Battery Overheated! Anything To Do?

I got an old Sears 10 amp charger that no longer switches to a trickle charge while charging. A few weeks ago I was charging my deep cycle battery and forgot and left the charger running for 2 days. When I got home to unhook the charger the battery had only taken 1/2 a charge (by the meter reading) and the battery was warm to touch with fluids inside bubbling. I've continued using this battery hooked in parallel with another running submersible lights fishing at night but every time I recharge the batteries this one only takes a half a charge and continue getting hot. My question is...is there anything worth while doing to this battery or should I just finish using it as long as it'll work (which I dont have any trust in now) and throw it away and get another one? Unfortunately the warranty is off since this battery is 1 & 1/2 years old so that isnt an option. For those in the know....would it help to dump out the battery, wash it out, and replace the acid....or would that even help?

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Originally Posted by gabowman

I got an old Sears 10 amp charger that no longer switches to a trickle charge while charging. A few weeks ago I was charging my deep cycle battery and forgot and left the charger running for 2 days. When I got home to unhook the charger the battery had only taken 1/2 a charge (by the meter reading) and the battery was warm to touch with fluids inside bubbling. I've continued using this battery hooked in parallel with another running submersible lights fishing at night but every time I recharge the batteries this one only takes a half a charge and continue getting hot. My question is...is there anything worth while doing to this battery or should I just finish using it as long as it'll work (which I dont have any trust in now) and throw it away and get another one? Unfortunately the warranty is off since this battery is 1 & 1/2 years old so that isnt an option. For those in the know....would it help to dump out the battery, wash it out, and replace the acid....or would that even help?

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Its toast. A load test would confirm this.

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Originally Posted by IBNFSHN

Its toast. A load test would confirm this.

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But, I wouldn't "throw it away" ... turn it in, as a "deposit", when you purchase a new one. The least you will get from it, is the $$ they'd charge you for a "core deposit".
I doubt that emptying the fluid and refilling with acid would be of any use ... the damage is to the plates, not the fluid. If the battery is only holding a 50% charge ... chances are that one or more of the cylinders/plates is shorted or corroded.
And, I wouldn't continue using this battery with the other one ... it may cause a problem with the "good" one :confused:

If purchasing a new battery charger is not an option ... consider a "electric timer", to connect the battery charger to !! You can usually find one in a pet store, or Wally World's aquarium supplies ... for less than $15

....... cp :cool:

Just bought one from Wal Mart and the core charge was $9.00, so the battery is worth something.

I'm a battery nut. Did preventive maint. and installations as part of my job with the light company for 19 years. Do not let ANYBODY convince you to pour out the acid and add new. It will NOT work and you will have a mess to say the least. If your light output is still sufficient for you then I'd keep using it until you decide it ain't cuttin the mustard anymore. If they are tied together in the same manner a 24V trolling motor system is, then it's a good possibility you are putting an unnecessary load on your other battery. Take it to the parts house and have them do a load check, that will help you make up your mind real quick. If you have a DC volt meter you can also take a reading before and after charging, that will tell you alot right there. A good battery shouldn't drop below around 11.4 VDC after use, and should return to 12.8 - 14 VDC after fully charged. Those are close guess-timates. If it were me and the two batteries are the same age, I'd replace both at the same time. That's just part of the expense of the hobby. --- TWO MOST important things for long battery life is 1) only add distilled water after fully charged, not before charging, and don't overfill, up to the bottom of the plastic holes you are looking in to, and 2) keep connections clean and tight. Hope this helps some. Good luck
I just hate buying new batteries!

Like rangertree said, take it to an auto parts place like Advance Auto. They usually will do a free load test on the battery.

I did this very thing recently and learned a battery I thought was going bad was actually good.

The batt you have even if it is out of warranty you should still have some prorate warranty left. I work for Interstate Battery and our marine batts have a 12mo free replacement with a prorated warranty after that. It could save you some money on the new batt. You will need eighther the recipt or the date code being punched out to prove batt age. I would replace it. It could fail any time, also over work the batt it is hooked to.

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TWO MOST important things for long battery life is 1) only add distilled water after fully charged, not before charging,

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Rangertree, will you elaborate a little on this.

Something no one as mentioned is using a battery that is delivering low amperage.

Motors and low amperage or high (doesn't happen very often) does not work. At least not for very long.