Battery leaking?

[stefanarroyo]

Hi all,
I was given a new battery from the dealership when we picked up our new trailer a few months back. The battery case on the frame has water in it every time I take the battery out and it smells kind of acidy. I remove it between trip to have a trickle charge applied, but I know these batteries need water in them. It's a brand new battery but should it be expelling some water along the way? When it's charging in a table in my garage, the table is wet after I lift the battery. Doesn't seem normal to me...

[skids]

No, not normal. Was the battery overfilled? The level should not be much higher than the plates when looking into the fill caps. Has the level been dropping? It is possible to have a cracked case.

[Mustang65]

One more thing to look at. Some battery case covers have vent holes molded in the covers that allow a little rain water to seep into the battery box. My older covers did this but my newer covers do not. The issue is that there are no drain holes on the bottom of the battery cases. Once you identify the problem you can drill a few drain holes in the bottom of the case, don't tell the EPA is said this. Condensation could also be an issue depending on your location.

What is the water level in the batteries, if they are all full, I would venture to say that it is rain water. If one of more cells are below the tops of the plates then you may have a cracked case, or cells that have gone bad.

Either way, it is not a SAFE situation.

- Get some rubber gloves,
- BE VERY CAREFUL, battery acid is very dangerous
- Put on some old clothes that you can discard if necessary as battery acid will eat through the material once they are washed
- Mark the battery cables (-) & (+) so you do not forget, or take a picture
- Disconnect the battery,
- Lay down some paper towels (in an area where no one (kids) can get to them
- Wipe down the battery case
- Put them on clean dry paper towels
- Let them sit 24 hours and see if it wets the paper towels

- As for the battery case, drain the water out of it
- Use some baking soda and wash the battery case
- Drill a few 1/4' holes at each end of the case

Check the battery, if it is not leaking put it back in the battery box and reconnect the cables, they should be marked so you do not hook them up in reverse and cause additional problems. The holes you drilled should eliminate the standing water.

If the battery was leaking, take it back to the dealer and have them exchange it for a new one.

Don
My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[Jagiven]

Not sure where to start with this one. 1st drill a few 1/4" or slightly larger holes in the bottom of the plastic box on the TT. Somehow, these boxes collect rain water.

The on board system will charge the battery if you are plugged in to the shore power, via the 3 stage converter. If the converter is bad, it may boil the battery, as it is putting to much charge into the battery. This may be true for your charger you are using in the garage too. If the TT's integrated charger is boiling the battery you may need a new converter. I had to do this my 1st year.

These are not maintenance free batteries. You do have to add water from time to time. ONLY add DISTILLED WATER to the cells, or you will greatly shorten the batteries life. Always keep the fluid level above the plates and below the base of the cap.

Ultimately the fluid should stay in the battery. In general they should stay dry, unless your dumping a lot of charge into them quickly.

[Akraft]

My battery case was collecting water also. It was from the rain. I had to drill a small hole in the bottom of the case so it would no longer be able to collect.

Add distilled water to your battery, charge it, and test the battery with a load tester to see if it is still holding a charge. If it is still holding a good charge, wait 30 days and the re-check the battery fluid level.