batteries bubbling and warm/hot

[Deep6]

Hello everyone,
I've just returned to my boat after a good long weekend, and noticed a bubbling sound coming from one of my g27 batteries. It is also warm bordering on hot to the touch. I also noticed the charger is up to about 6 amps when its usually hovering around 3. The charger is a newmar mvc 124-158. My question is, is the issue with the batteries or the charger? I am suspecting the batteries but wantes to check with everyone here. Also how "safe" is this situation I live aboard. with my dog and it may be a day or so to wrangle up batteries etc. Should I shut everything down and go primitive or can I leave it for a day or 2 with aome margin of safety?
Boats....they're great at crushing long weekend bliss!

[boatman61]

Get em outa there... and if the others are the same age dump them as well...

[Harter]

Originally Posted by Deep6

Hello everyone,
I've just returned to my boat after a good long weekend, and noticed a bubbling sound coming from one of my g27 batteries. It is also warm bordering on hot to the touch. I also noticed the charger is up to about 6 amps when its usually hovering around 3. The charger is a newmar mvc 124-158. My question is, is the issue with the batteries or the charger? I am suspecting the batteries but wantes to check with everyone here. Also how "safe" is this situation I live aboard. with my dog and it may be a day or so to wrangle up batteries etc. Should I shut everything down and go primitive or can I leave it for a day or 2 with aome margin of safety?
Boats....they're great at crushing long weekend bliss!

Good morning, My Experience with battery is: if its hot to the touch and boiling, Get it out of the boat asap,, The Battery will be giving off acid fumes, this is very explosives. Now check with a multimeter Good battery should be around 12.8 volts,. Watch what the voltage does for a bit, You can check your charger as well.
Terry

[Deep6]

ok I figured as much, has anyone recommendations for what to replace them with?

[Wench'sCaptain]

Originally Posted by Deep6

ok I figured as much, has anyone recommendations for what to replace them with?

That depends on what volume/space is available and how many amp hours you need. The simple way is to go with what you have now. G27's.

But like Boatman said I woul place all of that age. I'm assuming it is a house bank.

[boatman61]

The same again if you've had them ages... and they served you well... that's what I did with the AGM's that went last year on a delivery... or... go for the same size wet and save $$$$$'s

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Deep6

ok I figured as much, has anyone recommendations for what to replace them with?

New batteries....

[noelex 77]

Definatly get rid of the hot battery, as others have said.

How old are the other batteries? Occasionally one battery develops an internal short prematurely. There is a some chance your other batteries OK.

If they are old I would repace the entire bank, but if not do a capacity test on the remaining batteries. Internal shorts can happen to quite new batteries and it not necessarily an indication of general deterioration in the remaining batteries of the same age.

[carstenb]

If your batteries are connected, you will need to dump them all, even if you only have a problem with one. If you don't, they will charge at different levels and within a few months you'll have the same problem again. Just dump them. If the meter shows they are all right - then sell them to someone for a few bucks or a couple of cases of beer

Dump them now and get them out of the boat. Then air out the boat (a lot).

[sartorst]

If you smell a bleach like smell (hydrogen) don't cause any sparks this could cause the battery's to blow up!!

[noelex 77]

The hydrogen dissipates reasonably easily, but wear some eye protection when touching the batteries. Its easy to generate a spark when disconecting/connecting.

The eye injuries can be horrific with a battery explosion and unlike most other causes are frequently bilateral.

[CharlieJ]

sartost #10

Please note; hydrogen is odorless. It is lighter than air and, you are correct, it is extremely explosive.

[Zil]

The batteries will be gassing hydrogen while "boiling". After the charge is stopped (or over discharge is stopped) and the liquid has settled down the gas is no longer produced. The liquid splashed about on all surfaces is sulfuric acid and should be neutralized with a baking soda bath. (no soda inside batteries, please). Get that bad battery off your bank!

[Deep6]

Thanks everyone for the replies, I've now replaced both with 2 new deep cycle wet cell G31s. My charger has now adopted a 6 amp charging output for the last 24 hours which seems like it should have dropped by now. Thus I have turned off the charger now fearing I may be cooking these batteries as well... They're cool to the touch and are showing a voltage of about 12.9 which ai believe is near full charge. Should my charger have dropped to a lesser amp output or am I overly paranoid now? Lastly, if the charger should be cooked as well has anyone any recommendations for a charger/inverter as I might as well service both needs. Any guidelines for sizing an inverter as well?
Thanks everyone.

[Wench'sCaptain]

I would not worry about it untill the 14v level. The charger should throttle back then.

The West Advisor: Battery Charging