Battery - new one on me

BKBrown

BKBrown

Lawn Addict
Joined
May 5, 2010
Threads
15
Messages
1,415
This wasn't on a lawn mower, but it is a small engine (Onan on a Generac stand by generator).

I went to start my generator for an exercise cycle (I do it manually instead of letting it start by itself) and it would not start. I figured it was battery since it was nearly 5 years old. I opened up the battery storage box ready to try the charger and found one of the covers for 3 cells off the battery and the top of the case cracked wide open + most of the acid gone from those 3 cells.

I went to TSC and picked up a new battery so all is OK now and Generator starts fine. Just wondering if anyone has any idea what could have caused a
battery to {probably} explode with enough force to blow the cover off and crack the case :confused2: ??????? It had been up to 107.8 :eek: and the sun is on that battery box in the afternoon. ?????? It did not freeze :laughing: :biggrin: !
 
173abn

173abn

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 7, 2010
Threads
38
Messages
869
BK,sounds like the sun and or heat killed your batt...russ
 
JDgreen

JDgreen

Lawn Addict
Joined
May 14, 2010
Threads
248
Messages
2,887
Batteries underhood on a car sustain engine heat far higher than what the sun would have heated the enclosure to in your case. My guess would be the gases the battery produced built up somehow because the vent was blocked. You do not specify what kind of battery the genset has, is it a deep cycle or regular car battery, motorcycle type AGM, or whatever?

Or perhaps there was a lightning strike nearby and a surge traveled up the grounding rod? Or maybe an internal short?

Just guessing here.....
 
B

Black Bart

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 4, 2011
Threads
15
Messages
550
More battery's fail in extreme heat than in the winter.
Try parking it somewhere else where it is not in the sun.
 
BKBrown

BKBrown

Lawn Addict
Joined
May 5, 2010
Threads
15
Messages
1,415
The Battery was a 12V Commercial Group 26 Traveller 525 CCA from TSC - The generator has a charger / maintainer.
I don't believe we have had any lightning strikes that close (possible while we were out sometime), but we have the new Arc Fault breakers on some circuits in the house and they should have tripped if there was a strike that close.

I'll check the new one soon to make sure it is staying charged. I didn't see any evidence of arcs or shorts in the wiring of the Generator. ????
 
Last edited:
B

Black Bart

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 4, 2011
Threads
15
Messages
550
Could it have been overfilled if it tried to expand from heat it may have just built up too much pressure.
The extreme heat is what I would say caused it to bust open.
 
BKBrown

BKBrown

Lawn Addict
Joined
May 5, 2010
Threads
15
Messages
1,415
Can't "park it somewhere else" It is on a pad and hooked up to our 1,000 Gal. LPG (whole house) tank and to the manual transfer switch in the house. This is a 7 KW Gen Set that runs our Well Pump, Septic Pump, Kitchen, Freezer, Bedroom, Master Bath, and lighting.
Black Bart said:
More battery's fail in extreme heat than in the winter.
Try parking it somewhere else where it is not in the sun.
Click to expand...
 
BKBrown

BKBrown

Lawn Addict
Joined
May 5, 2010
Threads
15
Messages
1,415
I guess that it is possible that the vents in that one cap got plugged somehow, but then it seems that the cap coming off would have released the pressure. One would think thet either the cap would come off or the case would crack, but not both ???????
Black Bart said:
Could it have been overfilled if it tried to expand from heat it may have just built up too much pressure.
The extreme heat is what I would say caused it to bust open.
Click to expand...
 
JDgreen

JDgreen

Lawn Addict
Joined
May 14, 2010
Threads
248
Messages
2,887
BKBrown said:
The Battery was a 12V Commercial Group 26 Traveller 525 CCA from TSC - The generator has a charger / maintainer.
I don't believe we have had any lightning strikes that close (possible while we were out sometime), but we have the new Arc Fault breakers on some circuits in the house and they should have tripped if there was a strike that close.

I'll check the new one soon to make sure it is staying charged. I didn't se any evidence of arcs or shorts in the wiring of the Generator. ????
Click to expand...

Any chance the charger/maintainer malfunctioned and overcharged the battery?
 
JDgreen

JDgreen

Lawn Addict
Joined
May 14, 2010
Threads
248
Messages
2,887
BKBrown said:
Can't "park it somewhere else" It is on a pad and hooked up to our 1,000 Gal. LPG (whole house) tank and to the manual transfer switch in the house. This is a 7 KW Gen Set that runs our Well Pump, Septic Pump, Kitchen, Freezer, Bedroom, Master Bath, and lighting.
Click to expand...

Maybe try to find a cheap patio umbrella someplace and rig it up to shade the battery box?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Footer Links 1

Top