Frozen Batteries

[PointyWombat]

Hello,
I brought my BH to a dealer for warranty work. They had it for about a month, and over that time, the 4 Trojan 6v batteries completely discharged and froze since we had a cold snap of about -30F for about a week while they had it. The dealer recommended thawing the batteries and hooking them up to a trickle charger, but my concern is the batteries are either completely un-salvageable, or have been damaged to a point where they've lost a lot of efficiency. The dealer never said directly they would replace them, so I'm a bit concerned. The batteries are only about 8 months old, if that, and they run around $200 each up here, so I'm a bit concerned. Any advise on how to approach this appreciated.

Thanks,
PointyWombat

 

[danemayer]

Hi PointyWombat,

If you can get ahold of the battery manufacturer maybe they'd have some advice.

 

[caissiel]

The bad part is that water expands and ice formed on the plates might cause damage. Only charging Will determine condition of plates. They might have froze before total discharge and saved from expansion if case not destroyed. But bad batteries at home have been left outside without breaking the newer type cases.

Sent from my LG-LS720 using Tapatalk

 

[hoefler]

Do not attempt charging them!! They can and will explode. Replace them. It is not worth having an injury or fire. They will never be safe. If you do get them to charge, the plates have been altered from the expanding ice. They will not perform as they should and will fail shortly.

 

[JanAndBill]

Having seen first hand the damage that an exploding battery can do, I agree with the previous poster. I would be very careful with these.

 

[wdk450]

See #11 HERE: http://www.trojanbattery.com/batterymaintenance/charging.aspx

I have heard this caution in trying to jumpstart frozen batteries - can result in a hydrogen explosion with sharp casing and plates shrapnel, along with spraying sulfuric acid.

Sorry you are out so much money. Too bad we have to stay so on top of the dealers/repairers. If I lived in your cold climate, I guess removing batteries to a heated storage space would be part of winterization, but a PITA when you have to run the landing gear to just move the rig somewhere. NAPA has some high current connectors for jumpstarting - maybe you could wire one of those into your main battery wiring so you could connect to your truck or a portable battery for trailer moving chores.

I would think that the dealer in your climate should have a policy of plugging in any RV on their lot with batteries installed in the winter. I would think that the charging current would keep them from freezing. If not, battery warmer pads should be in place.

 

[porthole]

Hello,
I brought my BH to a dealer for warranty work. They had it for about a month, and over that time, the 4 Trojan 6v batteries completely discharged and froze since we had a cold snap of about -30F for about a week while they had it. The dealer recommended thawing the batteries and hooking them up to a trickle charger, but my concern is the batteries are either completely un-salvageable, or have been damaged to a point where they've lost a lot of efficiency. The dealer never said directly they would replace them, so I'm a bit concerned. The batteries are only about 8 months old, if that, and they run around $200 each up here, so I'm a bit concerned. Any advise on how to approach this appreciated.

Thanks,
PointyWombat

1) A trickle charger will not charge dead batteries.
2) You should not attempt to charge a frozen battery, the ice has essentially shorted out all the cells.
3) Since your lead acid battery is just a group of individual cells, beside plate damage from freezing, cell compartment damage is a very real possibility.

4) A lead acid battery that has been frozen is damaged beyond repair.

completely un-salvageable

They still have a core value.

Another link from Trojan's website:

http://www.trojanbattery.com/BatteryMaintenance/Storage.aspx

NOTE: Storing, charging or operating batteries on concrete is perfectly OK.

The most important things to avoid:

1. Freezing. Avoid locations where freezing temperature is expected. Keeping a battery at a high state of charge will also prevent freezing. Freezing results in irreparable damage to a battery's plates and container.

2. Heat. Avoid direct exposure to heat sources, such as radiators or space heaters. Temperatures above 80° F accelerate the battery's self-discharge characteristics.

 

[PointyWombat]

Thanks for replies. Would it be reasonable to expect the dealer to replace them since the RV was in their possession for warranty work when they froze?

Thanks

 

[wdk450]

Thanks for replies. Would it be reasonable to expect the dealer to replace them since the RV was in their possession for warranty work when they froze?

Thanks

Wombat:
As an RV owner, the final responsibility in protecting your rig belongs to you. I think that expecting dealer service personnel to remove multiple heavy batteries from a unit in for service, without such a request from the owner, is above and beyond the agreement for service. When weather forecasts for extreme cold freezes comes out, RV owners should be proactive to protect their property. If long travel is required to the servicing location, a phone call and agreement to pay extra labor charges for battery removal is in order.

If the plumbing was damaged at a dealer due to your non-winterization, you would not expect the dealer to winterize the trailer for you automatically before the freeze, would you? Would you expect the dealer to adsorb the damage costs due to your non-winterization?

This is an unfortunate extreme cold weather event, and I am truly sorry for your loss. If you had phoned the dealer asking for battery removal before the extreme cold, my thoughts on this would be more on your side. I think of the car insurance commercial now airing making a guys car seem like his baby. You have to watch out for your "baby" even when it is in someone else's hands.