Natural Gas Smell??

[flippinstick]

Has anyone ever had a natural gas smell in their boat? My boat hasnt moved in about 2 months and has been covered up the whole time with batteries charging. Is this smell coming from from the batteries or somewhere else, just curious if anyoneone else has discovered this odor. Thanks

[Moose1am]

Batteries that are charging can give off H2 gas. The batteries have Sulfuric Acid inside them and if you overcharge the batteries the H2 gas can be given off.

Natural gas has an additive put into it to make it smell. They put some kind of mercaptan in the natural gas lines to give it a strong odor. Even at low levels in the Parts per Million (PPM) range you can smell this mercaptan additive.

So most likely you are smelling the Hydrogen gas from the lead acid batteries.



Regards,

Moose1am

[bhsanders]

about have to be unless you have some of those little disposable
propane cannisters in a storage compartment...i dont think its a real good idea to charge a battery for 2 months, i hear it can boil the cells dry.

[steve604]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Nov-01-05 AT 11:00PM (EST)[/font][p][font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Nov-01-05 AT 10:56*PM (EST)[/font]

Charging batteries give off hydrogen gas. This is VERY explosive! The liquid form is used for rocket fuel on the space shuttle. You should always open the hatch on the battery compartment or uncover the boat when charging, and no sparks or open flame. Unplug the charger before you take the clips off so it doesn't spark. A friend of mine found out the hard way a few years ago. He hooked up a dead battery to his high out put charger, turned it on and the battery went off like a stick of dynamite! It was sitting on the floor and the side away from him blew out so he wasn't hurt. But it did scare the daylights out of both of us! Turns out the battery was dry and just the amount of hydrogen inside caused it to explode. Just something for all of us to keep in mind.

[flippinstick]

Thanks for the very useful information, the lid was open but the cover was on with a small opening in the front so it wasnt completly trapped but boy it sure did stink. I guess the battery is shot now or can it be saved somehow? And would a trickle charger be ok to plug up and leave it on at all times? This battery was my cranking battery, my trolling motor batteries are on a onboard charger that goes to float after they are complety charged, is this also ok to leave pluged up all the time?

[jigman73]

I saw one of the reps from ac delco on the tv a while back. He said that it was best to charge your batteries, then unplug them during long storage. He advised to plug them up and top them off once a month during the winter or during long periods of storage. Hope this helps.

[apextrail]

I found out the hard way that charing batteries will also activate a carbon monoxide detector. I left two deep cycle batteries charging in my basement and at 2:00 in the morning both of my carbon monoxide detectors went crazy. I called the gas company and they quickly found the source. Apparently the by product of charging batteries is very similiar to carbon monoxide. FYI

[Moose1am]

Some CO detectors will go off in the presence of another gas. This is called interference. This occurs a lot in chemical testing and in machines that are designed to test for gases in the atmosphere.

I'll bet that if you read the CO detectors manual you will find that H2 gas or H2S is an interferant gas.

I am not really sure what detection principle is used in your Carbonmonoxide Detector or I would be able to give you more information.

I worked for many years in the air pollution control field and have had special USEPA training in measuring atmospheric gases.

I can tell you that there are significant difference between CO and H2 gaes. H2 is much ligher and rises. CO is denser than air and will setting in low spots. H2S or Hydrogen Sulfide can damage some CO detectors.

Many Chemical tests have to eliminate the interferences before the testing can be performed. If that can't be done then a speical test is performed to take into consideration the interferance gas or compound.

Regards,

Moose1am

[MrSplitshot]

I've got a custom cover for my boat and it'll be spending the next 4 months in my driveway so that my wife can park in the garage.

Now, I'll be using it thoughout the winter...once a month at the very least...I had planned on leaving it covered and plugged up to keep the batteries charged and prevent them from freezing.

Bad idea?



GOOD FISHIN!
Splitshot

www.thecreekbank.com

[MarkW]

I have always done this with my boat and never had a problem. Check your batteries once in a while,also check your plug-in and make sure the cord is ok and all should be ok. I have the same on-board charger that came with the boat in 1999 and it has set through quite few winters without any problems. The important thing is to check on them once in a while.

[steve604]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Nov-02-05 AT 10:48AM (EST)[/font][p][font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Nov-02-05 AT 10:39*AM (EST)[/font]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Nov-02-05 AT 10:32*AM (EST)[/font]

I've seen a small charger advertised on tv. It's promoted as a maintainer for cars and motorcycles in storage. Says it cycles on and off to keep your battery up. It's a small unit, about 4x4 inches. You should be able to find them at most auto parts stores. I've never used one but looks like a good idea. Flippinstick, I'd call the company who made your boat and find out about your charger. Better yet, if you can find the manufacturers name on the charger, call them. As for your cranking battery, take it to a Autozone. They will test it for free. If it needs to be refilled use distilled water. You can get it at any grocery store in the bottled water area. Tap water can be used if you can't find distilled. Just not as good.

Last edit. lol. Battery acid fumes under a nice tight boat cover can do very bad things to pretty aluminum and chrome trim.

[Brutus]

Look for a dead mouse. I found one after having about the same smell drift past my nose fishing one day. It drowned in about an inch of water in my rear livewell. It was almost decomposed and I put a rubber glove on to get it out. It fell apart in my hand and I just about puked all over hell.

Brutus