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Old 10-12-2005, 06:51 PM   #1
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Rotten egg / sulfur smell

Hello all, Im still a puppy here and have much to learn. Today when I went out to work on my Safari, there was a distinct sulfur smell. I have her hooked up to shore power and traced the smell to my battery. I had a deep cell marine battery from my boat that Ive been using for 12 volt. That thingy box is hooked up to it, I guess keeping it charged. Any reason my battery is warm/hot and emmitting that smell. Ive disconnected it, but everything has been working fine up until the fowl oder today?

Thanks, Scott
68 Safari
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Old 10-12-2005, 06:53 PM   #2
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Check the water level in your battery. If the water level is good, you probably have a bad battery. If only one cell is very low, you probably have a bad cell. If your battery is over 2 years old, it probably should be replaced anyway.
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Old 10-12-2005, 07:01 PM   #3
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Thanks Terry, Its a maintenence free battery, can you get the tops off of those?

Scott
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Old 10-12-2005, 07:09 PM   #4
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The battery is OVER CHARGING..Find the cause sometimes dead cell, or the inverter/charger has a problem also check connections...The smell is hydrogen. Very flammable.
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Old 10-12-2005, 07:26 PM   #5
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THANK YOU.
THE BATTERY WAS NEW 2 YEARS AGO AND WE ONLY USED IT ABOUT 5 TIMES FOR A 38 LB THRUST TROLLING MOTOR. THE INVERTER / CHARGER LOOKS LIKE IT MAY BE ORIGINAL. i WAS HOPING TO GET THOUGH THIS YEAR WITH IT AND REPLACE IT BEFORE USING THE AS IN THE SPRING. WE ARE GOING TO DELAWARE STATE SEASHORE CAMPING THE LAST WEEKEND OF THE MONTH, DO YOU THINK A FULL CHAGE ON MY BATTERY WILL GET ME THROUGH 3 NIGHTS OF CAMPING, LIGHTS ONLY?

THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW ABOUT THE HYDROGEN AND IT BEING FLAMABLE!

THANKS, SCOTT
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Old 10-12-2005, 07:29 PM   #6
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Scott, you are overcharging the battery, the battery is bad, or possibly the battery is low on water (assuming it uses water). I don't know that much about marine batteries.

My '73 still has the original Univolt rectifier installed. It is going bad and will be replaced as part of the rebuild. It will actually boil the battery when run for more than a few hours. What this device does is take 110v AC and convert it to 12v DC to run the 12v stuff in the trailer and at the same time charge the battery. As I understand it (I'm not an engineer) these things go bad after 30 or 40 years (hint).

Do a search on Univolt or Intellipower using the search feature above. You'll find more info than you can imagine from the more experienced members on the 'Forum.

Good luck with it.

Jim
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Old 10-12-2005, 07:38 PM   #7
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Thanks Jim,

I think the maintenece free part of a marine battery is that it has no water. I got you hint and will use your suggestion to look for another inverter/charger. Thanks to all of you for the help and advise! This project and journey would not nearly be as fun without all of you!

Thanks again, Scott
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Old 10-12-2005, 07:43 PM   #8
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Put a volt meter across the terminals it should read 12.6 volts and no more than 14.2 volts to be safe.
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Old 10-14-2005, 08:13 PM   #9
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I boroughed a voltage tester from one of my techs at work. I turned the breaker on to my converter/charger and tested the battery about every 10 minutes. It read between 11.2 and 11.6. Without the electric on to my converter/charger, the battery is dead. Within about an hour or so, the battery started to get hot from the top down. Should I try charging the battery with my auto 12v charger or just buy a new battery? If I do need a new battery, what would we suggest?
Thanks, Scott
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Old 10-14-2005, 08:37 PM   #10
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Disconnect the battery and check the voltage if it reads below 12.2 (should read about 12.6) scrap it not sure about the battery you will need but a deep cycle marine or RV will work just measure the length, width, hight and get the same size. After new battery is installed check your voltage then...
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Old 10-14-2005, 08:54 PM   #11
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Hydrogen is flammable but it is actually odorless. Batteries are filled with sulfuric acid. If a battery is overcharged, it can boil off the acid, giving off the sulfur odor. Battery compartments should be well ventilated as hydrogen is very easy to ignite and could catch your trailer on fire. If you smell these odors, you should first shut off power to the battery charger and ventilate the trailer before doing work near the battery compartment that could cause even the smallest spark.
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Old 10-15-2005, 11:04 AM   #12
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All indications point to a shorted battery. I would pull it out and take it to an auto parts store that store that has a battery tester. These devices do a pretty good job of evaluating the condition of the battery. I'll bet yours is a toast. Check the threads for replacement battery types and brands.
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Old 10-15-2005, 11:14 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by niss1679
I boroughed a voltage tester from one of my techs at work. I turned the breaker on to my converter/charger and tested the battery about every 10 minutes. It read between 11.2 and 11.6. Without the electric on to my converter/charger, the battery is dead. Within about an hour or so, the battery started to get hot from the top down. Should I try charging the battery with my auto 12v charger or just buy a new battery? If I do need a new battery, what would we suggest?
Thanks, Scott
68 Safari
Scott

You have problems that are addressed in this link http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/
Everything you ever wanted to know about your batteries is contained at this site.
Good Luck
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Old 10-16-2005, 05:58 PM   #14
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Hey all,

I decided to take everyones advise and replace my battery and converter / charger. My question is what amp to get. I have a 68 Safari that is 80%restored. I can only see us having the TV and maybe one other appliance on at the same time. Does anyone know what the original amp system is for the 68 Safari, or doesnt it matter? Im looking at something simple like the Inteli-Power by Progressive Dynamics.
Thanks, Scott
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Old 10-16-2005, 06:15 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by niss1679
Hey all,

I decided to take everyones advise and replace my battery and converter / charger. My question is what amp to get. I have a 68 Safari that is 80%restored. I can only see us having the TV and maybe one other appliance on at the same time. Does anyone know what the original amp system is for the 68 Safari, or doesnt it matter? Im looking at something simple like the Inteli-Power by Progressive Dynamics.
Thanks, Scott
68 Safari
OEM rating for your Univolt should be 40 amp. That should be sufficient for most things you would need to do with your battery. If you want to upgrade, I wouldn't go over 60 amp. There is not that much difference in price, you just reach a point of diminishing returns, sort of like trying to stuff a firehose's worth of electricity through a straw.
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Old 10-16-2005, 06:40 PM   #16
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Thanks Terry,

I was looking at the 30 and 40 amp models but wasnt sure which to get. I can buy with confidence now.
Thanks again, Scott
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Old 10-16-2005, 10:26 PM   #17
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Scott,
The converter power is only for 12 volt items in your trailer and for charging the battery. Items that run on 120 AC run from shore power and not the converter. Last year www.bestconverter.com was offering a deal to forum members on the Inteli-Power PD9160 with the Charge Wizard. I would check their site out, as well as others.
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Old 10-17-2005, 06:08 PM   #18
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Thanks for the info and site,

I ordered an Inteli-power 9140 with the smart charge last night. I got a good deal on it apparently since I paid about $4o less than the web site. I feel very good about my choice now thanks to all of you.
Thanks, Scott
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