Cracked Battery -- Why?

SwiftCloud

SwiftCloud

GreatGrady Captain
Joined
Mar 22, 2006
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Location
Marblehead MA
Model
Marlin
Just launched for the season and was inspecting the work done to prepare my boat. I see that my two-year old AGM battery has a big crack by the negative post. It had been removed for the season.

I've pulled it from the boat (assuming it is unsafe), but before I complain to the guy who services my boat, I wanted to get some opinions on what could have happened to it.... I assume they dropped it, but maybe something else could have happened? Photo link below.

Thanks!!

3514045710_383c7ec365.jpg
 
May have frozen over the winter but I would have thought anyone getting the boat ready for another season would have noticed that! I guess I would look closely at wahtever else they were supposed to look at and prep.
 
I wonder where he stored it, wa sit on concrete, in a shed maybe, taking it off the boat is one thing but storing it properly is another. If the weather was colder then normal, which this winter was, possibly wher ehe stored them the past few years was not good this year. It is possible he might have filled the water before storage if it was low as part of his maintenance and then it cracked from expansion from the cold. Ask him if he checked the water level and added any distilled water, if so he put in too much it would seem. I would NOT use that battery with the crack in it, it is now useless and unesafe. I would have to say the guy who took it off is responsible since a normal battery will not crack if stored properly and if it was low on water and not touched it would not have had this problem either, even through adding distilled water if necessary is the right thing to do, assuming the battery will not freeze.
 
It is an AGM (Sealed / Glass Mat), so no water to add... Could it still freeze?

Also, it looks like the post is pushed in, not out -- that's why I suspect a drop (landing on the post). Here is a closer shot:

3513503101_3cb8b1d0d8.jpg
 
AGM shouldn't freeze, they can, but it takes an extreme temp to do so if I am correct, something that is not likely to be seen for that battery. I agree it is more likely it was dropped after seeing a closer picture. They are supposed to be maintenance free, and I have not hear of cracking problems from an AGM battery.
 
A charged wet cell isn't going to freeze (-90 Deg. F) and the AGM's take even colder temps. There doesn't seem to be rough spots from a fall but that doesn't mean a battery wasn't dropped on yours. Ask they guy if he's going to replace it or should you send him a bill. You paid for a service, if they mess it up they should fix it.
 
Maybe they stacked them all up and this was on the bottom...

Thanks for your thoughts - I'll post how it turns out.

- Robert
 
At the very least, the yard should have notified you that the battery was cracked. Very irresponsible not to have done that courtesy. That tells me they had something to hide.
 
Another possibility is someone pried on the post with the wingnut trying to get the battery cable off. This seems more likely than a drop, to me.

Gary 89 Overnighter
 
Don't know abot AGMS, but wet cells will never freeze - if it stays charged.

The photo looks more than cracks, perhaps some overheating and melting, you may want to have your battery supplier inspect it.

Email the photo to the battery manufacturer, find their website - may have a ciustomer service email address. Don't mention about someone possibly dropping it.
 
I had one that I over charged do that, but the cover do pop off to add water on the ones i had.
 
Thanks for the all the comments.

I didn't see evidence of melting. Since the crack went in, I am going to go with that it was either (1) Dropped, (2) Crushed, or (3) Somebody got very aggressive with the post in removing the nut last year.

In any event, my "boat guy" has apologized for the issue (the damage and installing the battery in that condition) and has replaced the battery (quite quickly, to his credit).

See you out there!

- Robert
 
Sounds like your "boat guy" knows how
to do business! I bet you won't be switching
"boat guys" soon!

Good for you!
 
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