I have an Optima red top in my 67 that I managed to let go dead and so I proceeded to charge it up. The weather was so great, I really wanted to cruise.....
So I hook up the Optima and leave it and it charges overnight. The next morning, there is a sulphur/bad-egg like stench in my garage you wouldn't believe. I turn off the charger and look into the battery area to see if the Optima leaked or something. I found nothing and, after a time with the windows and garage door open, the smell has dissipated.

What went wrong? Any one ever have this happen to them? Is the Optima beyond help..time for a new battery (and disconnect or a battery tender), or can this be saved?

 

How old is the battery? Is it charged and working?

 

Dennis ... When I worked at Exide Batteries we would often recharge
35 to 50 batteries per night... some from our own warehouse that had
been sitting too long..and some we had recieved as bad from customers who had not attempted to recharge.... the rotten egg smell greeted us every morning..

Other than suggesting you always use the low setting on your battery charger when attempting to revive a battery ... "trickle charging" ... because this is the most effective and safest way to revive a run down battery.... the smell is pretty common...it is sometimes stronger if a battery is bad... but the rotten egg smell greated us even if all 35/50 batteries we attempted to revive had succeeded.. and sometimes it was pretty overpowering.

The smell is caused by the venting or vaporization of a portion of the acid... we had 2 small fires errupt from the vaporized
acid in proximity to spark and electrical current while I was working
there.... this is why I don't trickle charge my battery while it is
installed..I set it on concrete under tall cover of some kind like the eve of the (brick) house so that if it does catch fire it wouldn't have anything to ignite.

I stopped trickle charging my motorcycles in the winter because
of my fire experiences at Exide...I'd simply go out in the garage
every Saturday or two and fire up the Bike... let it run for 2-3 minutes
and shut it down....this was all it took and as an added bonus my
gas and oil got stirred in the process...battery-good, carbs-clean, and
gaskets/seals-lubricated....it let me play with the bikes some while
I couldn't ride them also.

Your battery may be fine and last for years... or it may have given
up the ghost...the smell is not that unusual.

 

Hey guys...thanks for the thoughtful replies.

Magic...the batt is almost 3 years old. It's been allowed to go dead quite a few times. I fear it is unable to be revived this time.

KyleDallas....thanks for your insight. That stench was quite revolting (bad unable to revive the battery pun in there somewhere)...my wife thought something had crawled into the garage and died....I suspected the battery since I was charging it at 20 amps and left it to charge all night. The charger supposedly had a shut off. But where is the acid venting from on a sealed Optima battery?

So I guess it's time for a new battery...and changing it out on a BB is sooo much fun .

KyleDallas, I guess you're saying that you wouldn't trust a battery tender? So now I'll check the archives and start searching for a good battery and this time I'll be sure to install a shut off.

Any one want to weigh in on the best battery for a '67 BB?

I'm all

 

According to Optima:"The sealed cells make the battery spill-proof, even if you install it on its side! This prevents external gassing and leaking ."

If it's stinking, it must be leaking

 

I am just curious. Did the battery go dead over the winter months or just recently? If it went dead over the winter you probably have cracked plates from freezing in that battery and it will not take the charge. I have seen this happen hundreds of times over the years and leaving the charger connected to one of these batteries just boils the acid up creating the bad smell. Before you throw that battery away or replace it make sure you do a load test on it first. A load test is really required after charging a battery to truly see if a battery is still good to go or bad and in need of replacing. The load test doesn't lie and that is why I always recommend two tools out there that everyone should own that works on his own cars and that be a battery charger of at least 10 amps and battery testor such as the Milton #1260 w/load tester.

 

ffas..thanks for the info. When I get back from 3 days of golf in Virginia, I'm taking it out and I'll have it checked.

The idea of the load tester is so good, I'm gonna get one.

Thanks for the help, everybody.

 

The smell is Hydrogen Sulfide gas and it is an indication of the battery being either overcharged or charged too quickly. It is poisonous in big concentrations, i.e. fatal with one breath at 1000ppb. This will not happen in your garage, that is more like a sour crude number. The gas is explosive, however so don't charge the battery in a closed garage or near a gas fired water heater. It is also heavier than air and will pool on the ground ,so don't let your cousin throw his cigar on the ground..
When I was in aviation, charging of the Ni-Cads was considered to be the most hazardous task on an aircraft. We wore face shields, ballistic aprons and gauntlet rubber gloves. These are things that we all do without thinking, myself included, but there is an element of risk..

Here is a data sheet on sealed Lead/Acid batteries...

http://www.bb-battery.com/msds.asp

 

I found this interesting... albeit a sales pitch...

http://www.magnalabs.com/sulfation1.htm

 

It isn't just a sales pitch.. I have NEVER seen an aircraft with a lead acid battery, the are always Ni-Cads.. think weight and acid spills ... you crash in 2 dimensions in a car (usually) aircraft is always in 3 D..

 

My optima red top has a small spill proof vent on the top that will let off gases if over charged. They have to vent some how. It is a small circle shaped vent with a felt type insert. Your battery will be fine unless its just used up.

P.S.
Tin tin
The U.S. Army helicopters now have sealed lead acid batterys in them. That started about two years ago.At least in the Apaches and Blackhawks. We must be getting old.

 

In my day you couldn't lift a lead acid battery off the ground with a Sopwith Camel...

 

Wow guys...more info than you can shake a stick at...thanks for taking the time to post such great, complete replies loaded with proof-source data....