A cautionary tale - battery hydrogen gas.

[Qwerty-HILO]

Camping has been off the agenda this year due to the effects of the economy but I still wanted to clean up our 22T.

The moment I pressed the switch to raise her, I heard a loud bang & when I opened the A frame compartment, acrid smelly smoke billowed out. The battery had exploded! http://www.flickr.com/photos/43551301@N03/4962170862/sizes/m/
I asserted that, as the battery was on charge & it was a hot day, hydrogen gas had built up in the compartment & was ignited by a small spark from the hydraulic motor.

I really don't know a solution to this as the compartment cannot be vented prior to raising as the top section keeps the compartment closed.

 

[kwdstalker]

can put 2 of these in the side of the box Small Round ALUMINUM Louvered Vent Hole Cover w Screen: eBay Motors (item 200507600505 end time Sep-11-10 08:50:48 PDT)

 

[Qwerty-HILO]

Thanks KWDSTALKER. Good suggestion, I think I'll look for something similar but less expensive. Google Image Result for http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/0d/0df9ae3f-f878-4f80-80fe-070494c82f31_300.jpg maybe.

 

[kwdstalker]

that was a quick picture i found

 

[PopRichie77]

Check your local lumber yard, Lowes-Home Depot-etc., they should have similar vents, don't know about price.

 

[sting32]

Camping has been off the agenda this year due to the effects of the economy but I still wanted to clean up our 22T.

The moment I pressed the switch to raise her, I heard a loud bang & when I opened the A frame compartment, acrid smelly smoke billowed out. The battery had exploded! All available sizes | Battery explosion | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
I asserted that, as the battery was on charge & it was a hot day, hydrogen gas had built up in the compartment & was ignited by a small spark from the hydraulic motor.

I really don't know a solution to this as the compartment cannot be vented prior to raising as the top section keeps the compartment closed.

I am more apt to think that the battery itself blew up, due to lack of water/acid in the battery. I lost a Diehard battery this way, a few years back. I got lucky as heck, it was my 66 mustang, and when the battery blew there was not a shower of battery acid, like there should have been inside the engine compartment. So every since then, I maintenance even maintenance free batterys by checking and adding water to them every fall (at least)... I check the camper type battery more often since it get charged a lot as well.

as you know there would been plenty of "venting" going on" under the hood of them old cars... I'd been told that Battery's do this when they dry up, I guess just as they short themselves out when dry?

 

[Qwerty-HILO]

I am more apt to think that the battery itself blew up, due to lack of water/acid in the battery. I lost a Diehard battery this way, a few years back. I got lucky as heck, it was my 66 mustang, and when the battery blew there was not a shower of battery acid, like there should have been inside the engine compartment. So every since then, I maintenance even maintenance free batterys by checking and adding water to them every fall (at least)... I check the camper type battery more often since it get charged a lot as well.

as you know there would been plenty of "venting" going on" under the hood of them old cars... I'd been told that Battery's do this when they dry up, I guess just as they short themselves out when dry?

Having inspected the compartment & noticed that it is vented by holes for cables etc, this makes a lot of sense Sting, I just didn't know that batteries did that.

I'll be taking the battery out this Winter but, before I do, I think I'll make some extension cables to save me that gruelling manual lifting to refit the battery come Spring.

 

[Jeff H-HILO]

I would really like to know how you go about lowering the top if you remove the battery before putting the camper away for the winter. What is the proper procedure for doing this? My camper is stored in my garage (one of the many great Hi-Lo features) during the winter but not removing the battery is one thing that has always bugged me.

Thanks in advance for any and all tips or advice,
Jeff

 

[Gord-HILO]

Battery storage

With the top up, remove the battery (or batteries). Clip a set of booster cables on the the appropriate connectors in the battery compartment, and run them out to the battery. Lower the top and unhook from the battery, leaving the boosters connected in the battery compartment.

Make sure you don't plug the trailer in to line power without shielding the outside booster cable connectors, as I think they'd be live then, with power from the converter. Some people have added permanent "studs" through the wall of the battery box, so cables can be connected to those studs at will. This can be useful if the battery is left in, and goes dead during storage.

Gord.