Cyclone - stinking, smoking battery

[obxtwister]

2012 Cyclone 3800 HD
We noticed a smell and thought it was from waste tank but eventually realized it was coming from the battery. It was emitting smoke and got very hot. I am trying to find out if I have a bad battery or is it getting overcharged.
Basically trying to find out why the battery got hot and smoking.
thanks in advance

 

[mlpeloquin]

If you have a DVM measure the voltage at the battery terminals with the converter running. If it is over 14.3V in boost mode (spec can allow 14.7V) then it is being boiled to death by a bad converter. Otherwise could your battery have an internal short?

 

[2TrakR]

2012 Cyclone 3800 HD
We noticed a smell and thought it was from waste tank but eventually realized it was coming from the battery. It was emitting smoke and got very hot. I am trying to find out if I have a bad battery or is it getting overcharged.
Basically trying to find out why the battery got hot and smoking.
thanks in advance

Batteries do "get old and fail", if that's the original battery with your 2012, then you've gotten 5+ years out of it which is about the high mark for battery longevity.

 

[JohnDar]

When was the last time you checked the fluid levels in the cells? I'm still using the original battery installed in 2009.


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[obxtwister]

When was the last time you checked the fluid levels in the cells? I'm still using the original battery installed in 2009.


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I never have checked it. Just purchased a few months ago and this happened on the second trip.

 

[Rottiesmom]

Sounds like a bad battery we just had to change out one of our batteries last month because it fried we smelt it and it became very hot. Fortunately it was warranted with interstate so we were able to replace it without charge but batteries do go bad after a while especially if you don't keep an eye on the water levels. I would buy a new battery before it damages the other battery or your unit. Good Luck

 

[JohnDar]

I never have checked it. Just purchased a few months ago and this happened on the second trip.

Looking at your info on the side of the post, you have a 2012 rig. If the battery was the original and the previous owner didn't maintain it and you didn't check it...

My brother-in-law had installed a second battery in their old rig. Last time my sister brought it up to where we spend the summer (he didn't come), she complained of sewer smell inside. I checked her rig and found the second battery was very hot. Checked the cells and they were bone dry. He never bothered to check the battery after he put it in a few years prior.

 

[mlpeloquin]

If you have two batteries, they should be replaced at the same time.

 

[wdk450]

A common failure mode in a lead acid battery is for lead fragments to drop off the plates and short out a cell. That will result in heating, smell, and possibly explosion of the hydrogen and sulphuric acid. Turn off the charger, remove the electrical load away from the battery (to prevent sparks near the battery), let it cool some, and ventilate the battery well to prevent a hydrogen explosion when you change out the battery.