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Old 09-28-2023, 01:56 PM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Omni XG32
State: Florida
Posts: 51
THOR #29859
Battery Water - Adding frequently

My Thor XG32 is now approaching 2 years old. When I removed the batteries about a year ago to put in a plastic battery box (the metal frame was already showing rust from the battery acid....) I checked the water level and saw the tops of the cells uncovered! I added distilled water to the appropriate level (took about 3/4 of a gallon of water for both 6V batteries). and since I check about every 30-45 days and find I generally have to add approximately a quart of water each time.

Facts:
The rig is almost always plugged into shore power at our house and so charging from the converter
The solar panel is also most times in the Sun (south florida sun) and so therefore charging
It is in South florida heat


Questions:
Anyone find this abnormal?


Hint:
It seems an important regular maintenance Item on your check list as running your battery dry will kill it....

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Old 09-28-2023, 02:11 PM   #2
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2022 Tellaro 20L
State: Vermont
Posts: 502
THOR #30506
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dry Yachtie View Post
My Thor XG32 is now approaching 2 years old. When I removed the batteries about a year ago to put in a plastic battery box (the metal frame was already showing rust from the battery acid....) I checked the water level and saw the tops of the cells uncovered! I added distilled water to the appropriate level (took about 3/4 of a gallon of water for both 6V batteries). and since I check about every 30-45 days and find I generally have to add approximately a quart of water each time.

Facts:
The rig is almost always plugged into shore power at our house and so charging from the converter
The solar panel is also most times in the Sun (south florida sun) and so therefore charging
It is in South florida heat


Questions:
Anyone find this abnormal?


Hint:
It seems an important regular maintenance Item on your check list as running your battery dry will kill it....
Time to consider AGM or even LiFePO4 ("LFP") batteries- no maintenance and longer life. But you should pull those out and maintain in cold climates that get to -20F or more, unless you have warm storage, and then use a battery Minder w/ desulfation phase.
LFP batteries need to be cycled every 3 months too. Always some aspect to batteries to be aware of. I'm used to it, so no problem for me, and I hate wet-cells for many reasons, one being the H2S off-gassing while charging- very toxic and accumulates in our bodies and no escape. So they should never be in your living space.

Normal to lose some water, but also could be converter is not a 'smart' converter, that regulates the cycling of the charge. Some converters just do bulk charge and keep going which can dry out a wet cell.
Battery Minders are 'smart' chargers, and Progressive Dynamics PD 9000 series are as well. Check your converter and look up the specs on it to see what it is.

There are sensors you can buy to monitor the water level remotely as well. I had a chemist buddy who had done that.

Dry cell= death for battery for sure. I prefer LFP batteries myself. Expensive, but will last me 10+ yrs, depending on care and use. They can be installed sideways too... no fluids to worry about.
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2022 Thor Tellaro 20L, 600Ah LFP/ Balmar UHG, 380W solar.
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Old 09-28-2023, 02:24 PM   #3
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Axis 24.1
State: Connecticut
Posts: 1,772
THOR #20289
Yes, that much battery water is definitely abnormal. When I was a fulltime boater, I would check the water level every 3 months, but only needed to add water twice a year and never as much as you indicate. These were golf cart FLA batteries. And BTW, you loose the capacity of any cells left uncovered even when you refill.

So something very wrong is going on with your converter/charger or your solar controller. Are they set for flooded lead acid batteries? Check the voltage at the battery terminals after letting it stabilize for a few hours with all loads off, first with the solar controller off then turn the solar controller back on and the converter off, wait an hour and check again. Any voltage of 14 volts or higher is suspect.

David
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Old 09-28-2023, 02:50 PM   #4
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 27.1
State: Florida
Posts: 14,117
THOR #7035
Sounds like your converter is not shifting into "float" mode and overcharging the batteries causing the disassociation of H2 and O2 (hydrolysis) and increased evaporation loss due to the heat generation. Sure way to quickly kill the batteries.
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Old 09-28-2023, 03:12 PM   #5
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 31S
State: Texas
Posts: 4,157
THOR #6411
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dry Yachtie View Post
My Thor XG32 is now approaching 2 years old. When I removed the batteries about a year ago to put in a plastic battery box (the metal frame was already showing rust from the battery acid....) I checked the water level and saw the tops of the cells uncovered! I added distilled water to the appropriate level (took about 3/4 of a gallon of water for both 6V batteries). and since I check about every 30-45 days and find I generally have to add approximately a quart of water each time.

Facts:
The rig is almost always plugged into shore power at our house and so charging from the converter
The solar panel is also most times in the Sun (south florida sun) and so therefore charging
It is in South florida heat


Questions:
Anyone find this abnormal?


Hint:
It seems an important regular maintenance Item on your check list as running your battery dry will kill it....
If you have flooded lead-acid (FLA) batteries and they are the common type with the grids alloyed with antimony, they will vent water during any charging. The more the batteries are used, the more water they will vent. If any of the cells grids are exposed to air the capacity of the battery will be severely decreased.


There are FLA batteries that have the grids alloyed with calcium. These FLA batteries vent little water during charging. They can be valve regulated lead-acid (VRLA) with the "green eye" charge indicator, adsorbed glass mat (AGM), or low maintenance type. Some low maintenance batteries may have refill caps, as this saves the cost of making a special VRLA battery case. The FLA low maintenance battery with thicker plates will usually be labeled marine deep cycle. Walmart carries then in group 24DC, 27DC and 29DC sizes.


I have personal experience with the Walmart group 27 and 29 marine DC batteries. the group 27 is the chassis battery and the group 29s are in the house battery compartment. They are 5 years old and have never needed water. I do have the old Flo-rite system hooked up to the house batteries and do try to add water every time I run the generator. I check the chassis battery each year just because I can.
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