Stinking Batteries Smell Like Rotten Eggs

[dasams]

My wife and I picked up our 2017 FC 25 on Aug 15 and have been traveling with it full time. We have yet to use the batteries since we've been on shore power each night.

A few days ago, we started to smell rotten eggs and traced the odor to the battery box. Over the course of a day, the odor got really nasty and we switched the batteries to the 'store' position and the odor went away. Fast forward to today, the odor came back so I switched them back to the store position and the odor is dissipating.

Has my Parallax unit cooked the batteries? The date stamps on the Interstate batteries are May, 2016. I'm taking the rig to the Interstate dealer tomorrow and will post the outcome.

Thanks, Dave

[AWCHIEF]

They are sulfated from overvoltage charging. Check the water level if possible and standing voltage. Might plan on making a warranty appointment to have it checked out.

[dasams]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

They are sulfated from overvoltage charging. Check the water level if possible and standing voltage. Might plan on making a warranty appointment to have it checked out.

I measured the voltage at 12.75V. I pulled all four caps and the water level in 11 of the cells looks normal. The twelfth looks like it contains a honey colored solid and the level is just slightly below normal.

We are driving through St George tomorrow where there's an Interstate Battery warehouse. I talked to the tech who will look at the batteries and replace under warranty if they are defective.

Could the Parallax be at fault? The fan seems to be on about 20% of the time. Is this excessive?

Dave

[TheDuke]

Since they are right below the LP tanks, you could possibly have a LP leak? That smells much like what you are describing as a "rotten egg" smell.

[AWCHIEF]

Sounds like you might have at last one dead cell. They can verify that when tested.

[Al and Missy]

Rotten eggs smell is likely hydrogen sulfide, and that is dangerous. Recently a woman and her daughter were found dead inside a running SUV on the Florida turnpike. The cause of death was determined to be hydrogen sulfide poisoning from a defective battery which was apparently mounted under the car seat.

Get this looked at and corrected ASAP.

Al

[Cruiser6483]

For 2 years I reconstruct my Cruiser 1954. A few weeks ago I noticed a strange smell in the trailer. Somewhere dead animals in a cavity?
Finally, the stench was so horrible that I could no longer work in it. Together with my neighbor, we went in search. Incredibly, it was the new gel battery, a large 250 ah, which should be free of maintenance! All around and above were large bulges, she was at bursting.
My Garagist has then substituted ...

Greetings from the Swiss mountains - Werner

[68 Overlander]

We send a lot of 4 stage upgrades for the Parallax units to dealerships every day, and not just Airstream. It's widely believed/known they are not your battery's best friend but some folks nurse them (Parallax) along and monitor them closely and get by for awhile, even a couple years before buying new batteries. The rotten egg smell is likely your batteries because propane smells like...well...propane.

[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by 68 Overlander

We send a lot of 4 stage upgrades for the Parallax units to dealerships every day, and not just Airstream. It's widely believed/known they are not your battery's best friend but some folks nurse them (Parallax) along and monitor them closely and get by for awhile, even a couple years before buying new batteries. The rotten egg smell is likely your batteries because propane smells like...well...propane.

Propane smells like rotten eggs also, because 'they' add Methyl-Mercaptan to the gas as an indicator.

[GEEEER]

• Natural gas and propane are colorless and odorless, hence a small amount of methyl mercaptan or ethyl mercaptan is always added to make it easy to detect a gas leak. The odor is reminiscent of rotten cabbage or a skunk and may get noticeably stronger as the tank becomes more empty with use, as the mercaptan is heavier, letting one know it's getting near time for a refill.

Carry On!
Gary
><>

[coveredwagon]

Your battery is fried. Get a new one. Same thing happened to me.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by dasams

I measured the voltage at 12.75V. I pulled all four caps and the water level in 11 of the cells looks normal. The twelfth looks like it contains a honey colored solid and the level is just slightly below normal.

You have a shorted cell. Because the cell is shorted, the remaining cells are overcharging. The battery could overheat or explode if you continue to use it in this condition.

We are driving through St George tomorrow where there's an Interstate Battery warehouse. I talked to the tech who will look at the batteries and replace under warranty if they are defective.

Good luck. You'll need it.

Could the Parallax be at fault? The fan seems to be on about 20% of the time. Is this excessive?

There are many drawbacks to the Parallax chargers, among them the loud fan, but I doubt if it has anything to do with your problem.

Shorted cells can be caused by allowing the electrolyte level to get below the tops of the cells, by manufacturing defects, or by age.

[68 Overlander]

Originally Posted by MelGoddard

Propane smells like rotten eggs also, because 'they' add Methyl-Mercaptan to the gas as an indicator.

You're correct Mel I just meant that they smell different to me.

[dasams]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Sounds like you might have at last one dead cell

Originally Posted by Jammer

You have a shorted cell. Because the cell is shorted, the remaining cells are overcharging.

Bingo!

Originally Posted by Jammer

Good luck. You'll need it.

We stopped at Interstate Battery in St George today and the tech (Alan) was awesome. He pulled the battery, confirmed the shorted cell and dropped in a new battery. All in about 30 min. He also explained that the honey colored solid was the strap holding the cells together and isn't normally visible with a proper water level.

Thanks for all the comments, Dave

[68 Overlander]

Good to hear they took care of you. I don't think Interstates are necessarily bad batteries and I run them in a couple of my vehicles. You can prevent it from happening again if you ditch that single stage Parallax 'battery boiler' as they are known in the industry. At a minimum, get one of those automatic watering gizmos. I think most RV dealerships carry them.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by 68 Overlander

Good to hear they took care of you. I don't think Interstates are necessarily bad batteries and I run them in a couple of my vehicles. You can prevent it from happening again if you ditch that single stage Parallax 'battery boiler' as they are known in the industry. At a minimum, get one of those automatic watering gizmos. I think most RV dealerships carry them.

I have been using the original chargers since 1973 with my avion, and in my airstreams and haven't had any battery troubles, just check the water level 2 or 3 times a year...most have averaged 6 years.. Not so bad...

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by dasams

....
Could the Parallax be at fault? The fan seems to be on about 20% of the time. Is this excessive?

Dave

I don't know your exact set-up or model number, but I will tell you that our Parallax unit failed this year and darned near burned down our rig. Our battery began to cook because of it, but we caught it in time before it was totally destroyed.

The failure was traced to a short circuit, and Parallax admitted to us that it was the fault of their product. Because it was still under warranty, we shipped it back to them so that they could diagnose whether a they were obligated to replace it at no charge, which they did. They also told us that they'd seen a few other similar failures in the product.

You can read more detail in this Air Forums post and see if there's possibly a correspondence to your own situation. Good luck with it.

[dasams]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

I don't know your exact set-up or model number,

Our 2017 FC 25 has a Parallax 8355 that I believe is a standard install. I still don't know if this is considered a 'smart' charger or a trickle charger.

Originally Posted by InterBlog

You can read more detail in [URL="http://www.airforums.com/forums/f240/advisory-electrical-converter-failure-hazards-147671.html"]

Thanks for sharing.

[68 Overlander]

The 8355 is not a "Smart Charger" or a trickle charger. It is a single stage converter/charger with a constant 13.8 VDC output that can overcharge.

[Free Pony]

Ugh this just happened to me on a trip with the 2004 interstate I just bought. Now the whole van stinks. I removed the battery and washed the compartment with baking soda and water, tied rubber gloves around each loose terminal. The skirt on the passenger seat smelled so horrible I cut it off and threw it away. Gotta figure something else out for that. Luckily I already received the new converter I ordered, but I left it at home on my dining room table and I’m 13 hours away. The smell is nauseating - especially since I drove two hours inhaling the fumes before I noticed them. My headache and nausea have been persistent today and the smell triggers a relapse. I left windows open all night, ran fans, burned incense, nothing is getting rid of the stink. I’ll pop the carpets out and wash them next, but has anyone else had luck removing the odor?

Oh and right before I left on my trip my water pump started spewing from the housing! Ahhhh used vehicles in “perfect condition.”