Battery acid eating floor

[namusmc65]

Just found a lot of corrosion from battery acid in my front storage compartment. Have not seen any leakage or corrosion on the battery terminals. This is on a 2014 Eagle 5th wheeler. I keep the terminals sprayed with cleaner and then with a protective coat to prevent corrosion from forming. These 2 12 volt batteries sit in plastic storage cases that have covered top with a vent hose for air to the front of the storage compartment. Could the air blowing back through these vent hoses be forcing acid out of the compartment to the flooring. I cleaned up around them yesterday and vacuumed all the corrosion I could get up. Also set the cases up on 2 / 6 wood to keep them off the floor. Don't know if this will help or not. We are going to be on the road for the next 3 weeks so will have to wait for a more permanent solution then. Anyone had any experience with this. I am seeing some rusting underneath the floor on the outside of the compartment. The rig is kept plugged in while at home not being used.

[RoyBraddy]

If it is plugged in all the time I would most definitely keep a close look on battery fluids.. Maybe check them every couple of weeks... IN my case I only had a 13.6VDC Single Mode Converter Charger going and it would boil out my battery fluids over time... I lost one of my 12V BATTERIES doing this before I caught on what was happening. My remaining three 12V Batteries connected in parallel lasted from 2008 to around 2014 before they started to not hold a good charge very long...

After I replaced single mode converter/charger with a smart mode charger setup those problems went away. My batteries are kept in their own compartment... I have vent that exhaust to the outside just above my battery bank in my fifth wheel trailer. I don't see any acid damage anywhere around my batteries their... I clean the terminals a couple of times during the season...

My off-road camper has the batteries out on the tongue area so no worry about battery acid there doing any damage. These are installed using the plastic battery cases...


Roy's image

My single battery box in my fifth wheel is installed in a plastic box with vent tube...


google image

Roy Ken

[RogerR]

I agree that it is mostly boiled off acid condensing in the enclosed area that is not vented properly.

Check your voltage when they are fully charged over a few days. I bet that you are being heavily overcharged, losing acid and killing your batteries over time in addition to the acid problem.

So I think you have two problems, bad charging system and no dedicated battery vent.

By the way, batteries can emit hydrogen. If condensed in a small area it can cause an explosion and/or fire. Vent them puppies!

Alternative, get AGM or similar batteries that don't need to be vented.

[jimp]

Someone makes an battery acid detector/neutralizer/cleaner in a spray can. should not harm your interior compartment but I would be careful all the same. Should be available at most parts stores. You probably have battery acid residue which will eventually eat/destroy most anything except plastic. Baking soda and water will neutralize the battery acid residue BUT will also ruin a battery. GL