I have my 23 ft, 2002 Rockwood,TT backed into my driveway, plugged into the house electric, getting ready for an upcoming trip. Last night the Columbia Gas man knocked on my door, said he was trying to track down a report of a gas leak. After he and I walked around my camper, the only area where we could smell anything, we discovered my battery (under cover on the tounge of the camper, was boiling over and creating a sewage like smell. We unhooked the battery and moved it away from the camper. Nothing else seemed effected. The extension cord to the camper was not warm and the electric service to the camper and everything inside worked fine. What might cause this? I am hoping the battery, several years old, was just bad, but fear it is something more. Can anyone lend any ideas? I am just a few days from pulling out of town. Thanks. Larry

sounds to me like any charging mechanism in your TT is faulty or inadequate and allows overcharging and boiling over. bumpy

2002 trailer - more than likely does not have the charger that backs off when the battery is charged. It just keeps charging as if the battery is dead.Once you get your new battery, you either want to change the trailers converter or only charge the battery with an external charger. If you do the former, then you can plug it in and leave it plugged in all you want. If you do the latter, you will need to disconnect the battery when you have the trailer plugged in (including at a FHU CG site).

Where would I most likely find the converter? And, do I need a battery if I am camping at a FHU CG? Thanks.

Your trailer must not have the SMART MODE CONVERTER/CHARGER unit installed.The converter/charger units that only puts out 13.6VDC are right on the edge of making the batteries boil over over time. If this is what you have you should be checking your battery fluids at least once every two weeks or even shorter time.If you have the smart mode converter/charger installed (PD4600 or PD9200 series) then the converter will take care of the boiling out problem for you automatically...My problem was I had the WFCO 8900 series smart mode converter/charger unit and it would never go into any smart mode charging. I replaced it with the PD9260C 60AMP unit as I have multiple batteries to keep charged. If you have one or two batteries I would go with the PD4645 converter/charger unit. If your battery has been boiled out it is probably history now and will need to be replaced.Roy Ken

Rinehart wrote:Where would I most likely find the converter? And, do I need a battery if I am camping at a FHU CG? Thanks.battery is required for your breakaway emergency brakes. Converter is part of your circuit breaker /load distribution center.

Battery question | Good Sam Community

Caveman_Charlie
Explorer II
Mar 12, 2014
If it boiled over and any of the battery acid from the battery got on any metal parts of the TT make sure you wash them off pronto.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Mar 12, 2014
Hi,

I suspect acid damage to the battery leads rather than heat damage. Replace them and get a new battery. Check the charging voltage--if it is below 14 then, have a nice trip--when you come back look at replacing the converter.
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Mar 12, 2014
at home I have my TT battery hooked up to a sophisticated marine charger instead of relying on the electronics in the TT.
bumpy
aftermath
Explorer III
Mar 12, 2014
I would suggest that you get it into the shop. Too many questions out there to deal with. You really do need a "smart" charger. I had the same problem when I purchased my current trailer. The batteries were toasted because the PO left the trailer plugged in almost continuously. The shop installed a 3 stage charger for me in the same space that my other one was in. It wasn't a bank breaker as I recall, something like $180 or so and it bought me a lot of piece of mind.

With the charred cables, there could be some other issues that a tech can figure out.

Good luck
handye9
Explorer II
Mar 12, 2014
ksg5000 wrote:
Internal short on battery would cause battery to boil - regardless of converter. Old fashion dumb converters will deplete battery water quicker than smart converter and require you to be more vigilant on battery maintenance. At any rate your going to need a new battery - if you have dumb converter either add water more often or upgrade to smart converter.

I think this is the answer.

How old is the battery?

Was it regularly serviced?

Over the winter, did it freeze?
RoyB
Explorer II
Mar 12, 2014
This appears to be your converter/charger unit below the OVEN next to the floor. Need to have part number from this if you can get it. Push in on the door to open..
westend
Explorer
Mar 12, 2014
Charred wires or connectors at the battery terminals will need to be replaced, too. After you have the new battery installed, you can connect to shore power and measure what the converter is producing for the charge power. If it's always outputting 14V or >, you should probably replace the converter before you boil another battery.
ksg5000
Explorer
Mar 12, 2014
Internal short on battery would cause battery to boil - regardless of converter. Old fashion dumb converters will deplete battery water quicker than smart converter and require you to be more vigilant on battery maintenance. At any rate your going to need a new battery - if you have dumb converter either add water more often or upgrade to smart converter.
RoyB
Explorer II
Mar 12, 2014
I would look under the fridge or oven for a box that has a drop down door where all of the 120VAC circuit breakers and 12VDC fuses are located. The converter/chargaer is usually in the bottom compartment of this housing...

Find the part number on this unit and let us know what it is...

This is what my WFCO 8900 series power distribution panel looks like

Your 2002 model may only have a very simple unit that looks like this...

On this 2013 ROO you can see the converter/charger unit installed under the fridge next to the floor
Rinehart
Explorer
Mar 12, 2014
I hope I am characterizing what happened correctly. The battery was not only fried to the point it really stank bad 6-8 feet away from the battery box, but the hot and ground wire hooked to the battery appeared to be charred as well. I am starting to think I need to try and get it into the shop this morning. I plan to hit the road with it Saturday morning. Thanks for all the great input. larry

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