Forum Discussion

crispyc21's avatar
crispyc21
Explorer
May 28, 2013

Help. Need new battery

I am two days into a five day camping trip. For two days I was smelling something that I thought was sewer or something else. I finally sniffed it down to the battery which was very hot and bubbling a little at the top. I quickly turned off all the power and disconnected and removed the battery. The problem is it has no marking on it so I have no idea what to replace it with. Can someone please provide some help?
Will Autozone or a typical auto parts store have one or do I need to go specifically to a RV parts place to get it?
I don’t need anything ‘top of the line’ as I don’t do any dry camping.
What do I look for? RV/Maine batteries?? Where can I get it??
I have a 2010 Keystone Sprinter travel trailer.
  • GENECOP's avatar
    GENECOP
    Explorer II
    May 28, 2013
    Relax, just disconnect and bring it with you to a Auto Parts store,,,,,Tractor Supply, Sears, etc...they will swap out and give you credit for the old core....
  • time2roll's avatar
    time2roll
    Nomad
    May 28, 2013
    Yes take it down to the Autozone or whatnot and they will set you up.

    Clearly mark the cables before you disconnect :E
  • naturist's avatar
    naturist
    Nomad
    May 28, 2013
    It should be noted, though, that there are two possible causes of the hot bubbling battery: one is a bad battery, the other is a bad converter in the trailer. Although the bad converter will kill a perfectly fine battery, to prevent THAT from happening to the new battery, you better check the voltage and keep an eye on the new battery until you've ascertained that the converter is doing right by the new battery.
  • CincyGus's avatar
    CincyGus
    Explorer II
    May 28, 2013
    Better yet, take it to Sams or Cosco and get a group 27 or 29 marine deep cycle. Depending on what you have (most new trailers come with a cheap group 24) It will give you more Amp Hours. If your buying one, now is the time to consider how much camping you do off the grid and if having two batteries suits your needs better than just having one. If you run two batteries, you always want to buy them at the same time so they are approximately the same strength.
  • Peg_Leg's avatar
    Peg_Leg
    Explorer
    May 29, 2013
    You need to check the battery voltage. Then check the output of the converter, check the battery cables while unhooked from the battery. The battery after being unhooked for awhile should be between 12 and lower 13 volt range. Ideally the converter should be about 13.6 V. You might post the converter type. I just replaced mind as a transformer coil shorted out.

    If you don't have a volt-ohm meter try this. Find the circuit breaker for the converter and turn it off. Check the water level in the battery. Then hook the battery back up and see how it does. If the lights inside are bright your battery MAY have survived a runaway converter.
  • dodgerdog's avatar
    dodgerdog
    Explorer
    May 29, 2013
    I bought my camper battery at autozone its a marine/rv deep cycle... But sounds to me like your converter might have issues.... Over charging battery is what usually cooks one......


    Mike C.
  • crispyc21's avatar
    crispyc21
    Explorer
    May 29, 2013
    Thanks everyone for the input. I found an autozone that had a replacement battery. I checked the volts from the converter and it's putting out about 13.5volts so hope fully that's fine. I'll keep a close eye on it for the next few days.

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