Cooked batteries

Chips95 · Nov 10, 2015

Well, 5 day camping trip is going to be delayed! Looks like I had the camper plugged in a little too long, very lucky I didn't burn the house down, definitely a lesson learned. Any idea if the IQ4 for the IOTA would have prevented this? Got to figure something out don't want this happening again, let alone have to buy 2 more batteries. All suggestions welcome and please be kind

DrJ · Nov 10, 2015

Yikes.
What kind of batteries did you have?

Were they AGM or vented?

How were you charging your camper during this time and for how long?

MarkBC · Nov 10, 2015

Was this the camper "plugged in" to shore power, the batteries being charged through the camper system?

I'm surprised this could happen no matter how long plugged in....

Chips95 · Nov 10, 2015

Two AGM Exide Edge. 180 watts of solar on the roof (camper was in the garage) Trimetric 2025, batteries were being charged through camper system (110v). Never in a million years would I have thought this would of happened but my only guess right now is the IOTA and leaving it pugged in too long (2 weeks). On another note I have been running this setup for about a year now with zero problems until tonight.

DrJ · Nov 10, 2015

Chips95 said:
Two AGM Exide Edge. 180 watts of solar on the roof (camper was in the garage) Trimetric 2025, batteries were being charged through camper system (110v). Never in a million years would I have thought this would of happened but my only guess right now is the IOTA and leaving it pugged in too long (2 weeks). On another note I have been running this setup for about a year now with zero problems until tonight.

That sounds like a great setup. I would think that 2 weeks on the IOTA would be unlikely to do this. The IQ4 does help with charging.

Your trimetric has the ability to record data on the recent voltage and amps. You might be able to see if the IOTA was charging it incorrectly.

Chips95 · Nov 10, 2015

DrJ said:
That sounds like a great setup. I would think that 2 weeks on the IOTA would be unlikely to do this. The IQ4 does help with charging.

Your trimetric has the ability to record data on the recent voltage and amps. You might be able to see if the IOTA was charging it incorrectly.

Good call, only question is since I disconnected the battery does the Trimetric need continuous power to hold memory? Regardless have to go out and see if I can scrounge up two deep cycle batteries tonight, Ive been promising the boy this camping trip for the past month and Dad has to keep his promises

. After a closer examination it looks like I have some blackened plastic on the power leads from the charge controller which makes absolutely no sense especially since the line is fused and the fuse is intact and the camper was in the garage so no solar charging the camper. Really scratching my head now.

MarkBC · Nov 10, 2015

I'm no expert (then why are you commenting, Mark?

)...but I bet this battery cooking wasn't simply because the camper was plugged into shore power too long. That is, it wasn't improper procedure. I bet that something malfunctioned which then allowed too much current (or for too long) to reach the batteries.

DrJ · Nov 10, 2015

Chips95 said:
Good call, only question is since I disconnected the battery does the Trimetric need continuous power to hold memory? Regardless have to go out and see if I can scrounge up two deep cycle batteries tonight, Ive been promising the boy this camping trip for the past month and Dad has to keep his promises . After a closer examination it looks like I have some blackened plastic on the power leads from the charge controller which makes absolutely no sense especially since the line is fused and the fuse is intact and the camper was in the garage so no solar charging the camper. Really scratching my head now.

I believe the Trimetric will hold some of that data without power - but I am not 100% sure on that.

Could there have been some thing that feel into the battery compartment that would have arked the battery terminals?

+1 on what MarkBC says too

Wallowa · Nov 10, 2015

Sorry in advance for a question generated from ignorance...but what Chips described, is that the stock FWC system [Trimetric, IOTA -IQ4] or was it modified?

Thanks,

Phil

97grandby · Nov 10, 2015

My SWAG(scientific wild a~~ guess) is your voltage regulator took a dive in your converter. I've seen batteries plugged in for a year and never seen that happen. On my utv it is constantly plugged to a battery charger and never has an issue. I've plugged in my toy hauler for weeks at a time and never had issues so something had to go haywire in order to over charge your batts like that. I would be careful about just putting in 400-500 in new batteries with out testing with a voltage meter at the battery terminals.

1990 Ford F-250
1997 fwc grandby

Chips95 · Nov 10, 2015

97grandby said:
My SWAG(scientific wild a~~ guess) is your voltage regulator took a dive in your converter. I've seen batteries plugged in for a year and never seen that happen. On my utv it is constantly plugged to a battery charger and never has an issue. I've plugged in my toy hauler for weeks at a time and never had issues so something had to go haywire in order to over charge your batts like that. I would be careful about just putting in 400-500 in new batteries with out testing with a voltage meter at the battery terminals.

1990 Ford F-250
1997 fwc grandby

I am definitely with you, just got back with new batteries (not my first choice by any means yellow top optimas) and going to plug in shore power without batteries connected to see if I can replicate the high voltage. If I can then I know its the IOTA and I'll be able to hook up the batteries as long as I just run the camper off of solar.

DrJ, no way for anything to have fallen in the battery compartment cover was on and cushion was in place, I am still scratching my head on the positive cable being scorched coming from the solar charge controller especially without a blown fuse.
Anyone know how to test a solar charge controller?

Wallow, no worries with the question. The IOTA is the battery charger that FWC uses, the IQ4 is a "smart charger" that you can add to the IOTA and the Trimetric is simply a really handy toy to determine how your voltage, amps out and in, percent full etc.. for the installed batteries.

Chips95 · Nov 10, 2015

And just for the heck of it I did have the store hook up a battery tester to both batteries and they were indeed both toast (also 3 hours later and they were still nice and warm)

Chips95 · Nov 11, 2015

Constant 13.48 volts from the IOTA, scratching my head!

MarkBC · Nov 11, 2015

Before I had solar panels (and a good solar charge controller) I used a Black & Decker "smart charger" to top up the batteries, rather than the internal charger. Not as convenient, but more versatile.

Now i mainly use the B&D charger for battery-maintenance tasks of the electrical type -- equalization and reconditioning. I have flooded batteries, so there's more maintenance required than AGM batteries.

PaulT · Nov 11, 2015

Page 3 of the DLS-30 manual describes what the Iota does depending on whether you have the jumper cable, IQ4, or nothing plugged into the dual voltage jack.
Nothing plugged in is just float voltage. - never fully charges the battery
Dual voltage plug provides 14.2 volts - will destroy the battery at some point
IQ4 varies the charging voltage thru the stages of a smart charger

DLS30 manual - http://www.iotaengineering.com/pplib/dlsmanl.pdf
IQ4 manual - http://www.iotaengineering.com/pplib/IQ4manual.pdf#search="Iq4"

Get the IQ4 if you don't have one. At some point in the last few years, FWC started including the IQ4

Paul

Beach · Nov 11, 2015

I have to wonder if the battery shorted internally and the charge system is not the issue.

ntsqd · Nov 12, 2015

Our converter is deactivated. Came out to start loading when the camper had been plugged in (to get the fridge cooled down) and the converter was boiling the batteries - I could hear them! That was the end of that, I took it apart right then and disabled it.

I'm going to replace that monster with a simple fuse & breaker panel.

Wallowa · Nov 12, 2015

ntsqd,

Year and model of the camper and brand/model of the converter?

Thanks..Phil

Ps...Heard them boiling? Not AGM batteries?

PaulT · Nov 13, 2015

Wallowa said:
ntsqd,
--snip--
Ps...Heard them boiling? Not AGM batteries?

Had that happen once on an AGM battery with a defective charger. Kind of a frying sound. Caught it before too much damage was done. Sound is what prompted me to test voltage.

Paul

ntsqd · Nov 13, 2015

Not sure of converter brand, possibly an Exlir (sp?). Trojan T-125's. I put a Battery Minder charger in the camper to compensate, but shortly thereafter the solar went on and I've yet to need the charger. Have debated removing it.

Cooked batteries

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