exploding battery

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H

HEISENBURG

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Jul 14, 2017
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LAST YEAR I HAD A BATTERY EXPLODE IN MY DAMON ESCAPER 5TH WH.  SINCE THEN, I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERIES AND JUST USING SHORE POWER.  (I LIVE IN MY TRAILER YEAR ROUND).  I WAS WONDERING WHY THE LANDING GEAR WON'T LOWER W/O THE BATTERIES.
 
I have a new 2017 Forest River Trailer and according to the manual I need the battery hooked up to run the stabilizers, the tongue jack, the awning and the slides even when I am hooked up to 120 volts.
it is absolutely stupid, since I have my trailer on a permanent site and will never move it. I was going to get rid of the battery, but if I want to use my awning, I have to keep it.

Jack L
 
Not at all unusual. The landing gear motor draws considerable current, more than the converter can supply.
 
When you want to operate something, just drive up to the front of the RV and run jumper cables from your car/truck battery to the RV battery cables. Get the polarity right. When done, make sure you protect the ends of the battery cables. You also may have issues with running your 12 volt lights, fridge, furnace and water heater without a battery. 


Oh and welcome to the forum.
 
after a year without a battery I'll bet the converter is hot enough to light a cigarette on .....  if anyone still smokes cigarettes  ;)

my converter runs warmer when the batteries are low on water.
 
Welcome!!

The likely reason for the battery exploding was because of a severe lack of maintenance. The battery may have developed a shorted plate and the water was evaporated as the charger continued to try and charge it at a very high rate.

The water level should be monitored regularly and replenished as needed. If this had been done, the smell and overheating would likely have been noticed along with the battery case swelling. The older the battery, the more important the monitoring becomes.
 
I saw a nice Travel Supreme motorhome that burnt down just because the guy never checked the water in the batteries.
 
For a staionary installation, I'd just buy a standard car battery that doesn't require monitoring the water. You shouldn't be drawing it down since you're plugged in all the time. It should do fine for occasional high loads like the awning.

CAUTION this works fine as long as you have quality (three stage) converter. But that caution applies to any battery; el cheapo converters will destroy any battery.

Ernie
 
Removing the battery is an extreme step for a rare problem. I've seen batteries explode or catch fire in cars as well, so maybe remove that one too? The problem is a combination of overcharging and lack of maintenance, but even so is extremely unlikely to ever happen again. For year-around use, I'd put a maintenance free automotive battery in and not worry about it. Basically its an emergency back-up plus needed for the jacks (and probably slides as well). They are often wired direct to the battery(s) because of their high amp demand.
 
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