Acid Buildup in Battery Compartment

[rwitt]

I have a 2008 Monaco Camelot.  I have noticed that there is recurring acid buildup in the same area below the house batteries.  I clean it off and it returns.  My batteries are not losing water.  I've added a small amount once in the last 5 months.  They are holding a charge.  I'm attaching a picture to show the  buildup area.   Any ideas????

TIA

Ron

 

[abyrd]

Quote

Might try cleaning with baking soda.

Jim

 

[hermanmullins]

Ron,

Yes that is a mess. It looks as if you might have a charging issue. First I would check voltage when connected shore power. Your inverter/charger may not be dropping back once the batteries are fully charged and causing they to gas out. Once you have that problem  solved I would remove the batteries and the trays and clean them down to bare metal prime and paint with several coats of a rust inhibitor paint. Before replacing the batteries I would put down a layer of baking soda under the batteries.

In the mean time I would open the battery compartment any time I was on shore power. Let it air out when charging.

Herman 

 

[tbutler]

This looks like corrosion caused by acid, not acid itself.  Sulfuric acid which is a normal release in gaseous form from wet cell batteries, reacts with metals leaving this kind of corrosion.  A little thorough cleaning with baking soda solution should remove all traces of this corrosion.  Then dry the area thoroughly and either use a corrosion resistant paint to protect the metal or use a corrosion preventing battery spray.  The battery spray won't last as long, you'll have to restore it occasionally.  This same process is responsible for rust stains on concrete below the battery box when you park for any period of time.  The battery box is ventilated to reduce this process.  If the ventilation is restricted in any way, it may be causing the gasses to hang around longer in the area you show.

I recently replaced our wet cell batteries with absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries which have only very minor outgassing which eliminates almost all of this but it's a high price to pay if this is your only concern.

[rwitt]

Thanks for all the replays.  I did clean it with baking soda but may not have gotten all of it since I was in a hurry.  I agree that I need to clean and paint the tray.  About the possible problem with charging.  Herman, where do I check the voltage at - the batteries?  My EMS shows floating charge most of the time and 13.3 or 13.4 volts.  I called Monaco some time back and was told that was working correctly.  With that info, do you still think it is a charging problem?

Tom, I think I'll try cleaning and reprinting tray.  If it continues after that, I may look into the AGM batteries.  Where did you get yours?  I'm also going to get someone to check the charging system to make sure there is no problem there.

Thank you guys very much.  If you think of anything else or can answer my questions in this post I would appreciate a reply

Ron

[wildebill308]

What Herman & Tom said but use an acid resistant paint.

Bill

[rwitt]

Bill, I did a search and didn't find an acid resistant paint. Do you know where I might be able to find it

Thanks,

Ron

[dickandlois]

Ron, I have not run across anything that mentions Acid Resistant , but these paints are tough. I have used The first one to protect chassis areas exposed to harsh environments.

Not hard to apply, but the cleanup can be. I often use disposable application items. Moisture is the activator and the material has a short shelf life once opened and exposed to air, like purring it in to an application pan or container. Although more expensive I purchase the smallest quantity to do the job!  

Read the information.

http://magnetpaints.com/

http://www.rhinoliningsindustrial.com/containment/

http://www.por15.com/

Hope this helps !

Rich.

A second thought-I have installed Battery trays under the series 31 and the Gulf cart batteries. These trays confine the acid mixture and it is discharged out a hole in the bottom. Not perfect, but it keeps the acid away from the a large portion of the supporting structure.  

[tbutler]

Rust-Oleum makes a paint and primer combo which is described as corrosion reistant.  You can order on-line, you may not be able to find it in stores.  You can also get Rust-Oleum primer and use that and then overcoat with a Rust-Oleum protective enamel.  These should be available at Home Depot or Lowe's.  Rich has listed some that may work better.

The AGM batteries are becoming more widely available.  I got mine at an RV service shop, any RV dealer should be able to order them for you.  Lifeline batteries are the earliest manufacturer of these batteries and they are premium quality.  I'm seeing others that are sealed batteries but are still lead acid, not AGM.

[wildebill308]

Here is a mat that might help and a link to an acid resistant paint.

 

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sft-batterymat1

http://www.skygeek.com/345qt.html?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_content=345qt&utm_campaign=froogle&gclid=Cj0KEQjwvOC5BRCb_8yNmZ_ls9IBEiQACTz8vtixWTyb23D0-MQ7PtDFN3hPPInSJJzl9i-zY3Dim9UaAq4c8P8HAQ

Bill

 

[dickandlois]

Bill, Interesting, but aircraft an FAA rules are quite different. Maintenance is must stricter. Found this link and tried to make as close of a comparison between a helicopter and a coach. Helicopter and coaches can experience close to the same conditions because of where they operators might be landing them and the environment. Like salt water, mud, water spray and others.. Regarding the product it is basically asphalt and one could buy that is a spray can and as long as the area covered with it an no openings that allow acid to contact the metal all should be good.

http://www.helicoptermaintenancemagazine.com/article/aircraft-battery-maintenance-101

No mention of coating the area and many batteries used in aircraft are enclosed to a greater extent then those mounted in coaches. 

Rich.

 

[wildebill308]

Rich, most of the batteries used in aviation are a sealed NiCad type so they don't have the problem with outgassing acid. In addition, the compartment is primed with a Zinc chromate epoxy prime. The article you linked to talks about battery maintenance. Any maintenance done to the structure would be covered by a separate TO covering corrosion prevention.

 

Ok back to the OP. Cleaning and prep are absolutely key in getting good results. You need to kill the existing corrosion and any residual acid or the paint won't last. I would think that Rustoleam makes a primer and a good corrosion resistant paint for your application.

 

Bill

 

[rwitt]

Thanks to all of you for the great information

[desertdeals69]

On 5/15/2016 at 9:52 PM, rwitt said:

Thanks for all the replays.  I did clean it with baking soda but may not have gotten all of it since I was in a hurry.  I agree that I need to clean and paint the tray.  About the possible problem with charging.  Herman, where do I check the voltage at - the batteries?  My EMS shows floating charge most of the time and 13.3 or 13.4 volts.  I called Monaco some time back and was told that was working correctly.  With that info, do you still think it is a charging problem?

Tom, I think I'll try cleaning and reprinting tray.  If it continues after that, I may look into the AGM batteries.  Where did you get yours?  I'm also going to get someone to check the charging system to make sure there is no problem there.

Thank you guys very much.  If you think of anything else or can answer my questions in this post I would appreciate a reply

Ron

Your floating charge is OK but you need to check the bulk and absorbion modes to see if they are OK.  

I have 6 AGM batteries made by Full River.  They sell for about $250 each.  Check online for a dealer near you.