Smoking Batteries (was: Battery problem in our Parkliner) - Page 3 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 05-11-2013, 11:22 AM   #41
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
I'm trying to figure out if this issue caused the charger to overcharge the first battery which may have spewed the acid causing the smoke. I think the articles say that the charger will act differently if there are multiple batteries, do they not? I did not have this issue when I used Optima batteries in my dual hookup, because of the hookup. I think the charger is treating this setup as 2 batteries vs one large battery if it were wired otherwise, just looking for answers.
No that is not what the articles say.

The 1st key point here is that this bank is made of 2 identical batteries thus to the charger they will present the same load if they are both in good condition.

Good Condition is the 2nd key point.

If they are alike then the connection does not differ at all aside from the way it looks on paper in your example.

If one of the batteries is not OK then this could be a source of the trouble for sure as one is presenting a dead short or forcing the charger to dump more than its rated current somehow but if so connecting them the other way will yield the exact same result as again it is exactly the same except on paper.

What the article does say in regards to different batteries charging differently is all about having non matched batteries connected together which then DOES change the way they each divide the available charging current and can limit the extent to which they will charge.
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Old 05-11-2013, 11:22 AM   #42
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Don't touch it. If it came from the battery it's sulfuric acid. Get some baking soda and sprinkle it on. If it's acid it will bubble.
Oh dear, I should have known but didn't even think about that. Will do that!
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Old 05-11-2013, 11:30 AM   #43
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The bottom line here is:

Find out the condition of each battery before connecting them again to power i any way.

Do not reconnect until you know why this happened in the first place.

Battery Acid=BAD
Smoke=BAD
Fire=VERY BAD

All 3 are supposed to stay inside the batteries and that is where you need to keep them!
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Old 05-11-2013, 11:45 AM   #44
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Thomas G wrote: In my UHaul, I installed a 30 amp circuit breaker right at the battery terminal so that any wire past battery terminal itself is protected.

Would the inline fuse that Casitas and Scamps have right at the battery not serve the same purpose? or would it still be possible for this to happen? If it would prevent it would that not be a required item in an RV wiring code or something? or do they not have such things?


Mime, sorry this happened. I would be scared to use the trailer until it was all checked out by a professional & actual cause known. Would also make Parkliner aware of it ASP assuming this is how the trailer was connected when it came from the factory and no one has messed with it or pulled the batteries out since & possible messed things up a bit. Who knows perhaps they might even pay for it to be checked and fixed to get to the bottom of the caused it and perhaps prevent one of their customers in the future from being hurt or having a trailer damaged as a result.
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Old 05-11-2013, 11:48 AM   #45
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Originally Posted by Ed Harris View Post
The bottom line here is:

Find out the condition of each battery before connecting them again to power i any way.

Do not reconnect until you know why this happened in the first place.

Battery Acid=BAD
Smoke=BAD
Fire=VERY BAD

All 3 are supposed to stay inside the batteries and that is where you need to keep them!
------------------------------------------

Geeesh, I just looked inside my battery and there was no smoke or fire in there. Does this mean it has gone out and has to be lit, or is smoke & fire unique to AGM batteries? (LOL)



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Old 05-11-2013, 11:52 AM   #46
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Oh its in there Bob,Trust me!
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Old 05-11-2013, 12:04 PM   #47
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Originally Posted by Birmingham1 View Post
This may be really basic questions, but I am certainly no expert on RV wiring.

1. Did you install the circuit breaker on the wire feeding the batteries so that, in the event the converter goes crazy, it cannot give the batteries too many amps at once? Or did you install it on the wires leaving the batteries? Would there be any reason to do both?
2. The Parkliner has a 45 AMP Progressive Dynamics converter. If the OP were to install a circuit breaker (in the correct location) would they put in a 30? 45's look to be rare-ish. A 50?

Again, I apologize for the very basic questions, but I learn alot from everyone in these forums. I tried to Google search it but wasn't coming up with much that was helpful.

Mark
  1. The circuit breaker is right at the battery positive terminal so no more than 30 amps flows out, no more than 30 amps flows in.
  2. I would use a circuit breaker size that is compatible with the wire gauge connecting the battery to the fuse box - smaller is OK, not bigger. I doubt that you want to charge those batteries at more than 30 amps nor do you need to pull more than 30 amps to run lights, fan, furnace, etc. The 45 amp converter would allowed you to pull 45 amps through the fuses when plugged in to 110 volts.
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Old 05-11-2013, 12:09 PM   #48
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Trust Me?????

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Oh its in there Bob,Trust me!
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Must be one of those "Faith" things. I missed that class at HogWarts.

"Trust Me" the calling card of the Used Car & New or Used RV Salesman.....



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Old 05-11-2013, 12:10 PM   #49
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Must be one of those "Faith" things. I missed that class at HogWarts.

"Trust Me" the calling card of the Used Car & New or Used RV Salesman.....
It is actually just a Ham Radio thing as far as the Smoke is concerned.

Trust Me....Well.....
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Old 05-11-2013, 12:31 PM   #50
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Thanks all for your comments and advise. This was really, really disappointing and very very scary. Of course we are not touching anything until we can get it checked out. We have let Chandler know and it sounds like he has started using a different type of battery now, the ones used in wheelchairs he said. He said he will reimburse us for the batteries. We want to get the converter checked out and the system reviewed for safety for peace of mind. Hopefully Chandler will do us right and cover that too for peace of mind.
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Old 05-11-2013, 12:32 PM   #51
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The liquid was spewing out of the battery when we opened up the lid.

I believe that confirms my suspicion. The batteries were overcharged or charged too fast. That cause them to heat up and the relief valve to open and let some the expanding electrolyte out. (sulfuric acid).

Putting sealed batteries inside the trailer works, but the charger has to be able to charge them properly. I don't think that 45amp converter is a good match for AGM batteries, unless there's a switch for charging sealed batteries.
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Old 05-11-2013, 12:40 PM   #52
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Originally Posted by Bob Miller View Post
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Must be one of those "Faith" things. I missed that class at HogWarts.

"Trust Me" the calling card of the Used Car & New or Used RV Salesman.....

If the batteries and other electrical goodies are still working they still have their smoke, you just can't see, nor do you want to.
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Old 05-11-2013, 12:42 PM   #53
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It is actually just a Ham Radio thing as far as the Smoke is concerned.

Trust Me....Well.....
I've heard this thing about letting the smoke out long before I was a ham. It's more of an electronic thing, which includes Ham Radio.
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Old 05-11-2013, 12:52 PM   #54
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
I'm trying to figure out if this issue caused the charger to overcharge the first battery which may have spewed the acid causing the smoke. I think the articles say that the charger will act differently if there are multiple batteries, do they not? I did not have this issue when I used Optima batteries in my dual hookup, because of the hookup. I think the charger is treating this setup as 2 batteries vs one large battery if it were wired otherwise, just looking for answers.
Once again, it doesn't make any difference.
I believe the reason most people haven't had a problem is the discharge point of the batteries prior to charging. If the batteries were only slightly discharged the charging current would be low and everything is just fine.
If the batteries at 10.5 Volts or below they considered fully discharged. The charging current could be quite high for a period of time, the batteries overheat and the relief valve opens.
In the case here he indicated that both batteries were spewing liquid.
The other possibility is the output voltage of the converter is too high resulting in "overcharging" and the results would be the same.

In terms of electricity parallel is parallel is parallel. If want to see how much difference it make try to determine which light bulb comes on first in a string of Christmas lights.
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Old 05-11-2013, 01:33 PM   #55
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I think this is also a good example of the "Myth" of the Maintenance Free Battery?

Most say that do not Need any Maintenance but really they Do Not Let you give them any Maintenance.

Also as Byron said these different chemistry batteries require different charging voltages and regulation to work correctly and I have to wonder if they are a good match to most RV converters?

As for letting the Smoke out,yeah I have been doing that a lot longer than I have been a Ham. No Doubt!
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Old 05-11-2013, 02:51 PM   #56
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I'm puzzled by what I'm reading...can anyone explain the nature of the "smoke"? Is/was it hydrogen sulfide, plain steam, or what?

And:

How did the "smoke" get inside the living area of the trailer? Aren't batteries installed inside a trailer usually in a sealed compartment vented to the outside?

Francesca
There was battery acid spraying off the battery tops but it was the bad smell that woke us, not smoke.

Now that I'm out of panic mode, I reason the smoke was from the battery acid splattering, and burning, the wooden cover to the compartment. It was not smoking inside the cabin, until we lifted the cover at which point released it within and set off the smoke alarm.

I had a false sense of security that a new unit meant we were in the clear of electrical issues and troubleshooting involved in older models. It was so unexpected I couldn't even grasp it. Smoking battery was not accurate, but seems to be a good jump board for jokes- and humor even the kind that is going over my head is nice after having a bad scare!
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Old 05-11-2013, 03:06 PM   #57
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There was battery acid spraying off the battery tops but it was the bad smell that woke us, not smoke.

Now that I'm out of panic mode, I reason the smoke was from the battery acid splattering, and burning, the wooden cover to the compartment. It was not smoking inside the cabin, until we lifted the cover at which point released it within and set off the smoke alarm.

I had a false sense of security that a new unit meant we were in the clear of electrical issues and troubleshooting involved in older models. It was so unexpected I couldn't even grasp it. Smoking battery was not accurate, but seems to be a good jump board for jokes- and humor even the kind that is going over my head is nice after having a bad scare!
When you get Parkliner on the phone, I assume you're going to be calling, ask if the Progressive Dynamics Converter was equipped with what Progressive Dynamics calls a "Charge Wizard"? The Charge Wizard helps with flooded cell batteries, but I would think it would be mandatory with sealed batteries.
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Old 05-11-2013, 03:08 PM   #58
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Smoke and Jokes...

It's been a long long standing joke in the electronics industry that all electrical and electronics devices run on smoke. The proof is in the fact if let the smoke out the devices quit working.
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Old 05-11-2013, 03:10 PM   #59
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MiMi are the batteries in a sealed compartment?

I have never seen a Parkliner .

Ed
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Old 05-11-2013, 03:25 PM   #60
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When you get Parkliner on the phone, I assume you're going to be calling, ask if the Progressive Dynamics Converter was equipped with what Progressive Dynamics calls a "Charge Wizard"? The Charge Wizard helps with flooded cell batteries, but I would think it would be mandatory with sealed batteries.
Yes, definitely calling into Parkliner. We called this mornin to report the issue. I will call again for more thorough follow up and additional assurances. I will ask about the charge wizard, thanks for the speaking points.

This thankfully was merely a close call, it could have been much much worse. I don't want it to happen to us again, or to anyone else !
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