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Battery - new one on me

Aug 18, 2011#1

BKBrown

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

and the sun is on that battery box in the afternoon. ?????? It did not freeze :laughing: :biggrin: !

Aug 18, 2011#2

173abn

BK,sounds like the sun and or heat killed your batt...russ

Aug 18, 2011#3

JDgreen

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.....

Aug 18, 2011#4

B

Black Bart

More battery's fail in extreme heat than in the winter.
Try parking it somewhere else where it is not in the sun.

Aug 18, 2011#5

BKBrown

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. ????

Aug 18, 2011#6

B

Black Bart

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.

Aug 18, 2011#7

BKBrown

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.

Aug 18, 2011#8

BKBrown

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.

Aug 18, 2011#9

JDgreen

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. ????

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

Aug 18, 2011#10

JDgreen

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.

Maybe try to find a cheap patio umbrella someplace and rig it up to shade the battery box?

Aug 18, 2011#11

BKBrown

I guess it could have overcharged, but that still does not explain both the cap coming off and the case cracking. ????? :confused2:

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

Aug 18, 2011#12

BKBrown

Making shade won't be hard if it is needed, but an umbrella creates new problems with wind taking it away etc. ---- good idea though, Thanks !

JDgreen said:
Maybe try to find a cheap patio umbrella someplace and rig it up to shade the battery box?

Aug 18, 2011#13

B

Black Bart

If excessive pressure cracked the case that would cause less tension on the caps and the pressure blew them off.
This is pure speculation on my part but it is the best scenario I can think of.
We set 100 year old records this summer no likely it will be that hot again but in the heat of the summer a cheap umbrella would sure help.

Aug 18, 2011#14

B

Black Bart

BKBrown said:
Making shade won't be hard if it is needed, but an umbrella creates new problems with wind taking it away etc. ---- good idea though, Thanks !

I have one on my deck with a heavy base it can withstand a good bit of wind but when we expect storms we just put it down.

Only takes 30 seconds.

Aug 18, 2011#15

JDgreen

BKBrown said:
I guess it could have overcharged, but that still does not explain both the cap coming off and the case cracking. ????? :confused2:

Overcharging would create gassing, and gassing would create pressure inside?

Aug 18, 2011#16

JDgreen

Black Bart said:
I have one on my deck with a heavy base it can withstand a good bit of wind but when we expect storms we just put it down.

Only takes 30 seconds.

For umbrellas with a wood post, a length of 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe set in concrete below grade makes a cheapo, durable base. The good umbrella I use to shield my gas grill in bright sun uses a section of the same pipe secured to the deck board at the bottom using a cap screwed down, and a carriage bolt goes thru the lower metal sleeve of the umbrella post and the PVC pipe. The main section of the umbrella inserts into the lower sleeve/pipe and locks.

Aug 18, 2011#17

Two-Stroke

JDGreen beat me to it but I suspected the charger also. Particularly since you just bought a new battery, I'd be inclined to disconnect the charger until I know the charger is OK.

Aug 18, 2011#18

B

Black Bart

JDgreen said:
Overcharging would create gassing, and gassing would create pressure inside?

I think it had been sitting for a good while and he was going to run it when he found it busted.
BK can clear that up for us.

I went back and read his post I missed the part about the maintainer but I don't see that as the problem.
they can only charge a maximum of a quarter of a amp.
They are not chargers just maintainers.
I have 5 of those on cars that I seldom drive

Aug 18, 2011#19

BKBrown

Yes, it had been sitting a couple weeks (or slightly more) since the last time I started it.
The new battery is sitting at 14.9 V right now and no sign of anything in the charging system or standby system being hotter than ambient temperature.

I will get in and clean up the terminals and spray with contact protector, but I am at a loss to explain -- possible that a surge did the deed, but nothing else seems to be wrong. ???

Aug 18, 2011#20

M

Mower manic

Put a volt meter on the charging circuit when the battery is in place. Should not be much over 13.5-14 VDC. If it's high, then there's your problem. You probably would not hear the case crack with the genset running.
The old battery may have developed a short or may have been defective.
Nice mower!
Ventrac's are the cats a-s,.....backside

Aug 18, 2011#21

173abn

BK,why do'nt you put a thermometer in there and see what kind of temps you get....russ

Aug 18, 2011#22

BKBrown

Only own 2 thermometers and neither one would tell me much inside there ! :biggrin:

173abn said:
BK,why do'nt you put a thermometer in there and see what kind of temps you get....russ

Aug 19, 2011#23

K

KennyV

Happens a lot on golf cart batteries if you keep them around too long... 5 years is about too long...
One of the cells can short out and the heat generated will cause it to spew acid and hydrogen, they usually will cook to an open after shorting, especially if there is a charger on them... If it all happens just right a spark can ignite the hydrogen and that will pop the case...
Mix up some baking soda & water to flush out the battery box and cover... new battery & you should be good for a long time... :smile:KennyV

Aug 19, 2011#24

BKBrown

Thanks Kenny,
There is a plastic tray under the battery (with outlet) and the inside of the box is powder coated, but I'll flush it out.
I've had batteries just go bad before (shorted cell), but never explode.
All seems well with the new one so far. :thumbsup:

KennyV said:
Happens a lot on golf cart batteries if you keep them around too long... 5 years is about too long...
One of the cells can short out and the heat generated will cause it to spew acid and hydrogen, they usually will cook to an open after shorting, especially if there is a charger on them... If it all happens just right a spark can ignite the hydrogen and that will pop the case...
Mix up some baking soda & water to flush out the battery box and cover... new battery & you should be good for a long time... :smile:KennyV

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Battery - new one on me

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