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Help, Battrery explosion


Nick D

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We just had the engine running a bit more this morning on idle, when there was a load bang and smoke.  It seems that one of the domestic batteries has exploded.  The rest seem to be working ok and the inverter is still on.  Any thoughts on cause and what I should do next? I will remove the battery bank cover to see if I can get more idea of what happened

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2 minutes ago, Nick D said:

We just had the engine running a bit more this morning on idle, when there was a load bang and smoke.  It seems that one of the domestic batteries has exploded.  The rest seem to be working ok and the inverter is still on.  Any thoughts on cause and what I should do next? I will remove the battery bank cover to see if I can get more idea of what happened

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Yes remove it and check all the others for bulging cases too. Wash away all the acid properly. Its stupid the way batteries are often stuffed away in places that one can hardly inspect them.

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The damaged battery will have released acid, which will cause corrosion of the steelwork. Neutralise it with baking soda or similar alkali, then rinse with lots of water. This is especially important in the case has been breached below the level of the top of the plates, and acid has run out into the bilges.

The explosion is caused by combustion of hydrogen released from the batteries by electrolysis. A typical scenario occurs when a battery suffers a shorted cell. It then effectively becomes a 10 volt battery, but is still being charged with a voltage suitable for a 12 volt battery. The remaining 5 cells are therefore grossly overcharged and emit lots of hydrogen into the space above the plates. they also get hot. The heat, or a spark, ignites the hydrogen/air mixture in the case, and blows it apart.

 

MP.

 

Edited by MoominPapa
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To check the others for shorted cells, disconnect the links paralleling the batteries. (You can leave one connected to the boat to power it if needed) This stops good batteries continuing to charge bad ones. Wait a day for any partially shorted cells to completely discharge, then measure the terminal voltages of each battery. Any found to be below 11 volts are scrap.

 

MP.

 

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Even if the batteries are the same make and age etc it doesnt mean they are all knackered. We had one blow to pieces on one set of batteries on the Princess but  on testing the others in that bank they were all ok and lasted for ages after the big bang. Just be pleased you were not face to face with it when it exploded.

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2 minutes ago, Nick D said:

We are out on a cruise ATM, do you think we would be ok till we got to a marina in a few hours where I could get an engineer to help?

I'd at least find out how far the acid has got. Are the batteries in a liquid-tight box, or could acid have got into the bilge? If so, at very least dump water down there to dilute it.

 

MP.

 

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Yes, that's not a problem. What about the acid that's gone on the hoses etc.

1 minute ago, MoominPapa said:

I'd at least find out how far the acid has got. Are the batteries in a liquid-tight box, or could acid have got into the bilge? If so, at very least dump water down there to dilute it.

 

MP.

 

There's not too much, more of a spray.  The batteries are in a sealed container.

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2 minutes ago, Nick D said:

Yes, that's not a problem. What about the acid that's gone on the hoses etc.

baking soda (bicarb) if you have it, then rinse with water. Otherwise just rinse with water. Hoses are probably less at risk than metal parts.

Edited by MoominPapa
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1 minute ago, Nick D said:

Yes, that's not a problem. What about the acid that's gone on the hoses etc.

Rubber/ plastic hoses won’t degrade quickly, their metal fittings might though. Just douse everything with lots of water and then bicarbonate of soda solution.

Just for clarity, baking powder isn’t the same thing as bicarbonate of soda. Baking soda may be, I’m not quite sure what that is.

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before moving at a minimum you need to get one terminal from what's left of that battery disconnected from the rest of the bank, doesn't matter whether you disconnect the negative (black) or positive (red) just undo the terminal leaving the wires still connected to each other and make sure the terminal / wiring can't drop back down onto the battery, doing this should make your electrics temporarily safe and usable (assuming the remaining batteries are ok)

once you have done this and dealt with the acid as others have suggested you should be safe to head back to the marina (although I'm sure there are plenty on here that would just continue the trip with one battery down)

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41 minutes ago, Boater Sam said:

Sandra  Ace Electrical Services 07969 803439 . 

i think that number was for Middlewich Narrowboats who she used to work through.  M N are now gone.  I have 07885 205137 for her.   If that doesn't work I know someone who has phoned her recently so I could contact them for a new number if needed.

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3 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Rubber/ plastic hoses won’t degrade quickly, their metal fittings might though. Just douse everything with lots of water and then bicarbonate of soda solution.

Just for clarity, baking powder isn’t the same thing as bicarbonate of soda. Baking soda may be, I’m not quite sure what that is.

Yes, baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, and is ideal for neutralizing the acid from the battery. 

Baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and tartaric acid so does not need another acid in the recipe to work as a raising agent. 

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3 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Time is of the essence with regards to clearing up the spilled acid. Can you get to a chemist and buy some bicarbonate of soda?

Also available in the baking aisle of supermarkets. Probably in a lot of corner shops too.

"Baking soda" is just the American term for bicarbonate of soda; baking powder is that with cream of tartar added, probably less suitable for the purpose of dealing with battery acid.

I'm no expert on boat maintenance, but thinking about the chemistry involved when acid meets steel I would say Nick is right; time is of the essence, alkali is best, failing that dilute with water, but get something done quickly.

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There was a thread here a while ago where someone suggested the volume of steel a battery-full of acid could dissolve was miniscule.

ISTR one of our chemists here bunging up some calculations to show this was indeed the case, but can't remember clearly. Could well be that half an hour after the spill all the steel that is going to be eaten away, will have been eaten away.  

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14 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

There was a thread here a while ago where someone suggested the volume of steel a battery-full of acid could dissolve was miniscule.

ISTR one of our chemists here bunging up some calculations to show this was indeed the case, but can't remember clearly. Could well be that half an hour after the spill all the steel that is going to be eaten away, will have been eaten away.  

Still worth getting the acid off before it finds its way somewhere it's hard to clean up and it's gonna lurk or before it causes a painting project though, eh?

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Surely a major reason for trying to get rid of the acid, is that it is fairly injurious to human health as well, (not just the steel of the boat).

Even if it doesn't do you any damage, you can generally guarantee holes will start to appear in clothing that you never imagined you actually got it on.

I think neutralising it, (ideal), or at least heavily diluting it, (less ideal), is the minimum to aim for, and as quickly as possible.

I agree if one battery has done this, it by no means guarantees another one will shortly follow, but it has to be a possibility.

If carrying on with the others, try to keep an eye on whether the casing of any are getting hot, or whether they are expelling a strong smell - in either of those cases, I would take those ones out of the equation as well.

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