Blew up my battery!!!

Mike · Addict Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 536 City: Orlando

Heres a story for you all. I was just out hooking my battery up. We have two and I took the second one out to charge it and when I put it back in I crossed the positive and negative cables connecting the two batteries. It started to smoke so I jumped out of the boat and ran like heck. I came back to hear a big boom!! The battery inside the boat exploded. The one in the rear compartment didn't. I got that one out but the one that exploded is still in there (this happened less than 1/2 hour ago). It gave me a HUGE scare and I am very luckily to not have been injured. Note to self, DONT CROSS BATTERY TERMINAL CABLES!!!

I really hope I didn't do damage to the boat. I didn't blow my fuse for my amps. And it looks like the ignition cables weren't fried.

prestige · Outlaw Joined: 20 Jul 2003 Posts: 133 City: Kelowna

Pretty scary! Hope your cleanup goes okay. You will want to neutralize the battery acid and rinse it as much as you can. I would think that baking soda would be a good choice? Lucky you ran - better the boat than your eyes.

wake'n'snow · Posted: Apr 27, 2004 5:42 pm Post subject:

Lol, I would like to be the first person to thank you for sharing that story with everyone as soon as it happened, much appreciated and battery acid is NOT a good thing to get on you....when in doubt always run! Razz

bluefish86 · Posted: Apr 27, 2004 5:54 pm Post subject:

Baking soda is great choice. It's a weak base so the reaction shouldn't be too violent.

Fishmaster · Posted: Apr 27, 2004 6:16 pm Post subject:

Mike - the RUN part was an excellent decision Very Happy

Once you get it cleaned up and change your underware - go get a Guest or Perko battery switch. You can charge both batteries together (on BOTH setting) or either battery alone (on OFF setting) without taking them out.

See http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&classNum=1&subdeptNum=&storeNum=&productId=35702 or go to your favorite marine goodes site and search for battery switch.

A battery switch and a second battery has alwasy been the first thing I put in a boat if it did not have it.

Next time - RUN

Mike · Addict Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 536 City: Orlando

I threw some lime on it to neutralize the acid. I'll have to get the battery out and vacum up the mess tomorrow. It looks like I'll need a new battery, maybe two and new connecting cables. Not too bad for what could have happened.

DiyGuy · Soul Rider Joined: 26 Dec 2003 Posts: 460

It might not be a bad idea to drag it to a car wash and hi pressure wash down, so it gets ALL the tiny shards and acid mist eveywhere.

And, yeah...it's a good thing to have run away then investigate the aftermath.

MaddogMoney · Newbie Joined: 12 Apr 2004 Posts: 41 City: Dallas

I had a battery spill in the back of my Pathfinder. I got in there with a baking soda paste (add a little water and it becomes paste) and rubber gloves and rubbed it on everything that might have had acid on it.

Good luck. That's some nasty stuff.

Ruune · Posted: Apr 27, 2004 9:15 pm Post subject:

just out of curiosity, how much time passed between when you crossed the polarity and when you noticed you did it, and how much time elapsed before it exploded? It takes a little while before enough hydrogen is produced to either build up compression, or enough volume to react to a nearby spark and react.

were the wires completely clamped down, to the terminals? two fully charged batteries will produce a LOT of sparks when you try and cross the polariity between them. I'm wondering if spending two seconds to disconnect the battery would have been time well spent?

wesgardner · Posted: Apr 28, 2004 4:37 am Post subject:

Hey Mike,

I'm sure the word "lucky" holds a special place in your heart now....as others have posted, do a REALLY good clean up job as I'm guessing acid went everywhere and check the wiring harness carefully as well.

Wes

Hollywood · Posted: Apr 28, 2004 7:53 am Post subject:

Ruune · Posted: Apr 28, 2004 9:11 am Post subject:

doh! I hadnt made the boss... err.. "connection." Twisted Evil

Sorry, couldnt resist. Razz

Maybe thats why they wont honor his warranty? dunno.

Mike · Addict Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 536 City: Orlando

As I got close to the terminal it connected like a magnet and shocked me and started sparking and smoking right away. It was stuck on the top of the terminal pretty good. When I finally did rip it off it took a good chunk of lead too. It probably took a minute till it expolded maybe less.

My speakers didn't work when my boat was brand new! They haven't worked right for 2 years and that was before this littleincident

prestige · Outlaw Joined: 20 Jul 2003 Posts: 133 City: Kelowna

That would have made a nice video to teach the rest of us what not to do. Could you set it back up and record it this time?

Ruune · Posted: Apr 29, 2004 8:51 pm Post subject:

prestige, LMAO!

Mike, thats odd... were any of your cables coiled around each other? If so, this could magnetically polarize one, and could have been what caused this. I'm just speaking in theory tho, I've never tried it w/ insulated 0 gauge battery cables.

MrBlean · Posted: Apr 30, 2004 2:39 am Post subject: Magnetics??

Ruune · Posted: Apr 30, 2004 5:15 am Post subject:

doh... copper. Hadn't "crossed" Twisted Evil

my mind.

Sorry about the pun... couldnt resist! Razz

churchy · Posted: May 03, 2004 2:20 pm Post subject:

I would be a little concerned about your boats electrical system and wiring. I saw something similar to this happen, and it melted all of the wiring in the entire boat.

Mike · Addict Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 536 City: Orlando

None of the boats wires look physically melted of damaged in any way. I'm hoping that nothing was damaged!