38rsrt battery is hot and smells

[Bohica97]

Have it hooked up to 30 amp service only running one ac battery vent hole in front had smoke rolling out of it. Any ideas what's going on?

 

[danemayer]

Turn off the circuit breaker for the Power Converter and see if the battery cools down. Don't go to sleep with it like this.

 

[Bohica97]

Thanks. What does turning the converter breaker do? Why is it doing this? I'm at work tonight my wife and kids are there I'm trying to relay this to her. Should I put in a battery disconnect? Will that solve it. Thanks in advanced.

 

[rxbristol]

Thanks. What does turning the converter breaker do? Why is it doing this? I'm at work tonight my wife and kids are there I'm trying to relay this to her. Should I put in a battery disconnect? Will that solve it. Thanks in advanced.

There is a 20 amp A/C circuit breaker labeled "Converter" in the circuit breaker box/panel. This should be inside the R/V. Locate that and turn it off.

 

[Roller4tan]

I'd say your converter/charger is bad and has boiled all the electrolyte out of the battery. Turning off the breaker to the converter will stop it from continually charging the bad battery (now that the electrolyte is gone) and curtailing the possibility of a fire.

 

[danemayer]

If the battery is 1) hot, and 2) smoking, something is causing that. Something is wrong with the battery, or it's connected to something that is shorted and not on a fuse, or there's something wrong with the Power Converter that charges the battery.

If you turn off the circuit breaker for the Power Converter, that should eliminate the possibility that the problem is originating there.

If it doesn't cool down, you'll need to disconnect the battery. At that point you would turn the circuit breaker back on for the Power Converter so that the 12V devices inside the RV have power.

A hot, smoking battery is dangerous.

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I would also suggest you get your wife and kids out of the trailer until you resolve the problem.

 

[Bohica97]

When have the converter breaker off Gina go get a new battery tonight and hope all is well thanks everyone. I don't get why the battery is junk just got the trailer in March

 

[Bob&Patty]

The dealers install batteries before/when you buy the coach. They normally install "cheap" batteries. The battery should have a warranty on it. Who made the battery?

 

[JohnDar]

Hmm. When was the last time you checked the electrolyte level in that battery? Unless you have an automatic battery watering system, YOU have to check it and add water occasionally. Had a similar experience with my sister's old rig and the second battery her husband wired into it. One day while she was camped next to us (he quit coming along), she complained that her trailer stunk like sewage. I smelled rotten eggs (hydrogen sulfide) and found that second battery dry as a bone and very hot. Removed it pronto. Seems he forgot to check it over a couple of years.

Even with new batteries, if they're not connected properly or there is a short someplace, they can boil off and you will smell it. Just ask about one of our new fire trucks and why does the station stink.