RE: EMERGENCY!!!

[SydnyG]

Have jusr heard a major "bang" fron under the coach. Ran outside to open the Bays, and found the left side Bay next to the generator where the Heart transformer sits. On the next shelf up is one battery which looks as though the top of the battery exploded, leaking down the side, and the top cap blown over to the door.

I quickly came up to shut the panel batteries breaker off, and I sit here asking if anyone sees this note, could you please contact me. You can either address this with the Forum, or call me if you feel there is immenent danger (808-989-5700).

Thank you.

Sydny (Pat)

[gmcbuffalo]

Pat the only thing I can think of is Lead/acid batteries being over charged. Check what the setting is on your charger (inverter is that is the charger) and make sure it is what the battery requires. I had an older bus that had converter/chargers and it wasn't capable of a three stage charge so it would cook my batteries if left on for long periods of time.

I don't think lead/acid and AGM's can be put on the same inverter. If you have an lead/acid for the generator start and AGM's for the house you would need separate charging systems for each, but I could be wrong on this. Give Tom a call at Trans-Specialist 770-634-7530.

[SydnyG]

THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR YOUR MOST WELCOME CALLS AND ASSISTANCE ON MY BEHALF! THE PROBLEM IS FIXED, AND THEBATTERY HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE COMPARTMENT. i WILL FINISH THIS STORY IN MY NEXT POST IF YOU ARE INTERESTED.
MERRY CHRISTMAS! PAT

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Pat,

One of the best things you can do is get with a bunch of Liberty owners or folks who know Liberty coaches and spend a whole lot of time getting advice and answers from them. Actually this would hold true for every relatively new owner. It is not that our coaches are so sophisticated we need engineering degrees to own or operate one, but there are all kinds of little things an owner is going to end up learning, either the hard way, or by getting help from more experienced owners.

Batteries are the lifeblood of the coach, yet even experienced owners may end up with premature failure because they did not take the time to make sure the batteries were being maintained properly.

If I were to guess the battery that failed was overcharged and to stick my neck out even further I would guess that it was a gel or an AGM and that the inverters were set up for a lead acid charging protocol. Replacing the battery is not going to solve the problem. If it is part of a set the entire set needs to be replaced, and before a recurrence of the failure occurs the inverters need to be set to charge the type of batteries being used. Greg is right. If there are two types of batteries that ain't a good thing to start with.

Having just scared you, however, the problem could just be a single battery that had a problem such as thermal runaway. But for peace of mind, good fun, and a better understanding of your coach try to schedule sme time at Liberty where you can just ask questions, or attend a rally or mini-rally or head up to any place there might be bus owners who would be willing to share knowledge.

[garyde]

The battery which is in the same bay as the invertors is the Generator battery. If your batteries are Gel for the invertors, they should be gel for the gen battery. When a battery is going bad, you will smell a sulfer smell which indicates the battery is not taking a charge and is boiling over.
So, its not that your invertors are not set correctly, although that should be checked, your battery has reached a time where it needs replacing. Depending on age, all your batteries should be checked.

[truk4u]

Pat,

It would help if you put your coach converter and year on the signature line so folks with the like brand can help. I doubt your inverters come into play here since it's your gen battery, but you can charge AGM's with the same setting as lead acid if your inverters don't have the AGM option. You cannot do that with Gel.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Pat's coach is a Liberty H-3. Her generator battery assuming that is what it is gets a charge from the inverters. Depending on her inverters some go to bulk charge every time power is interrupted and she has had loss of power issues. While bulk charge is tolerated by some batteries that can damage others.

It may be as simple as an old battery as Gary says, but old batteries usually just fail to hold a charge. A gel or AGM receiving the wrong charge, specifically higher voltage than specified, will burst.

This is all speculation until someone can see what battery, the battery type, how the inverters are set up for charging, and the age of the battery.

[Gary Carmichael]

Guy's it is a 1993 h3-40 the battery was generator only, I turned off switch to gen battery disconnected the wiring and battery was removed. Now this is what I saw the top of the plastic battery box blew off along with the fill cap on one side, the battery did not rupture, the lid helped keep some of the acid off the elec equip in the area. Pat said she had all this checked a Liberty in Stuart. I am about as dumb as a stump about this since I am fairly new to Prevost coaches. That said it can't be that hard to figure out the problem, I think the battery was"cooked" ran low on water and pow! Now surely the water was checked at Stuart, she has been here 3 wks. The problems started when she plugged in to a campground that had bad power,only half of the power panel worked that is why the trip to Stuart. Now I will get the battery info so the group can guide me in it's replacement. back in 20 min.

[Gary Carmichael]

The top did blow it is cracked, Battery type Interstate deep cycle RV. SRM-29 675CCA 845MCA

[truk4u]

Is the bus in freezing temperatures?

I doubt the inverters come into play here, my 94 Liberty did not charge the batteries from the inverters. Any chance he's in very cold conditions and hit the merge switch to start the gen? Mine had a switch that tied the house and gen together in case of a dead gen battery.

To clarify the inverter charging deal, AGM and Wet Cel can use the same setting, 14.2/14.4 bulk and 13.2/13.3 float. Gel uses 14.4/14.7 and 13.5/13.8, so best not to use Gel settings to charge AGM and Wet.

[Gary Carmichael]

Thanks to Coachworks and Rick, The generator battery is not hooked to the inverter, Tom you are correct. After a long and very helpful phone call to Rick at Coach Worx we have this situation under control. First the battery was charged by a Chicago float charger and not the inverter, The lady "Pat had turned off everything in the coach as she was concerned about the problem at hand, The batteries were marginal turned the chargers back on and other breakers that she needed, checked both legs for correct amperage,so she is good to go. Since the generator battery is isolated she has everything but generator, when she gets a new battery, it will be hooked up with out the float charger.I myself have learned a lot from this experience, maybe when I am 90 I will understand the workings of these wonderful and well built machines we call our home away from home Miss Pat and myself say thank you for all your help, after all that's what this organization is about

[BrianE]

Gary, You got your help from the right place. Rick and Ben at Coachworks are THE best. As they no doubt told you a deep cycle battery isn't the best choice for a starting battery.

As to the float charger, don't be too hasty in eliminating it. While the one she has may not be the right one, a battery "maintainer" will give a significantly longer life to a little used battery. I have been using a Battery Tender http://batterytender.com/rv.html with a light weight gel cell Odyssey battery http://www.odysseybattery.com/ in my airplane for years. It is a very reliable option. The main advantage of a battery maintainer is that it keeps the battery warm with a very small trickle charge which prevents freezing and promotes a longer life. Something to consider.

[Gary Carmichael]

Brian, I will mention this to Miss Pat,I will have to say that 1993 H she has is a good looking coach! A wax job and it will look like a new penny. Miss Pat is not new to motor coach's she had a Country Coach Intrigue 2005 but had a lot of problems with it. Thanks to everyone ! Happy New Year