# Help Update



## kywoman (Feb 9, 2006)

Ok here's the deal I went over to where I store the Outback got ready to hitch up and the electric jack was dead, no power or charge so...I hooked the camper up to the car, thinking that the car battery would charge the camper battery...well that did not work so I got out the hand crank and got it hooked up brought it home pluged it into the house..to cool ref ect..blew a fuse in the house...unpluged it from the house outlet went out to see what was up in the camper and noticed a strong rotten egg smell....I thought it might be my tanks...stuck head in toilet no smell not in sink either...walked around camper noticed smell stronger in the front by the propane and battery area..took off propane cover and the smell was coming from my battery.....I am a little FREAKED what' up???? Can you help.
Stephanie


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## FraTra (Aug 21, 2006)

Check if battery cables are crossed. I have smelled this when adding electrolyte solution to a motor cycle battery. It almost sounds like the battery acid is churning from over charging or reveresed cables.

Use caution! A lead acid battery produces hydrogen gas while charging and is explosive. I would remove the cover from the battery and tanks to vent.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

There should be no sulfur smell from the battery. Hydrogen has no smell. If the battery was as dead as you indicate it will be charging heavily and the converter will draw a lot of power but should not trip the house breaker. When charging hard it can heat up but there still should be no smell.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Be Careful!!


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

FraTra said:


> Use caution! A lead acid battery produces hydrogen gas while charging and is explosive. I would remove the cover from the battery and tanks to vent.


Safety Glasses!


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## Campforthenight (Apr 1, 2007)

Its probably just a bad battery and get your wiring checked. My lawnmower battery smells that way when its bad. USE your safety glasses and gloves PLEASE !!!!!!


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

Batterys can smell like sulfer when they are charged at a pretty high rate because they are filled with sulferic acid . The rotten egg smell is Hydrogen sulfide. Thing that spooks me is blowing the breaker in the house. 15Amps or what ever the breaker is , isn't too good and I wouldn't think that the converter only charges at 10 AMPS max. There seems to be a short somewhere.

Like Larry said wear glasses around that battery as well as old clothes since if you get any of that battery acid on them then there will be holes in it tomorrow or the first time you wash them.

First thing I would do is unplug the elec. jack and then plug the trailer back into the house and see if it blows. If it does then I'm thinking converter, bad wiring or battery. If it doesn't blow then plug the jack in. If the breaker blows there is your problem. Off the top of my head I would think only the electric jack or the converter itself can draw the kind of current to take out that breaker in the house. Think there is a problem with one or the other. The converter is really charging that battery pretty hard hence the smell. With that smell around turn your head if you disconnect the battery and disconnect the negative terminal first.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Hydrogen sulfide is not produced in the battery. It can be produced in the Black tank but not in the battery. 
It often results when bacteria break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen, such as in swamps, and sewers (alongside the process of anaerobic digestion). It also occurs in volcanic gases, natural gas and some well waters. This is the odor that is commonly mis attributed to elemental sulfur, which is in fact odorless.

As for the converter power draw. Max amps is 45 at 12 vdc which is 540 watts add 10% for losses in the converter and you have 600 watts, this is 5.5 amps at 110 vac. Well below the point at which the breaker will trip but when added to the fridge and other possible ac loads it could have tripped the breaker.

What is the ACTUAL voltage at the battery with and without the converter powered up.


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## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

I would suggest that perhaps you let the water level get too low in the battery.
This would cause the plates to warp and create a shorted cell.
This would also explain all of the problems you are having.

Remove the battery and replace it with a new one. Problem solved.
Check the water level in the new battery on a regular basis.


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## Ga Camper (Sep 16, 2004)

I believe Katrina has your problem. Shorted battery or dead cell in battery. When you parked it in storage everything was working well? Stored over a long period, low water, cold weather, dead cell, try to charge and shorts the battery.


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## kywoman (Feb 9, 2006)

THANKS everyone...It was the battery
No harm to myself or the camper...just an old dryed out battery stinking up the place
STEPHANIE


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