Check your flooded lead acid batteries!

[Carpediem44DB]

Its not a new topic I know. I have been telling myself that I should check the generator battery but we have not been cruising at all and the battery is not connected to a charger, I just had not gotten to it. I wish now that I had.
Today the power supply to our dock failed and will need all new wiring from the shore transformer to the dock. Power is out to 50 + boats for the weekend including ours. We were going to spend the weekend and I was already there when the power went down so I fired the genny mainly to exercise it for a while. After about 45 mins I shut it down and started shedding power from the panel for when the power came back on. I decided to fire the genny for a little longer and when I hit the start switch it sounded like a 12 gage shot gun went off in the ER. I investigated and found that the genny battery exploded with such force that it broke the tie down bar across the top. It blew one end most of the way off and sprayed electrolyte around the immediate area.
There was very little liquid electrolyte in the battery tray so I can only surmise that the level was quite low and when the genny was running and charging the battery the first time, hydrogen built in the battery where the electrolyte should have been an when the starter motor called for amps the plate sparked and she blew up.
I cleaned the area and removed the battery tray, I will be installing a new battery, I don't know why there was still a regular flooded battery installed. the other eight batteries, four 8D for engines and house and 4 Group 31s for the thruster are all AMG. I will be installing an AMG for the genny so I don't have to worry about electrolyte levels in the future.
Carpe Diem

 

[Nater Potater]

Yikes! I'm glad to hear it didn't go any further than the exploded battery. A weak mixture of baking soda in water used as a rinse will help to neutralize the battery acid.

 

[juggernaut1]

So your putting AMG batteries in your boat? My AMG uses an AGM battery

 

[bahamabreisus]

We had a battery explode a few years ago. Scared the crap out of me. Make sure you spread some baking soda around the area, it will neutralize any residual acid.

 

[Irie308]

Timely post. Woke up to co alarm going off this am. Seems the battery drained overnight. Couldn’t even get the gen started. Water levels were very low in house batteries. But fortunately had a gallon of distilled water on hand that I’ve been meaning to check and top off batteries. Problem is a gallon is not enough. Could I use regular bottle water in a pinch?

 

[jgoedd99]

Dock neighbor had a battery do this about a week and a half ago in a Cruisers. Both sides of the battery were blown out. It was 6 year old Group 24 sealed lead acid battery (maintenance free). I did a little research on internet and the consensus is that the maintenance free batteries are the most likely to explode.

SIDEBAR - But Related, I posted previously in thread about the newer electronic battery charger/converters - since i installed a ProMariner Pronautics 1230P about 2 years ago, my need to add distilled water to my 5 batteries has pretty much dropped to zero. I still check monthly, but the newer electronic chargers do not boil off a lot of water like the older ones do.

 

[Carpediem44DB]

Timely post. Woke up to co alarm going off this am. Seems the battery drained overnight. Couldn’t even get the gen started. Water levels were very low in house batteries. But fortunately had a gallon of distilled water on hand that I’ve been meaning to check and top off batteries. Problem is a gallon is not enough. Could I use regular bottle water in a pinch?

It’s the minerals in tap or drinking water that you don’t want in your battery so not a good idea. Problem is it’s not like you can add the water temporarily and then replace it.