Battery Exploded

[HppyCmpr]

What would cause a new battery to explode while stored? Can it explode because of heat?:ermm:

[sourdough]

New as in you just bought it brand new? Supposed to be new in a new camper? New to you?

With a proper charger or tender and proper mtce. (filled with water, clean posts etc.) more info is needed. As indicated above overcharging, lack of mtce. or water could lead to a problem.

[HppyCmpr]

The TT is plugged in 365 days a year.. Is it possible it was overcharged? The TT is only a year old. What maintenance is there for the battery? Sorry, these are probably dumb questions, but I am still new at this.

[notanlines]

Here is a little info for you: https://www.centurybatteries.co.nz/content/documents/battery-talk/issue-3-battery-talk-exploding-batteries.pdf

[flybouy]

The TT is plugged in 365 days a year.. Is it possible it was overcharged? The TT is only a year old. What maintenance is there for the battery? Sorry, these are probably dumb questions, but I am still new at this.

Check water level in the battery monthly ar a min if constant'y charging. Water evaporates, plates get exposed, water boils, boiling battery acid creates hydrogen gas, plates warp and touch, then spark equals boom.

[Customer1]

Got a picture? I've never seen an exploded battery.

If a battery isn't maintained it will eventually go dry.

[JRTJH]

here ya go. It might be a "unicorn" but if so, then "unicorns are real"...

[sourdough]

Got a picture? I've never seen an exploded battery.

If a battery isn't maintained it will eventually go dry.


I never saw one either...sort of. In a parking lot many years ago and heard a loud "bang". Folks in a vehicle a row or so over acting panicky. Went over and they opened their hood; and there it was, an exploded battery. First and only one I've ever seen. Didn't hang out, just took on off.

[flybouy]

The fact that "you or I have never seen..." Doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Conversely, just because you or I have seen ... " doesn't mean it's real. There are many illusionists that are very good at tricking the eye and many, many "doctored" photos and videos online designed to deceive.

[hornet28]

For those who've never seen or heard of a battery exploding, it happens. The only one I've had personal experience with happen when I had a farm. The tractor battery needed charging so it was on the charger. I took the charger off and reached over to start the tractor, as soon as I hit the key the battery exploded, it had boiled dry and the fumes/gases it released ignited and blew it to pieces. The one JRTJH pictured is pretty intact, mine was in pieces aroiund the shop. You also wouldn't want to be only a foot or so away in an enclosed building as it's one heck of a noise

[Roscommon48]

several possiblities but I curious of why it is always charging? just unplug your neg. on batteries and they remain great for months.


personally I would not keep charging my batteries unless I was going to use the trailer in a week or two.

[HppyCmpr]

I keep my TT plugged in all year. We had an electric pole installed on the property just for that reason. Just didnt realize I had to keep checking on the battery while it was plugged in, but I do now. :facepalm:

[HppyCmpr]

Picture of battery, if you look closely at the top you can see that the whole top is open.

[travelin texans]

Picture of battery, if you look closely at the top you can see that the whole top is open.

Notice the label on that battery, it says Marine/RV 550 CCA, works great to start your boat motor & run the trolling motor a while, but NOT what you want in a rv.
Replace it with a true deep cycle battery with no "CC or CCA" listed, look for the most "aH" rating available, a group 24, 27 or 31 12 volt is you best choice.

[Frank G]

When charging a lead acid battery of any type or size or condition, one of the first gases produced is H2, H2 is highly explosive in concentration and any spark, internal or external can set it off. Every RV comes with a battery vent system, and it is rarely installed properly by the selling dealer.

The onboard charging system in the RV can be on 24/7 without doing harm to a properly maintained battery.

A overcharged, low fluid level battery will not explode without some external intrusion.

When changing out cells in industrial power batteries we were trained and trained others to open all caps and move some air across them to vent the H2, then pass the torch over the cells before doing soldering work.

[HppyCmpr]

That is the battery that came with the camper...I have only had it a year. Figured the dealer would know what battery goes in it. Will keep that in mind when i replace it. Thanks

[sourdough]

That is the battery that came with the camper...I have only had it a year. Figured the dealer would know what battery goes in it. Will keep that in mind when i replace it. Thanks


Most people figure that. Just remember they put "something" in the trailer to make it work and get it off the lot. I made that mistake buying a new trailer and told them I wanted them to add a 2nd battery before taking it....they did. I saw the 2nd battery box and didn't go to the trouble of removing everything to get to it to check so figured it was good. In about a year I had battery issues; the "2nd" battery looked like something they had found in a back corner somewhere (Camco) and it had cannibalized the good battery resulting in my replacing both of them. In their defense (dealerships) I doubt they actually have a clue between true deep cycle and a car battery.....they're all 12 volts right?:D

[ChuckS]

Curious if you removed the battery terminals and measured output voltage of the converter... It should be 13.4 to 13.8 nominal but if it went into boost mode that would be 14.4 and would... if it stuck at that output result in an overheated battery that would start to outgas..

Also a shorted cell would cause overheat condition and rupture the case...

curious when the last time was that the caps were removed to check electrolyte levels in the cells

A properly maintained battery connected to a properly working converter can be kept plugged in yea round..

over 40 years of Rvs and ive always kept mine plugged in year round when not using... and I check the battery fluid levels once a month

[sourdough]

Curious if you removed the battery terminals and measured output voltage of the converter... It should be 13.4 to 13.8 nominal but if it went into boost mode that would be 14.4 and would... if it stuck at that output result in an overheated battery that would start to outgas..

Also a shorted cell would cause overheat condition and rupture the case...

curious when the last time was that the caps were removed to check electrolyte levels in the cells

A properly maintained battery connected to a properly working converter can be kept plugged in yea round..

over 40 years of Rvs and ive always kept mine plugged in year round when not using... and I check the battery fluid levels once a month



I think post #3 indicated OP did not know maintenance should be performed.

[flybouy]

That is the battery that came with the camper...I have only had it a year. Figured the dealer would know what battery goes in it. Will keep that in mind when i replace it. Thanks

The dealer strikes a deal with a supplier (Interstate is a popular brand) to purchase them by the pallet load. That's the battery you get. Keystone does not speck the battery other than the voltage.

[thefulminator]

I used to work in a battery shop. For a battery to explode there needs to be an ignition source and something to ignite. The ignition source is usually a shorted cell or a bad terminal connection. The fuel to ignite is the hydrogen gas produced when a battery is charged.

If a battery is over charged, the water in is is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen which recombines into water after ignition. If the battery has a cell short, which is caused by contact between adjacent plates a spark inside the battery can happen once the cell is boiled nearly dry. This is usually caused by repeated too high of a load on the battery or over charging. When too high of a load is repeated, the plates will flex slightly during that loading. That causes the lead sulfate in the plates to fall out and gather at the bottom of the cell. Over charging does the same thing by overheating the plates. Once enough lead sulfate has built up in the cell it can contact adjacent plates. The easiest way to see if you have a cell short is to load test the battery, usually at a shop with the right equipment and see if one or more cells appear to boil during loading.

One other thing. If you have 12V dual battery system, be sure that the batteries are the same model and same age. If you have two different configuration batteries in parallel, the weaker battery which has the lower resistance, will charge first and overheat while the stronger battery will charge less.

[CarmieJo]

Thanks for posting this. I didn't know I needed to do anything to the batteries except keep the red switch to the "On" position so they charge when I'm driving or plugged in. Hope you can help a girl out. Would I just pry the long caplike things off the top and pour water in them?https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOtP_VCvlwwXa0ySbX495I3QGMYBungHYqfRMZL

[flybouy]

Your Google link is broken. A 12 volt battery will gave six cells and six caps, or two caps of three. Only use distilled water (about $1 a gallon) available at any grocery store, big box store or pharmacy. You should use enough to cover the plates inside put not above the bottom rim of the hole.

If you're concerned about making a mess just buy a cheap turkey baster and use that to add water.

[sourdough]

Thanks for posting this. I didn't know I needed to do anything to the batteries except keep the red switch to the "On" position so they charge when I'm driving or plugged in. Hope you can help a girl out. Would I just pry the long caplike things off the top and pour water in them?https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOtP_VCvlwwXa0ySbX495I3QGMYBungHYqfRMZL


Depending on battery location and your desire to mess with cap removal, replacement and dropping water into the cells while peering into them with a flashlight :D, you might look into a battery watering system such as I bought.

The last trailer required the removal of LP tanks, various brackets and then crawling under the trailer to retrieve/place the battery straps so I installed the watering system. What a relief/time saver. Liked it so much I moved it to this 5th wheel even though the batteries are so much easier to get to. Just open the compartment, attach the pump line, put the end in the bottle of distilled water, pump a couple of times, disconnect and you're done; all of 2 minutes. Just a thought.

[bbells]

When charging batteries put out hydrogen gas. Add a spark to hydrogen gas and you get a big pop. So, to explode you need heavy charging and a spark. Static electricity will do it.

[CarmieJo]

https://photos.google.com/search/battery/photo/AF1QipOtP_VCvlwwXa0ySbX495I3QGMYBungHYqfRMZL

Try this link.

[flybouy]

https://photos.google.com/search/battery/photo/AF1QipOtP_VCvlwwXa0ySbX495I3QGMYBungHYqfRMZL

Try this link.
I get the same 404 error as the other link.

[GaryUT]

Use a battery filler. Available from most automotive parts stores.


Video showing how to use them:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4SRUVdL8UY

[Northern Lights]

here ya go. It might be a "unicorn" but if so, then "unicorns are real"...
A 6 volt battery. Was it on a 12 volt charger?

[JRTJH]

A 6 volt battery. Was it on a 12 volt charger?

Who knows ??? The question wasn't about WHY a battery explodes, it was "I've never seen a battery explode" so I posted a photo of an exploded battery... I've no idea "why" and honestly, it doesn't really matter since the end result has already rendered the battery "exploded".....

[Jnich17]

I had one to explode 2 years ago. I keep mine plugged in all year and checked water every month. One morning i was in yard and found the top of the battery box about 25 feet from camper. I investigated and found that the battery had exploded sometime that week. There was no damage to camper thank goodness and just replaced with equivalent battery. No issues. Have since traded camper. However, later that summer my converter went out and had to replace it.

[DDuncan51]

What would cause a new battery to explode while stored? Can it explode because of heat?:ermm:
I'm not saying this is your problem but.... Make sure the battery is properly air vented.

A few years ago I inspected my brother-in-laws new 5th wheel prior to him accepting delivery. It came with one battery in its own vented compartment. He had an additional battery installed in the forward, completely sealed compartment. I pointed this out to the sales rep. Needless to say ,but I will anyway, they put an air vent in the compartment.

[geeman]

I used to work in a battery shop. For a battery to explode there needs to be an ignition source and something to ignite. The ignition source is usually a shorted cell or a bad terminal connection. The fuel to ignite is the hydrogen gas produced when a battery is charged.

If a battery is over charged, the water in is is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen which recombines into water after ignition. If the battery has a cell short, which is caused by contact between adjacent plates a spark inside the battery can happen once the cell is boiled nearly dry. This is usually caused by repeated too high of a load on the battery or over charging. When too high of a load is repeated, the plates will flex slightly during that loading. That causes the lead sulfate in the plates to fall out and gather at the bottom of the cell. Over charging does the same thing by overheating the plates. Once enough lead sulfate has built up in the cell it can contact adjacent plates. The easiest way to see if you have a cell short is to load test the battery, usually at a shop with the right equipment and see if one or more cells appear to boil during loading.

One other thing. If you have 12V dual battery system, be sure that the batteries are the same model and same age. If you have two different configuration batteries in parallel, the weaker battery which has the lower resistance, will charge first and overheat while the stronger battery will charge less.

Strange this came up. I am the fire chief at our volunteer dept and live across the street. About 2 weeks ago I was outside and heard a BOOM. A member was going to take the truck to a parade, turned on the master and hit the key and BOOM. It took out the 1st and 3rd of 4 batteries!!!

The batteries were only about 3 years old and were maintenance free type. Since new, 2004, the truck has been plugged in for onboard charging which is a 0.5 amp battery minder only.

We do not know the cause of the explosion but darn glad it had the big aluminum step cover over the batteries. :hide::hide:

[kntrygal]

I've been reading alot of the posts here and throughout the forum. Unless I'm mistaken, would a 12V golf cart battery w/ the following specs be a good choice then? The previous owner slapped a cheap car battery in for a single battery system.


Reserve Capacity(RC) @ 75Amps: 280
Amp Hours(Ah) @ 20Hr: 150

[DDuncan51]

They'll work fine. I run two similar to what you describe, size GC2, batteries in my RV.

[Ken / Claudia]

Thought all golf cart batteries are 6 volt?

[JRTJH]

Thought all golf cart batteries are 6 volt?

Typically they're either 6, 8 or 12 volts. Through the years I've avoided the 12 volt deep cycle batteries because they're heavier (about 2 times heavier than each GC2 6 volt battery) which makes them harder to lift in and out of the battery compartment. They also almost always cost more than a pair of comparable 6 volt batteries.

Right now, COSTCO has Interstate GC2 6 volt batteries for $87 and GC12 12 volt batteries for $240 (that's $66 more) for the larger and heavier 12 volt single battery.

[Ken / Claudia]

Ok thanks, maybe I have seen them and not known. Sounds like they are not a good choice on rv tongues. Like a big genny the power is nice,but cost and weight make them best to stay at home.

[dutchmensport]

ha! reading this thread makes me want to go check my batteries now in my Montana. It's been about 6 months now.

[DDuncan51]

I looked at the reviews for the Costco Interstate 6Volt batteries, I hate to say it, but they don't look to good. I've always been an Interstate fan, and have had no problems with customer service, replacement of bad batteries, but who needs the hassle, if it can be avoided?