Bad News......

[steriltech]

Ok I have a 1998 290 sundancer this is my 2nd year with it I took it out once this past summer gave it one last look at all before I left.. My marina said when they winterized it 1 battery exploded:smt089 and said that I may heve electrical problems.

I bought this last year had a survey done ll was fine now this... What do you think...and what should I do?? Hate to think this is a shady way to make some cash..:huh: should I get a electrition.... Thanks all.....

 

[tbirdvet]

I cannot see a battery exploding unless the battery charger did something. What do they mean "exploded"? Was it cracked or literally blew up? How old was the battery? I would check to see the charger and alternator output using a meter. If they are OK I would suspect the battery.

 

[1956olds]

When did they give you this news just now?Did you pay the marina to care for the batteries during layup along with your storage and winterization fees?Mabey their battery charger did something wrong or they let yours freeze then tried charging them.I remember we had car problems once when i was a kid and the gas station hooked up a battery charger and the battery exploded while we were sitting in the car.

 

[300SR]

I had an old charger go up in smoke and took 3 batterys. Buy a new charger and all new batterys. Done fixed

 

[fwebster]

Severely discharged or over charged batteries give off hydrogen gas which is explosive. Some how something arced and the hydrogen exploded. Your challenge, or that of the technician or marine electrician you hire, is to find the source of the arc before it happens again with the new batteries you are about to buy.

 

[Nature Boy]

Also the connecting strap inside the batteries from which the plates hang can develope a crack. A spark can originate from current jumping the crack igniting even a small amount of hydrogen can blow battery top to pieces. The strap can crack due to vibration etcc. It can just be a fluke and you'll never experience again in 100 yrs.

Happened once in my volvo car riding thru duke u campus right near a academic type. Should have seen him jump. LOL back in the day.

CLean up the mess and rinse well with water and baking soda. Put in a new battery. Don't jump to conclusion thinking its more of a problem than it is.

 

[OldSkool]

Severely discharged or over charged batteries give off hydrogen gas which is explosive. Some how something arced and the hydrogen exploded. Your challenge, or that of the technician or marine electrician you hire, is to find the source of the arc before it happens again with the new batteries you are about to buy.

Totaly agree with you Frank. I do believe that this may have happened when charging or checking the charge level of the battery. I have also seen a loose battery clamp arc and catch fire just prior to the battery exploding. Everyone got away from it before it blew. Lot's of baking soda and water for the clean up.

 

[capecodcruiser]

Had one "blow up" on me last year on my new (to me) 31. I wasn't there when it happened and I had actually gone out with it blown up. Kind of scary. I think it was the original "fly back" or whatever they called it charger. Replaced 3 batteries, charger, all is good now with plenty of 12v juice and not a concern for batteries. So it can happen, you sound like you want to know who to blame. That is going to be the hard part. An old saying, I learned here, "B.O.A.T., Break Out Another Thousand".......

 

[Go Aweigh2452]

Your charger is probably the culprit here, not the marina. I doubt they are suppose to check the engine bay of your boat after they winterize it. Not like you have cats to feed in there and they have to be checked on occasionally...

Buy a new smart charger and new batteries AND a can of terminal spray. After installing, use liberal amounts of the terminal spray. That will cover the posts and all connections with a translucent red covering so you still can see and get to the connections if needed but they will NEVER corrode again. Best addition you can make to the batteries for the price. Corrosion is your enemy with batteries and their connections. Avoid that and you'll be glad you did...

 

[jamesgang]

Sorry to hear that, Tony. As the other posters suggested, after clean-up, you should get a new "smart" charger, new marine deep cycle batteries & the terminal spray. I use the spray and it works good. Check your battery cables for any damage and clean the ends good before attaching to new batteries. Replace the cables if they're damaged in any way. Old chargers can boil the batteries dry and ruin them in no time so keep a check on the acid levels in the batteries, add "distilled" water with a turkey baster when necessary. If you need pics of my battery set-up, just let me know. I'm going down to the boat on Good Friday holiday. We have Wi-Fi and I can email pics to you.

James