Battery boiling acid in camper - help please

[mark.w]

Can someone help advise please? Any ideas?

Problem:
During a weekend camper trip we noticed a bad smell and found out that it was the acid in the camper battery (the one that is used for the internal camper lights etc model: VDC65 12v 65Ah 100h) that was bubbling. I quickly disconnected it and let it outside to cool.

Background:
Not sure If this is the problem but we just installed a new battery in our camper which is the battery that starts the engine. The old one kept loosing charge over winter. The details are below. They are not quite the same but the battery shop said it should be no problem.
Old battery: Fiamm 12v 95Ah 680A (en2/sae)
New battery: Varta 12v 95Ah 800A https://swissbatt24.ch/starterbatte...dynamic-595-402-080-autobatterie-95ah?c=37290

Many thanks.

 

[Abacist]

The battery is fine. Did they check that the alternator was not over charging hence the problem with the old battery?

 

[Figaro]

Were you on ehu when the leisure battery was bubbling ?
You need to check what voltage the charger was outputting to the leisure battery, could be a fault there or it could be your leisure battery has a fault and need replacing.
I think the cab battery failing was a coincidence but others may know for sure.

BTW

 

[Abacist]

We’re you on electric hookup at the weekend? If so maybe the habitation battery charger is not on the right setting or is over charging?

If you have solar power maybe the solar regulator is over charging.

Without knowing the setup it’s difficult to advise but you don’t want the new battery going the same way as the old one.

The gas is both very explosive and poisonous!

 

[autorouter]

The Voltic VDC65 is a deep cycle AGM type battery. The 240V charger should be set to provide an AGM battery charging profile.

The question is, did your battery just fail, or did something cause it to fail? You should get an AGM type battery to replace it, not a Gel type or a standard lead-acid type (also called wet or flooded). Each type of battery has its own charging profile, so you should get the same type unless you know how to change the charge profile settings

Then you need to check the output voltage from the 240V charger. It should go up to about 14.8V while actively charging. When full the voltage will drop to the 'float voltage' of about 13.5V. If the charger voltage is ever 15V or more, then the charger is defective. Be sure to get the voltage checked, or the charger could ruin the new battery too.

It's a good idea to get a multimeter, a cheap one from a DIY store will be fine. Plug the black lead into the 'COM' socket. Plug the red lead into the socket with 'V' in the label. Set it to 20V DC and put the probes on the battery terminals while it is being charged.

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[mark.w]

The battery is fine. Did they check that the alternator was not over charging hence the problem with the old battery?

Hi, not yet. We were on mains when it happened. Not when the engine was running. Would that still apply?

 

[mark.w]

We’re you on electric hookup at the weekend? If so maybe the habitation battery charger is not on the right setting or is over charging?

If you have solar power maybe the solar regulator is over charging.

Without knowing the setup it’s difficult to advise but you don’t want the new battery going the same way as the old one.

The gas is both very explosive and poisonous!

Lucky it was disconnected quickly To avoid accident. Yes, we were on main electric hookup at the time. the engine was not running. We were not using the solar at the time (as far as I know), but we do have it.

 

[Diabalo]

Follow autorouter advice above or get it looked at professionally if you are not confident.

 

[robnchris]

We had a similar problem with the on board charger over-charging the battery, we cured the problem by disconnecting the on board charger and wired in an intelligent trickle charger, batteries now stay in perfect condition.

 

[Jev88]

Things we are trying to help you with when a battery 'boils' or dies.

1). Duff battery
2). Solar controller not set to correct battery type or faulty
3). On board charger faulty or not set to correct battery type.
4). If you have a B2B is it set to correct settings?

It could just be a duff battery but we want you to be aware that it might have been the battery's fault if the charger systems were faulty.
We don't want you to shell out on a new battery if your charging systems were at fault or you are going to kill the battery.

Autorouter has good advice. I hope this helps clear up the multiple posts above.

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[Richard n Ann]

Our battery did similar in 2019. The battery was faulty and was standing at 10v which caused the solar regulator to throw all it had at it