Cracked Battery

[Windjammer]

I have noticed that one of my leisure batteries has a crack in the outside case and is weeping electrolyte.

Does anybody know what would have caused this ?

[blackrose]

I have noticed that one of my leisure batteries has a crack in the outside case and is weeping electrolyte.

Does anybody know what would have caused this ?

How old are the batteries? How are you charging them? Do you top up the electrolyte regularly? I probably won't know the answer to your question, but our resident battery gurus might want you to provide some more information?

Edited October 31, 2007 by blackrose

[RobinJ]

I have noticed that one of my leisure batteries has a crack in the outside case and is weeping electrolyte.

Does anybody know what would have caused this ?

There could be a number of reasons, usually any combination of freezing, low electrolyte, over charging and general misuse. The situation normally worsens with age of battery exacerbated by poor construction (cheap or incorrect battery type). Plates in a battery are affected by temperature and sulphate deposition which can lead to plate deformation, shorting or mechanical failure. If the outer case has cracked this indicates that the cells have expanded to such an extent that pressure has been put on the case. It probably also means that the capacity has been severly affected and even if the outer case was not leaking or could be resealed, the expected life of the battery will be pretty short!

Prevention is down to maintaining electrolyte levels and keeping batteries charged during cold spells, but also ensuring they are not overcharged or get too hot at high charge rates.

[Sir Nibble]

There could be a number of reasons, usually any combination of freezing, low electrolyte, over charging and general misuse. The situation normally worsens with age of battery exacerbated by poor construction (cheap or incorrect battery type). Plates in a battery are affected by temperature and sulphate deposition which can lead to plate deformation, shorting or mechanical failure. If the outer case has cracked this indicates that the cells have expanded to such an extent that pressure has been put on the case. It probably also means that the capacity has been severly affected and even if the outer case was not leaking or could be resealed, the expected life of the battery will be pretty short!

Prevention is down to maintaining electrolyte levels and keeping batteries charged during cold spells, but also ensuring they are not overcharged or get too hot at high charge rates.

The above is total rot!

If the battery is cracked it's either been hit or crushed.

[Maverick]

The above is total rot!

If the battery is cracked it's either been hit or crushed.

 

Have to agree. Dont know much about batteries but a plate would have to expand a hell of a lot to cause enough internal pressure to crack a battery.

[PaddingtonBear]

It is not necessary for a plate to expand for a crack to appear - I once worked in a vehicle dismantling/recycling facility, sorry scrap yard, and we used to heavily charge all the batteries that we removed so that they would be saleable. On one occasion with no one very near there was a huge explosion and several of the battery cases shattered (they were the hard rubber type) and a piece hit me on the side of my eye causing a deep cut. I was about 10 feet away. I guess this was caused by hydrogen being ignited by a small spark. I am not saying that this happened in this case but am passing this on as a warning to be careful as most of the time our batteries are in confined spaces which don't often have adequate ventilation.

[onthecut]

Hi Windjammer

 

Whatever has caused the split you definitely want to be shot of the battery. There is a significant chance it will be self discharging and in the process will drain its neighbours. There's also not much point in having acidic fluid swilling round the boat. I too have had PaddingtonBear's experience of batteries going bang; once caused by a dead short when I carelessly let a substatial spanner dead short across the terminals and once when a spark from grinding must have ignited the gas being given off by a charging battery. Best avoided --- as PB says, they go off explosively and dangerously. It might also be worth checking the charging system output. If it's going wild, it may have caused the battery to overheat, overgas and --pop !

 

Mike.

[Noah]

I would agree that you need to get rid of a leaking battery, even if Halfords etc, do sell a repair kit. Besides the potential danger, an electrolyte leak can be messy. Use an alkaline solution (such as baking soda) to neutralize the acid spill. I had a battery split after a welder had forgot to disconnect first, spraying acid everywhere. Lucky there was no saltwater in the bilges!

 

Noah

[larkshall]

I would agree that you need to get rid of a leaking battery, even if Halfords etc, do sell a repair kit. Besides the potential danger, an electrolyte leak can be messy. Use an alkaline solution (such as baking soda) to neutralize the acid spill. I had a battery split after a welder had forgot to disconnect first, spraying acid everywhere. Lucky there was no saltwater in the bilges!

 

Noah

 

 

Hmm what about the obvious, faulty case weakened by vibration and temp change, or is the battery tray level.... Its a mechanical problem, have actually de this on HGV battery, I dropped the damned thing, seemed ok at the time, re-fitted it and 3 weeks later crack developed....and not where it hit the floor

[Windjammer]

Thanks for the responses.

It all seems pretty inconclusive.

 

The battery is at least a year old but after that, no idea - only bought the boat last year.

 

To the best of my knowledge, it hasn't been overcharged as I have a decent multi-stage charger.

It might be undercharged (lack of a shore supply sometimes) or it could be

temperature differences.

It hasn't been banged or dropped as its fixed in place and has been since it was fitted.

 

Never mind, I'm going to replace it.

[bottle]

Don't forget to clean up all the spillage, if the electrolyte has leaked that is acid, so be careful.

[RobinJ]

The above is total rot!

If the battery is cracked it's either been hit or crushed.

Maybe you don't keep yours long enough!

I've come across loads of batteires which could not possibly have been hit or crushed (inside metal battery containers) which have ended up over an inch longer than when they were installed!

[smileypete]

I've come across loads of batteires which could not possibly have been hit or crushed (inside metal battery containers) which have ended up over an inch longer than when they were installed!

Were any of these leisure batteries?

 

cheers,

Pete.