fisher Posted July 3, 2011 Report Posted July 3, 2011 (edited) Would anyone know whhy my boat battery just blew up on me? I was cranking my battery after having drift fished for an hour and on the first crank we heard a huge bang. At first I thought my motor blew as it sounded like back fire...but then I saw the smoke coming from my battery compartment. I looked in and saw the top and both sides split with some pieces that actually came apart. IN any event, my battery is toast, it is leaking acid and water....fortunately I had a back up battery and after the first crank the motor started and we came back in. Why would that have happened..? Also, how do I neutralize the battery acid so I can transport it to a recycler without it leaking everywhere? Thanks! Edited July 3, 2011 by fisher
OhioFisherman Posted July 3, 2011 Report Posted July 3, 2011 Batteries create hydrogen when charging, it can explode with a spark.
fisher Posted July 3, 2011 Author Report Posted July 3, 2011 But it was not charging, I was drifting for an hour before trying to start it....would it still give off that gas when sitting idle?
ecmilley Posted July 3, 2011 Report Posted July 3, 2011 hydrogen or fuel vapors can build up in the bilge compartment and a slightly loose wire on the battery can create a spark when you go to crank then boom,your safe the boat appears ok need a new battery thats good, soda water is good for nueutralizing axid so is baking soda
mrpike Posted July 3, 2011 Report Posted July 3, 2011 (edited) Would anyone know whhy my boat battery just blew up on me? I was cranking my battery after having drift fished for an hour and on the first crank we heard a huge bang. At first I thought my motor blew as it sounded like back fire...but then I saw the smoke coming from my battery compartment. I looked in and saw the top and both sides split with some pieces that actually came apart. IN any event, my battery is toast, it is leaking acid and water....fortunately I had a back up battery and after the first crank the motor started and we came back in. Why would that have happened..? Also, how do I neutralize the battery acid so I can transport it to a recycler without it leaking everywhere? Thanks! USE BAKING SODA . IT WILL KILL THE ACID. Edited July 3, 2011 by mrpike
Kerry Posted July 3, 2011 Report Posted July 3, 2011 But it was not charging, I was drifting for an hour before trying to start it....would it still give off that gas when sitting idle? You don't have to be charging for it to create gas.Simply being in an enclosed space with this heat is enough or running a graph will cause it to work or heat up.In any case probably baking soda and water will neutralize the acid and help with the cleanup as well. Kerry
Bernie Posted July 3, 2011 Report Posted July 3, 2011 Adding a bilge blower or more adequate vents may be a good idea for your boat.
davey buoy Posted July 3, 2011 Report Posted July 3, 2011 Bernie you took the words right out of my mouth
esoxansteel Posted July 3, 2011 Report Posted July 3, 2011 Look on the bright side batteries are cheap motors are not, and most important was no one was hurt with battery acid
DanD Posted July 3, 2011 Report Posted July 3, 2011 I would be wondering why the battery was gassing enough hydrogen for an explosion to occur; possibly a problem with the charging system, the battery or both? A partially sulphated battery will produce excessive gas; even though the battery was still capable of serving your needs, it may have been on its last legs. Sulphur crystals will cover portions of the lead plates; the remaining exposed lead will become hot enough during charging to cause the acid to boil, producing hydrogen. Also the more a battery becomes sulphated the less capacity it has to accept, retain and deliver voltage. This reduction in capacity will cause the charging system to continually attempt to bring the battery up to a full state of charge. Which in-turn causes the battery to become hotter and hotter and produce more and more gasses? On the other hand, if there’s an issue with the charging system that it’s over charging; as in it doesn’t shutdown when the battery is fully charged. You’ll end up with the same gassing, even if the battery is in good condition; but it won’t be long before the battery becomes damaged from the excessive heat. Yes you do need to properly ventilate the battery compartment and remove/repair any source of ignition (spark); but a good battery and a properly functioning charging system, should never produce enough gasses to cause an explosion. If that were not true, there would be batteries going off under the hoods or under the rear seats of vehicles all the time? When (other then your boat) has someone asked you what that bang was; for you to answer; oh that’s the neighbour’s car’s battery blowing up? Dan.
fisher Posted July 3, 2011 Author Report Posted July 3, 2011 Thanks for all the replies. The good news is that noone got hurt, secondly, it was only the battery and not my motor...as others have pointed out. I just do not want to repeat this ever again. As for the ventilation, yes, it is a really small compartment and not much circulation there, so I will need to create a vent shortly....kind of like a air return in the house on either side of the compartment so it creates a draft.... It was an older battery so that might explain it. Any how, the walleye fishing on buckhorn has been tough. We only have managed one since yesterday and it came in the first 5 minutes of fishing...only bass and perch and sunfish ever since.... At least the weather is great!
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