Did I kill my battery?

Madmarc
Madmarc Registered Users Posts: 14
Hi everybody!

I made the first mistake of buying my 4 Trojan L16 RE-Bs about 2 months before I needed them. Thanks to this great forum I discovered that they can't sit around without a charge for that long without risk of damage. They did sit for a month without any charge. For the last month I have been charging them one at a time with a 20 amp charger that I'd run off my generator a couple times a week. Just a basic autozone battery charger. Today while charging one of the batteries I smelled sulphur and the charger was throwing a code for over heating or runaway charge.

These are new batteries, the water was full, after I disconected it it read 6.45v. It did not feel hot at all. There where a small amount of bubles on the water.

Thanks for any and all assistance!!!!

Comments

  • Alaska Man
    Alaska Man Solar Expert Posts: 252 ✭✭
    Re: Did I kill my battery?

    Probably just off gasing, should be fine. Why don't you wire them all together so you can charge them all at the same time?

    The Charger you have is not really helping.
  • Madmarc
    Madmarc Registered Users Posts: 14
    Re: Did I kill my battery?

    The sulphur smell was strong and coupled with the fact that the charger was detecting an overheat and shutting down I thought it might be more than off gassing. I hope that's all it is and probably won't be using that charger any more.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,433 admin
    Re: Did I kill my battery?

    An "overheating battery" will experience a charging voltage drop (-5mV per degree C per cell). So if the battery was 20C too hot:

    20 C * -0.005 volts per C * 3 cells = 0.3 volt reduction in charging voltage... (or 0.6 volts for 12 volt/6 cell battery)

    I would be hard pressed to believe the charger would detect/fault on that.

    Another possibility, the charger is designed for automotive use. And they are typically around 80 AH batteries. Throw the charger on a 220 AH battery bank--It is possible the charger saw the battery as taking too many AH/to long of time to recharge--And could fault on that...

    Guessing.

    Look on Amazon for your charger... Some people have commented on Speedcharger not operating correctly. Overheating battery error, possibly seeing a 6 volt battery and trying to recharge as 12 volt (over 9 volt battery voltage)

    http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-XC103-SpeedCharge-Battery-Charger/product-reviews/B004EIBWQ0

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Did I kill my battery?

    So, do you have an automotive 6 volt battery charger? Those are rather rare these days. Or are you using a 12 volt charger to charge a 6 volt battery?
  • Madmarc
    Madmarc Registered Users Posts: 14
    Re: Did I kill my battery?

    Thanks for the responses! It is a 6v / 12v charger. It's able to detect which and charge accordingly.

    Makes sence that it may be taking too long to charge and senses a problem. Being use to much smaller batteries.

    But what about the smell? Rotten egg smell is not usually a good sign.

    Thanks again!!
  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Did I kill my battery?

    Rotten egg smell is hydrogen sulfide, which does not come from a gassing battery under normal conditions. Normally you get hydrogen, oxygen, and some sulfuric acid fumes that may react with stuff nearby to produce H2S.
    Was there visible liquid spatter on the top of the battery or the caps?
    So the battery was not noticeably hot?
    Nor low on water?

    Was the smell coming from the battery or the charger???? (A melting selenium rectifier can produce a similar smell, not that you are likely to find such at thing these days.)
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
  • Madmarc
    Madmarc Registered Users Posts: 14
    Re: Did I kill my battery?

    No splatter. Battery not noticeably hot. Definite egg smell in the air. After turning off charger I took off cap, very full of water, some bubbles and slight egg smell. No where near as strong as before.
  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Did I kill my battery?
    Madmarc wrote: »
    No splatter. Battery not noticeably hot. Definite egg smell in the air. After turning off charger I took off cap, very full of water, some bubbles and slight egg smell. No where near as strong as before.
    Did you ever add water along the way? If you used other than distilled water it can do funny things to the battery chemistry.
    This was just one of the batteries, right?
    How does its voltage and SG compare to the others after charging?
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
  • Madmarc
    Madmarc Registered Users Posts: 14
    Re: Did I kill my battery?

    Never needed to add water. Have not tested the OG. The voltage all seems about the same after a charge. I'm gonna work to get my solar system hooked up and get a propped mppt charge on the batteries, see what happens.

    Thanks!!
  • CDN_VT
    CDN_VT Solar Expert Posts: 492 ✭✭✭
    Re: Did I kill my battery?

    Next time you need to charge them , I would series two battery's and use the charger as a 12 V unit . then see if the charging works better. Then again using a inexpensive charger on a generator that also could have an effect on the charger. were you also using the gen set for other electrical loads ?
    I have a straight 6 volt dc charger for my old motorcycles , Myself ,i wouldn't trust a duel 6-12v on my old bike battery's.

    Just my thoughts
    VT
  • Vic
    Vic Solar Expert Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Did I kill my battery?

    It is common for a Flooded battery to emit a sulfate/sulfide aroma during Absorb, and particularly during an EQ. The more that a battery needs an EQ, seems like the more of that aroma. ONLY use Seam-Distilled water, here. FWIW. Vic
    Off Grid - Two systems -- 4 SW+ 5548 Inverters, Surrette 4KS25 1280 AH X2@48V, 11.1 KW STC PV, 4X MidNite Classic 150 w/ WBjrs, Beta KID on S-530s, MX-60s, MN Bkrs/Boxes.  25 KVA Polyphase Kubota diesel,  Honda Eu6500isa,  Eu3000is-es, Eu2000,  Eu1000 gensets.  Thanks Wind-Sun for this great Forum.