Battery Question

bikegirl

Hi everyone,

I just bought a 2015 TAB 320 S and I believe the battery is dead. I plugged the T@B in to the house and I would have thought it would charge it but when I unplugged it, all the lights went out. We then checked the fuse near the batter and it was fine. We could smell sulphur (rotten eggs) so I'm thinking it might be dead. 

Would love anyones thoughts. I'm leaving on a trip and I don't want to chance having issues. If I do have to replace it, what do you recommend? I'm in Canada. 

Thanks so much!

Estancio

In the past I have had similar symptoms that turned out to be poor battery connections. You might check those.

rfuss928

There is also a battery fuse in the converter that will sometimes blow when trying to charge a deeply discharged battery. 

Photomom

Google turned up info that sounds like the battery is bad. In the US you can get a battery tested at most auto parts stores. You undoubtably have those stores, no idea of brand - Canadian Tire maybe?

Several posts mentioned that the gas you smell is explosive and poisonous, so you probably don't want to continue trying to charge it.

Michigan_Mike

You have NAPA parts stores in Canada correct?   I would call them or possibly a nearby repair shop and see if they will check your battery for you.   The battery is easy enough to remove and you might end up saving yourself some money as opposed to just assuming it's dead and changing it out without first having it properly tested.   

Do you have a battery disconnect switch in the tub???   If so, you might have it switched off, thus not allowing the battery to charge.  

Estancio

Oh, just saw you're in Canada. Your local Canadian Tire is the place you should go!

irvingj

If you're smelling sulfur, chances are the battery is or has been over-charging.

At this point, you may well have boiled off all the water. Battery, if in that state, has surely been compromised, but possibly can be used if the water is replenished (use only distilled water). Worth a shot, at least for a temporary fix.... but check that charging system for over-charging! Just checking the voltage --while charging-- would be a good start.  Have it tested.

We had issues with our T@B's replacement, a smallish RV-- the system was putting over 18 volts into the batteries. Yowza!! Totally fried three out of four, essentially wrecked the 4th one as well (25% capacity). Sulfur smell was VERY strong, batteries were too hot to touch, and they could be heard "boiling," all indications of an over-charge situation.

Needless to say, that put a pretty good damper on our activities -- had to plug in whenever we stopped after that, all the way back to NH from WA state!

bikegirl

Thanks so much everyone! I'll be checking the battery tomorrow however it might be best I replace it before I go on my adventure. I'd like to see what it going on with it and see if it is overcharging otherwise it will fry my new one. 

irvingj

Absolutely; check for the cause, not the symptom. Have the charging system tested.

bikegirl

Okay, removed the battery and checked. First we opened the fluid caps. There were 6 holes (3 together and then another 3 together beside it). What we found was that the far right hole of each 3 was empty. One looked like it was corroded in the bottom. I believe they should all have fluid in them.

Next we tested the battery and it came in at 6.3V. Then we charged it but it said fully charged within seconds. We took cables off and put them back on and tested it again for it to say 6.3V. 

Any thoughts?

I will attach of photo of what one of holes looked like. 

Estancio

Should we assume you filled the cells before you tried to charge it?

Verna

@bikegirl, if there is no liquid in the cells, then for lack of the more technical terminology....your battery has died.  I saw a post somewhere here thatvtold more about the actual inner workings of the battery.

You said you just got the 2015 T@B, so it appears that either the maintenance of maintaining the proper level of liquid in the battery has not been maintained or there is a problem with the charger or converter.  The liquid has either evaporated or been boiled away. Without knowing the history and the current state of your T@B and it’s converter, or knowing the condition of your separate charger, it is next to impossible to diagnose from afar with accuracy.

Maybe someone more knowledgeable to chime in, or even quicker is to just start doing searches for low water in battery, boiling, or just look through the threads on battery or batteries for more knowledge about batteries.  Our search function has recently been i proved and it is better than it was. 

You can also also used Google to search the internet for information about batteries.  Or go to the Canadian Tire nearest you and talk to them.

irvingj

Bikegirl: Yes, six holes.. a typical lead-acid battery will develop 2 volts per cell, hence 6 cells (with holes for adding water) for 12 volts. (I'm so old --b-day same as your post above-- that I remember when most cars' batteries only had THREE holes: 6-volt systems!)

As I mentioned before, if you fill the cells with distilled water and then charge it, you MAY get some life... but for all practical purposes that battery is toast. Even if it did take a charge, most likely it wouldn't hold for long; having the plates in there exposed to air is very damaging to them.

An over-charge could have been responsible, but as Verna said, it could also have been simply a case of neglect. And keep in mind there are devices in your T@B which continually draw power if the battery is left connected (a battery cut-off switch is a great idea, too).

That's why I replaced my traditional flooded wet cell battery with an AGM type. Really don't need to worry about water loss, and they'll hold a charge for a long time while idle. (I also added a high quality battery cut-off switch.)

I'd still suggest you verify that your T@B's charging system --primarily the inverter while on shore power-- is working properly.

ScottG

I recall that when my first battery was dying it would "boil" excessively when on the charger and consequently lose water more quickly. I suspect your low fluid level in the cells is more a symptom than a cause.

I'd still top it up with distilled water and try charging it, but-as others have noted--I wouldn't have real high hopes for a new lease on life!

Photomom

If you're setting out for a trip and expect to use the battery, why not just replace it? They aren't terribly expensive. Then check the water level in the cells of the new battery periodically.

bikegirl

Thanks everyone! 

@irvingj @Verna @ScottG

Last night I went to Canadian Tire and I got an AGM battery so there is little maintenance involved except attaching a battery tender when it is stored and not being used. 

Where is the convertor or invertor located and how can I test that it's not overcharging my battery? 

My 2015 T@B is pretty basic with a pump, LED lights, 3 way fridge and plug ins. It has a bathroom and ALDE heating system. No electronic package or anything. 

I do agree that finding out what the cause of that dead battery was is important in case it is something I can prevent from happening again. 

bikegirl

Okay I know now the converter is the electrical box with the braker/fuses etc. The only question is how do I test to see if it's overcharging? 

dsatwork

@bikegirl I just did a search on the forum for overcharging and all of the discussion I've saw, revolved around using a good charger to provide the maintenance charge you need when storing long term. But you mentioned that you have a battery tender, which should suffice. Someone else may chime in, but most issues with the converter revolve around not charging, rather than over charging. Not sure if there is even a test for that.

ChanW

If you have a multimeter (good to have anyway) you can test it basically.

Unplug from shore power, disconnect from the tow vehicle, open the battery cut off switch (which turns off battery power to the Tab), and install the new battery. Even with a new battery, be sure the water is up to the fill line in each cell.

Turn off any high draw items (3way fridge), be sure the battery cut-off switch is closed (allowing battery power to the Tab interior lights), and be sure all the fuses are good.

Check the voltage at the battery terminals while plugged in to shore power. Check the voltage again after 12 hours, and after 24 hours. Anything higher than 15V is too high and means you have a problem with your converter.

If it's high, unplug the Tab, disconnect the battery, and have the converter checked.

After 12 to 24 hours, the float-charge battery voltage while plugged in to shore power and fully charged, should hang around 13.2V or so. 

Check the water in the battery periodically (every 3-6 months?) On ours, I might need to add a tablespoon or two annually, but that would vary with the amount of use your battery gets. The more discharge/charge cycles, especially over discharging, the more water it will use.

Sharon_is_SAM

@bikegirl Since you have a 2015, not sure if you have a battery cut-off switch.  Do you have a battery cut-off switch?  If so, make sure it is turned to the "ON" position for charging the battery while on shorepower, while towing, and while using the T@B on battery (no shorepower).  Turn the switch to "Off" after charging the battery fully and storing the trailer (eliminates phantom draw from the battery) and while using the portable battery charger.  If the switch looks like this one, the ON is green and the OFF is red.  

Verna

Caution:  if you don’t have the battery cut-off switch, please remove the 30 amp fuse at the battery on the positive side, and use this fuse in lieu of the above references to the turning the battery cut-off switch off. You can very easily blow the 3.15 amp fuse on the Alde if you do not cut off the power.