Help
We have a BESSACARR 645 twin axle caravan and are touring Lake Constance for 6 weeks.
the caravan is well serviced, kept clean and properly drained and disinfected before storage. 1 week into our holiday we have got the most awful bad smell like bad eggs. It smells like we have a dead animal onboard. We have emptied the van looking for the source, disinfected all pipes drain etc but the smell still persists sometimes worse than others.
might have to go home if solution cannot be found as the smell is unhealthy.
Two desperate caravaners!
Any suggestions please
Comments
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Have you checked your fridge is working ok? We had a caravan fridge discharge it's coolant ( to the outside luckily) but the smell was horrendous. We actually thought we had driven through a chemical spillage, until it persisted for days. Only cure was a new fridge for us. It might not be this, but worth checking. Good luck.
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What do you pour down your kitchen sink? We always use a bowl and dispose of dirty dish water directly into the drain to avoid smelly pipework. It's also possible for the smell to be coming from your waste water container and travelling up the pipe.
You describe the smell as like bad eggs which is sulphur. Gas smells similar as does fridge coolant, as described by TDA.
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Here at home we get a smell like that when a plastic light fitting is overheating
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A leaking fridge would smell of amonia. Not pleasant but unlikely to be confused with a rotten egg smell.
I agree with Husky; it sounds very much like a battery being overcharged. (There seem to be quite a few reports of so-called 'smart chargers' getting stuck in the boost mode).
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No mistake there got to be the battery
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Thank you for all your replies. We have taken he battery to a supplier who tested the battery and said it was ok despite it being boiling hot!!! He could have sold us a battery but said it was not necessary. He thought the straw like fitting was loose and felt that was the problem. However, 5 hours later the battery ( which we have now taken away from the van is still scolding hot so I definitely think we need to replace it! Don't think we have an option unless anyone can tell us differently. The smell has now gone from the van!
Really appreciate all your help.
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That proves it then. A new battery it is.
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But DO check the charger output after you install the new battery .... you don't want to ruin a new one.
Check with a multimeter directly at the battery terminals. Don't rely on any other voltage indication you may have in the 'van.
You may see something like 14.4v for some time after connecting a new battery, but after a day or two I would be worried if the voltage was above 13.8v constantly.
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but that means the battery is self regulated which they are not, the charger has the regulator in it so if charger is putting to much charge into the battery then a new battery will have the same effect as same charger being used. get a volt meter and test what the input voltage is and if more that approx 14.7 volts then the charger is causing the battery to overheat. you've been told the battery is ok.
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Good points. However, even if the fault lies with the charger, I’m not sure I’d want to use that battery in future.
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Thank you all, we really appreciate this discussion as we are not practical people really. We will be going in search of a new battery tomorrow ours is well and truly disconnected and away from the van. The leisure battery supplier we went to today only had a 90 Ah and we need a 120Ah. Should we also be buying a battery meter and if so can you recommend one?
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I’d get the charger checked if I was you.
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It may be the battery that’s developed a faulty cell but more likely it’s the charging unit that’s overcharging and boiling the fluid. Either way it’s dangerous to reconnect the battery until fault is rectified as you don’t want the battery exploding and you don’t want to be breathing those fumes either.
good advice to seek help from red pennant.
if it’s a fairly new bessacar which I think it will be as it’s a 645 you can turn off the charger unit at the control box under the seat base, but I think that will kill all 12v power if you haven’t got the battery connected.
You might also consider asking fellow brit caravanners on site for help. Many of us carry a multimeter and could check the output of the charging unit at the battery connections. I’ve found that most people are willing to assist if asked and I’ve certainly helped out fellow caravanners in the past especially when abroad.
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