BCDC 1240 LV overcharging battery maybe ???

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Are you sure you know where the acid is coming from? I read a few reports recently that the Century marine pro is a bit weak in the casing and prone to cracking and spilling acid. So maybe check that the acid is in fact boiling and coming out the caps rather than through a crack in the battery case!

Cheers Andrew

[mole man Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close mole man]

hi andrew, i have checked the battery and it is coming from the caps, it is the cap that covers 3 holes so i cant see which one it is coming from..

[LeighW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LeighW]

Assuming you don't have excessively high under bonnet temperatures I would assume either the
battery or the charger is faulty, that's also assuming the battery isn't being excessively loaded by
an intermittent short circuit etc.

I also seem to recall reading somewhere that someone else was having trouble with a marinepro
being used as a cranking battery spilling acid on rough roads but that was a new type that doesn't
have the screw tops just the press in plates.

[mole man Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close mole man]

yeah this battery has the press in plates...

[LeighW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LeighW]

As per AJ above check for cracks, and do some research on the new marine pro, I think I
may have read of the problems on LCOOL. Would be nice if your auto elect and Redarc actually gave you some support instead of fobbing you off.

[drivesafe Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close drivesafe]

Hi again mole man and it does sound like the battery is stuffed but if it’s not a big job, try bypassing the DC/DC device and charge the battery straight off the alternator and see if it still spews electrolyte.

[daniel Member Find all posts View Profile Close daniel]

have you tried to charge it of a 230v charger to eliminate the battery as the fault

[mole man Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close mole man]

hi daniel, yeah charged it on a 240v charger and nothing happened !!!! this has done my head in !!!!

[LeighW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LeighW]

Have you monitored the charging voltage when the DCDC is charging the battery whilst driving?

[mole man Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close mole man]

hi leigh, yeah i have :
when it was wired for the lead acid battery it was between 14.5 to 14.8v
when i changed it to the gel wiring it was 14.4v and on the 240v charger its only 13.7v

[drivesafe Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close drivesafe]

Hi mole man and your battery charger is seeing the battery is fully charged so it is going straight to float mode.

DC/DC devices are not that smart and most of them, when first connected to a fully charged battery, simply apply a boost charge to the battery and then after some set time period, they then go into float mode.

As suggested earlier, try bypassing the DC/DC device and see if your battery boils when being charged directly from the alternator.

[Hibbo Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hibbo]

Hi Mole man,

Not sure if you have tried this, but maybe just drive around with the battery not connected to any sources? This will show whether it is the battery "boiling" or simply acid being shaken out of the battery through a crack.

[katrx7 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close katrx7]

interested in the outcome here moleman, I am going to install my bcdc charger today (using same as yours) and currently have the same battery, so ill be interested if your prob continues, ill give you some feedback on mine soon.....
I was using an existing setup, but not enough charge getting to the 2nd batt, so hence putting in the redarc.......will keep you posted

[LeighW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LeighW]

katrx7,

Interested in your not getting enough charge, what is your current setup?

Leigh

[katrx7 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close katrx7]

gday leighw,
1st up im no auto elec, my mate is the guru and im his lackie, hopefully ill be able to give the right description

there wasnt enough charge coming from a projecta dual batt setup, lasted 18mths until batt died, died
so after some talk and plenty of useful info from here I discovered the alternator wont charge enough so redarc was the next choice.
I have a marine 660c batt as 2nd, then Anderson plug at rear for toys and caravan.
even with solar panel in (on occasions) it would charge the 2nd batt up, but then toys would drain it, and there was never enough charge coming from car (even with 7-8hrs of driving)

so since new system installed (only since sunday morning) the battery is full, when running the 2nd batt is at 14.54v, the unit seems to be dispersing the charge as needed (boost/float) and no signs of problems as yet (fingers crossed).

the only thing were unsure of is why does the agm/gel light constantly flash (even when car locked)??

hopefully set and ready for alice springs and plenty of cold beers