House batteries

Hi,

To get a good answer it is best to post as much information as is possible.

Make of RV? Make of converter? Who replaced the batteries? Are you sure the polarity is correct? Do the lights work on shore power?

holidayal wrote:
Why aren't my new batteries charging

Why aren't my new batteries charging

RayChez wrote:
I use wet cell batteries for the house part on my coach and they last around six years, so I can not complain. But once the batteries start using lots of distilled water there is a problem. One could be your batteries never have gotten equalized and the sulfate has built up so much that the plates are not exposed anymore to the acid, they are covered with sulfate. So you need to replace the batteries. Check the batteries with a hydrometer and check each cell. It will tell you if the batteries are bad and need to be replaced. I like to change all four at once and that is highly recommended by the manufacturer.

You might also check your inverter/charger to see if it is set for the right type of batteries you have on the coach. It gives a selection of three different types of batteries wet, gel or AGM.

New wet cell batteries should not use any water, but need constant check up at least once a month. I like to wash them to wash off any acid that might have vaporized and gotten on your posts. Keep them clean by washing and even the battery box will never corrode.

What he said.

How old are the batteries? Have you ever run them down to where they were near dead and how many times did this happen? Do you boondock a lot with them?

In my experience boiling batteries is a sign that the battery is going bad. People like to say the charger is bad but I have found this rarely the case. The battery is boiling because it can never get fully charged because it is bad. In your case it is one battery and would remove it from your battery bank. You can continue to use the other batteries or replace the one if the others are fairly new. Just be sure the new battery has the same specs as the old ones. You can also try a smart charger with a desulfate mode and try to save the existing battery. I would first try to test the cells with a specific gravity tester, I would bet that one of them is off. After running desulfate mode you can retest and see if the levels are within specs. Also, when topping off batteries with distilled water you only do it when they are fully charged. If you do it when they are discharged they will boil over. The water/acid level does change from charged to discharged state. When batteries discharge the acid turns to water and if discharged in cold weather batteries can freeze and can be damaged as well.

Having 8 house batteries and two chassis batteries I always watched them very closely. I had the chassis batteries changed a couple of years ago (4 yrs. old) and finally had the 8 house wet cell batteries which were six years old changed to AGM's .

I got tired of adding distilled water which was about every 2 months. The sulfating was the part that bothered me the most as I had to clean it off with baking soda and water. It started to put rust on my slide-out trays too. So, with the new AGM's ($359 each), there is no sulfating and I don't have to water them at all. I had my two battery trays repainted so they look like new again. I will certainly keep an eye on them but it's a relief not having to attend to them monthly.

MM.

I use wet cell batteries for the house part on my coach and they last around six years, so I can not complain. But once the batteries start using lots of distilled water there is a problem. One could be your batteries never have gotten equalized and the sulfate has built up so much that the plates are not exposed anymore to the acid, they are covered with sulfate. So you need to replace the batteries. Check the batteries with a hydrometer and check each cell. It will tell you if the batteries are bad and need to be replaced. I like to change all four at once and that is highly recommended by the manufacturer.

You might also check your inverter/charger to see if it is set for the right type of batteries you have on the coach. It gives a selection of three different types of batteries wet, gel or AGM.

New wet cell batteries should not use any water, but need constant check up at least once a month. I like to wash them to wash off any acid that might have vaporized and gotten on your posts. Keep them clean by washing and even the battery box will never corrode.

I would remove and clean all terminals and cables. see if that helped.
Watch that 1 battery and see if it bubbles more than the others during charge.

You might want to look at your charging system. A "smart" charger might eliminate your need for water.

I am frustrated with the Group 24 batteries provided with my MH, they were new in 2008 and are still performing well, and do not need added water... ever? I am waiting for them to fail so that I can replace them with Group 31 AGM batteries... but they won't die? I guess that I shouldn't be complaining, but I would like more capacity.

Hi,

I'd be tempted to replace just the one battery depending on the age of the bank. If they are fairly new.....replace the one that is gassing and using water excessively.

Talked him into no acid. Thanks for the help.