I think I have a bad battery.

[swimmer_spe]

I think I have a bad battery. I topped up the battery with deionzed water, set it up to charge in my garage on a wooden bench. The next day, I noticed a rotten egg smell and the case of the battery was warm. I stopped charging it. Would I be correct in thinking the battery is bad? Am I right there is no reasonable way to bring it back? Good thing I have an extra one.

[wa8yxm]

Battery chargers come in assorted flavors.
Back in the old days it was a transformer and rectifiers nd it would indeed "Gas" a battery to **ll and back (Destroying it if left on too long)

There are battery tenders. 2 state that take a month to top it off but then switch to float mode

Smart chargers that do it much faster and then go to float (Took 24 hours to charge my house bank with one of 'em when the PD-9180 died

Then there are top end RV 3-stage jobsa 6-8 hours from half full to topped off and then float mode.

Or.. you might have a bad battery

A pair of battery testers (One is a load test I have a two meter plus dial load tester from Harbor Freight) and a coputerized test at the Auto or Battery store.. if it passes BOTH it's good. if it passes one it is likely ok If it fails both. toast.

[swimmer_spe]

QCMan wrote:
The problem may be because deionized water was used in place of distilled water. They are not the same.

As a professional who actually deals with deionized and distilled water.... I would really like to discuss this.


Distilled water is water that is reconstituted from boiling water to remove everything but water.

Deionizing water is several mechanical and chemical processes which removes all but the water atoms.

They are virtually the same water in the end, just a different process to get it.

[Fisherman]

QCMan wrote:
The problem may be because deionized water was used in place of distilled water. They are not the same.

Google your fears away, it's perfectly fine to use deionized or distilled water.

[QCMan]

The problem may be because deionized water was used in place of distilled water. They are not the same.

[toedtoes]

Lynnmor wrote:

swimmer_spe wrote:
I topped up the battery with deionzed water, set it up to charge in my garage on a wooden bench.

When charging it is best to place the battery in a pan to contain possible leaks. Placing a battery on wood is an old wives tale that just won't go away.

Never heard that before. I had to look it up. In the early days, batteries had wooden casings. Placing them on cement floors could cause the wood to draw up moisture causing it to warp. The warping would cause the inside to break and therefore leak. Not a problem with modern day batteries.

[ReneeG]

Exact thing happened to us, but since our batteries were new in 2013, we replaced all four. In our case, we use distilled water and painstakingly took care of them, not overfilling, not overcharging. Then we took our unit in for extensive cosmetic work and it was in the shop for 6 months. We reminded them to monitor the batteries. On one trip in we noticed the front bay, where the batteries are stored, open. After bringing it home and dealing with the CO2 alarm going off and checking everything for a possible cause, we narrowed it down to the batteries off gassing, and boy were they off gassing. It's possible the techs didn't charge them correctly and they had the front bay open to keep the CO2 alarm from going off. Regardless, we replaced them all as 8 years is a long life. No odor and the CO2 alarms is now silent.

[Lynnmor]

swimmer_spe wrote:
I topped up the battery with deionzed water, set it up to charge in my garage on a wooden bench.

When charging it is best to place the battery in a pan to contain possible leaks. Placing a battery on wood is an old wives tale that just won't go away.

[swimmer_spe]

pianotuna wrote:
Likely it is a doorstop.

Here is what might be tried.

1. measure the voltage. If it is below 10 volts. Stop and use it for a core exchange.

2. if the voltage is ok, then barely cover the plates, and attempt to charge the battery at a low amp rate.

3. after the battery has charged for quite some time (24 hours), let it rest for 24 hours and check the voltage. If it is 12.5 or higher, then check the plates to make sure they are covered, and do an equalization charge.

But very likely #1 will be the path to follow.

It is old and a starting deep cell battery. No love loss on it.

[swimmer_spe]

wopachop wrote:
Careful with that axe Eugene!!
You likely overfilled the water. Then charged the battery indoors. No mention of voltage. No mention of charge amps. For real man be careful or take a few minutes to read up on charging wet cell batteries. You probably sat in the garage inhaling some nasty fumes.

I have one of those smart chargers that go between 2/4/6 amps.
I did not fill it to the brim; about 1/4 inch down.
I also wasn't in the garage any longer than enough to figure out the smell was the battery.

[pianotuna]

Likely it is a doorstop.

Here is what might be tried.

1. measure the voltage. If it is below 10 volts. Stop and use it for a core exchange.

2. if the voltage is ok, then barely cover the plates, and attempt to charge the battery at a low amp rate.

3. after the battery has charged for quite some time (24 hours), let it rest for 24 hours and check the voltage. If it is 12.5 or higher, then check the plates to make sure they are covered, and do an equalization charge.

But very likely #1 will be the path to follow.

[NamMedevac_70]

It is possible you overcharged your battery depending on type of bat charger you have and the state of the bat just before charging.

To begin I carry a cheap little Voltage battery reader from Autozone that tells me in letters and colored lights if my Battery is fully charged at or above 12.5 volts and only fair charge with a yellow light (below 12.5) and in a poor state with a red light. Just touch the red prong to positive terminal and black prong to the negative terminal. Same gadget will tell me if my alternator is working properly and charging the battery when engine is running. Carry one for each of my 3 trucks and it has saved me from being stranded in remote areas with a weak or dead battery.

There are more expensive fancy gadgets for checking your battery as others will be happy to tell you.