Rotten egg smell

I think Paul is correct, they do appear to be Deka 8A24 batteries.

 

I could not locate a product associated with UPC barcode 083996040823 displayed on your battery.

 

If so, ensure you have the correct battery is selected/displayed on the controller.  If you have flooded type battery selected you are sending far too much charging current to the AGMs.  However, AGM battieres have microporcessors installed to elimnate the over-charge condition.  However, like everything, they are prone to failure.

 

Trouble shoot one system at a time.  And give plenty of time between components.  This is a go slow, methodical trouble shooting adventure in order to isolate your problem.

Edited by Advmoto18, 05 May 2015 - 11:37 AM.

While you're waiting for the wind to subside, wodpof, here are some other thoughts--

 

- any chance you have a leaky BBQ lighter or other butane-containing item in the camper?

 

- any chance you have a leaky aerosol container in the camper?

 

- any chance you have a source of acetone, gasoline, or alcohol vapors in your camper?

 

- any chance the rotten-egg smell is from the sink? (I once rented a campervan with this problem. A previous renter thought the camper sink had a garbage disposal and pushed egg down the drain.  That was literally a rotten-egg smell!)

 

- suggestion: use google to search the web for "false alarms" for the model detector you have.  I'm not saying you have a false alarm but the search results may give you other ideas of what the source of the problem could be.

 

- come to think of it, your propane tanks are in a separate compartment with venting in the bottom of that compartment to the outside.  If your setup is like mine, you'll note that the door seal does not go across the bottom of the door so the heavier-than-air propane can exit to the outside and will not fall into your living quarters.  Also the line going through the wall should be sealed. That means your problem isn't the tank valves or regulators or connections in that compartment.  Still worth checking for your own peace of mind. And if it turns out you DO have a leak there, you will want to remedy both the leak and the function of the compartment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I think Paul is correct, they do appear to be Deka 8A24 batteries.

 

I could not locate a product associated with UPC barcode 083996040823 displayed on your battery.

 

If so, ensure you have the correct battery is selected/displayed on the controller.  If you have flooded type battery selected you are sending far too much charging current to the AGMs.  However, AGM battieres have microporcessors installed to elimnate the over-charge condition.  However, like everything, they are prone to failure.

 

Trouble shoot one system at a time.  And give plenty of time between components.  This is a go slow, methodical trouble shooting adventure in order to isolate your problem.

I will trouble shoot each system at a time and see what is the issue. 

While you're waiting for the wind to subside, wodpof, here are some other thoughts--

 

- any chance you have a leaky BBQ lighter or other butane-containing item in the camper?

 

- any chance you have a leaky aerosol container in the camper?

 

- any chance you have a source of acetone, gasoline, or alcohol vapors in your camper?

 

- any chance the rotten-egg smell is from the sink? (I once rented a campervan with this problem. A previous renter thought the camper sink had a garbage disposal and pushed egg down the drain.  That was literally a rotten-egg smell!)

 

- suggestion: use google to search the web for "false alarms" for the model detector you have.  I'm not saying you have a false alarm but the search results may give you other ideas of what the source of the problem could be.

 

- come to think of it, your propane tanks are in a separate compartment with venting in the bottom of that compartment to the outside.  If your setup is like mine, you'll note that the door seal does not go across the bottom of the door so the heavier-than-air propane can exit to the outside and will not fall into your living quarters.  Also the line going through the wall should be sealed. That means your problem isn't the tank valves or regulators or connections in that compartment.  Still worth checking for your own peace of mind. And if it turns out you DO have a leak there, you will want to remedy both the leak and the function of the compartment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

I checked my propane tanks and they are not leaking and have no lighters or aerosol cans. Checked the sink and there is nothing in there. I will be messing with the camper tomorrow after work and will post my findings. 

 

Once again thank you everyone for your help and tips. 

For checking the tanks you don't need to pour the soapy water on them. A cheap paint brush works fine. One of the 1st things I did when I got my Eagle was to put a solo cup and a cheap paint brush in the tank compartment. Dish soap is always in the camping stuff. That way I always have what I need to check the tanks and fittings.

 

AGM's and most deep cycles want about a 10 amp charge max. Slow and steady.

I didn't know that, and I didn't see anything on the web to confirm. I thought the would only alert on CO, and not H2S. If that's the case, my previous post was in error on that point.

I didn't know either until I responded to a CO alarm in a residence. We got levels of both gases (using a meter for the Haz Mat team) in the house. Traced it back to the golf cart charging in the garage. The other Captain researched it and found that yes the residential detectors can activate that way, although not primarily designed to do so.

FWIW, my gas-alarm-related observation: 

 

When my propane fridge coolant system ruptured and spewed ammonia (and hydrogen, I think) into the camper it set off an alarm.

I think it was the LP gas alarm (that's the way I've always told the story)...but I can't swear that it wasn't the CO alarm.  Either way, the unexpected gas(es) in the camper was neither propane nor carbon monoxide, and yet an alarm was blaring.

 

I think this means that one or both of these detectors aren't absolutely specific to the target gas.  I don't know anything about how these alarms work, but that's what happened to me.

I was able to play with the Hawk today and believe the culprit of the smell was the fridge. The gentleman I purchased it from said he replaced the fridge last year and never used it. I will be contacting the Dometic tomorrow.  Thank you everyone for your help. 

I had this sulphuric smell twice so far. The first time it was a faulty charging regulator, which cooked the batteries. And a faulty battery the second time.

Edited by Volvo73, 16 May 2015 - 09:02 AM.

So after trouble shooting again today I beleive it is the battery and not the fridge. Had it plugged on shore power and the batteries were getting very hot. Unplugged from shore power and let the fridge continue to run on gas. No smell. Is this normal? After the batteries are fully charged must I remove shore power?