A HUGE THANKS AND SHOUT OUT TO EVERYONE THAT HELPED WITH THIS! It's your assistance that makes this a great place!!

[XoXSciFiGuy]

Originally Posted by Chainfall78

This weekend while on shore power I discovered the battery off gassing something terrible
Battery temperature was 220 degrees. I shut the converter down not knowing what the problem was.
Will talk to dealer tomorrow

21 29.5 bhds new in February

Don't take chances. With a battery that new, what you probably have going is a partially shorted cell, i.e. a quality issue problem during manufacturing process. Insist strongly that Interstate test and replace BOTH batteries at ONCE. It's a big warehouse, the size of a Lowe's or bigger. If one of them explodes, it could ruin half that RV or if you happen to be standing near them...you could be seriously injured.

Been down this road. I have experience here. I was in charge of testing and grading all incoming used batteries at the Exide battery warehouse in Sumner, WA. You don't want to mess around with a bad or shorted battery. One of your cells (most likely) is partially shorted and that is causing the heat buildup.

If it explodes in a bad way...it is louder than a 12 gauge shotgun going off. Acid will spray everywhere, soak everything, and ruin all that it touches. Also good possibility of fire.

LOL...I just went to Google Maps to see the old warehouse. Looks like they went out of business at that location. Damn, I am getting old for sure.

[Learjet]

as others have said...that battery is damaged if its been heated to that temperature and must be replaced.

[Chainfall78]

Went to the dealer today and swapped it for a new one

[cadman_ks]

Originally Posted by Chainfall78

Went to the dealer today and swapped it for a new one

That's excellent!! More indication that something is wrong with those batteries from Interstate in the recent time frame...

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by cadman_ks

That's excellent!! More indication that something is wrong with those batteries from Interstate in the recent time frame...

Yes, but only the sealed ones. Similar, but regular batteries with caps, are just fine. My dealer said this back in October of last year

[Chainfall78]

At least a battery with caps is able to be monitored