warm/hot house batteries

fizikpal wrote:
Came home last night and heard the propane detector going off and there was a funny rotten egg smell. Hopped onto the internet to determine the potential cause (there are several) with one being the house batteries cooking. Low and behold went to go check them and sure enough they were warm to the touch and the area had a very strong odor.

Why they get hot. Could be that one, or both batteries, failed. Could be the converter is shot. OR..... Please fill in here . . .

When the batteries are overcharged, shorted, or discharge large amounts of amps for extended periods of time, they will off gas hydrogen, which, if close enough, will trip your propane detector. That's normal. As Matt (and others) mentions above, you need to find out why. It's normal for the batteries to get warm when charging and/or overcharging. If you are hooked up to shore power, it's common for the charging section in your load center (converter) to overcharge. In addition to a multi meter, a hydrometer could be helpful in determining if you have a bad cell or are overcharging.

Chum lee