Golf Cart Battery Hiss

[judyg]

I have 2 golf cart batteries hooked up to two 150 watt solar panels.  Sometimes I will hear a hissing sound from one of the batteries.  Is it normal for a battery to hiss?  This is the same battery that had a mysterious black substance on the top of it when I was gone for 2 days.  

 When I hear it hiss, I freak out & disconnect the negative wire (from the black box w/ the readout) then re-connect later when I want lights/fan. Once I had the fan running & didn't hear the hiss til it was hissing Really loud. This has been such a worry to me that I finally disconnected the solar panels.  I've gone back to using head lamp & keep cool by spritzing myself w/ spray bottle.

I've googled hissing battery & found both yes and no information. 
The battery didn't feel hot or bulge at the sides.  
I guess my questions are:  Is this battery safe to use?  Would anything bad happen if I would ignore the hissing no matter how loud it got?
My lady logic says hissing can't be a good thing.
Looking for some expert input.  Thanks!!

 

[OutdoorFT]

First off...I would check to make sure no snakes are in the immediate area

 

[tx2sturgis]

Wait a minute...back up!

You didnt mention a solar charge controller, just that you have 2 batteries hooked up to 2 solar panels.

Is this true? :huh:

Or maybe the black box is the controller? Or is it just a digital voltmeter?

 

[Weight]

limited information. my EGC-2 battery make no sound, and do not get dirty on top. Are yours overcharging?

 

[SternWake]

Pulling a cable from solar controller to battery while the sun is shining on solar panels can fry many solar controllers. Most will say to disconnect or cover the solar panels from charge controller before disconnecting charge controller from battery.

I've heard batteries gurgle, i've heard them fizz when equalizing at 16 ish volts, I've not yet heard one hiss. Hissing would seem to indicate the vent cap is partially clogged, and the battery is at absorption voltage and gassing. See if the hissing follows the vent cap when moved to the other battery.

If it stays on the same cell then that cell, and all cells, should be checked with a hydrometer.

 

[highdesertranger]

yep we need more info. does it have a charge controller? did you disconnect the controller from the batteries with the panels still hooked up? have you check the water level? what is the voltage when the battery starts hissing? highdesertranger

 

[user 37446]

I agree with SW and HDR, a hissing sound usually means something is pressurized and leaking. Tires hiss when you have a leak, inner tubes, air mattresses, etc. 

Rattlesnakes rattle, do any snakes hiss?  I think some lizards do...
Oh, snakes do: Why Do Snakes Hiss?

[font='Gotham SSm A', 'Gotham SSm B', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][font='Gotham SSm A', 'Gotham SSm B', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]"Some snakes are well equipped to defend themselves through venom or by sheer size, but most snakes are small and non-venomous. Hissing is an intimidating sound, and it helps to dissuade would-be predators. A hissing snake can give the impression of a larger, more dangerous adversary." [/font][/font]

 

[tx2sturgis]

A battery can hiss if it's being overcharged, this is why I asked about the solar controller, if one is present.

If the panels are hooked up directly to the batteries, then a hiss would indicate that the panel is overcharging the battery and it will end up damaged...or worse.

The hissing sound is almost certainly a sign of overcharging, or possibly a damaged battery off-gassing hydrogen sulfide gas or hydrogen and/or sulfur dioxide.

It COULD be that the controller, if one is being used, is somehow stuck in bulk charge mode, or worse, stuck in de-sulfation mode.

If there is a strong odor of rotten eggs, then yep...there is most certainly a problem.

 

[user 37446]

From a google search called "battery hisses when charging":, from edaboard.com site

"Re: lead acid battery hisses while charging. bad?
The cell tha make the hiss noise has a problem, this is clear since there is a temperature difference with the rest of the cells of the battery.
Check whether you overcharge the battery.
If it is a sealed lead acid, there must be a problem. If it is a lead acid that you can add water and acid, check the acid's density. You may need to add some water." End of quote

From AR15.com site:

Link Posted: 7/14/2014 11:33:12 PM EDT [Last Edit: 7/15/2014 12:32:35 AM EDT by EXPY37]
Originally Posted By leafinthewind:
"12v car battery, all cells covered with water to the same level....when charging (2/10/50a selectable craftsman charger set on 10 amp setting) there is a very slight "hiss" from one of the, um, hole cover thingies. Is this normal?


Hissing doesn't sound normal, unless the cells are gassing at the end of the charge. A strong 'bubbling' is normal [and healthy] if the charge voltage goes much higher than around 15vdc.

As long as the plates are covered, you are OK, but fill to the proper level ASAP. Is the Craftsman charger an automatic or an older one with a timer or no way to control charge?

Measure the voltage with the charger charging. As Ski says, it shouldn't be over about 14.7 vdc. Is one cell warmer than the rest?

Overfilling isn't a good thing but that in itself isn't going to cause the electrolyte to 'boil' or do anything untoward.

If you are sure one cell is hissing under charge, that's reason enough to diagnose further. How old is the battery, has it been abused, run low on water, etc? Near the end of a charging cycle, the battery may 'gas' a bit, this sounds like 'bubbling', but that is OK. Maybe trapped water in one of the cap's vent holes is causing the sound?

Let the battery rest for an hour, without load, and measure the terminal voltage accurately with a $3 Harbor Freight digital meter or similar.

Also, measure the specific gravity of the cells, particularly the one that's hissing.

Report and we all will try to help. Something could be going on that might result in 'issues'. One cell 'hissing' isn't normal to the best of my knowledge, and I'd be careful until I figgered out what's going on." End of quote


Darn, doesnt sound good for the OP.  Anything that hisses seems not really good.

Note to Sternwake, battery cells have "hole cover thingies" at the top, just in case you needed the technical phrase...

 

[judyg]

Well guys....Thanks to all for your input.
Here's the report:
Nope, it isn't a snake.
Yes, the black box is a controller. The highest readout I've seen is 14.7.
Yikes! for my ignorance on unhooking the negative to the battery instead of disconnecting from the solar first. I can now understand the logic in that.
A lot of what some of you have said has gone pfftt over my head ( I'm even in the dark as to what OP means. I get that you're saying doesn't look like a good outcome).
The bottom line seems to be that I do not have a good battery. No smell of rotten eggs but I'm not going to use these batteries
I have brought the solar panels inside and leaned them against the wall, completely disconnected from the batteries and out of the sun.

Someone else set this system up for me. Panels came from Craig's List for cheap & he'd upgraded his solar & gave me his old batteries. Who knows, he may have gotten from another person & didn't buy them new. I didn't pay any attention to the batteries til the hissing began BUT now I see that they don't look the same. That probably isn't a good thing either,eh?.
The hisser has 3 white things that must come off so one can check water levels etc, the other seems to be a closed system. But it may as well be a snake because I'm not gonna touch the darn thing to open, look or check! All that is beyond my ability. I appreciate all the info. Basically from what everyone has tole me, I think these batteries are trash & unsafe and I will do without solar til I can buy new batteries.
Many thanks to all who took time to respond!

 

[highdesertranger]

never mix batteries. use batteries of the same type, age, etc. highdesertranger

 

[tx2sturgis]

OP just means Original Poster, or in other words, the person who started the thread....

So yeah, you might have a battery that has boiled off most of the electrolyte and it needs to be used ONLY as a core return when you buy a new set of batteries.

Keep it, but dont use it, until you can buy a set of new, same age, type, and brand of batteries.

 

[Trebor English]

If one of the 3 white caps has a blockage in the venting hole that would make it hiss.  Your battery bank may be not optimum but it might be far from trash.  If it was charging at 14.7 that should make the battery do some gassing.  It may be that you need to clean the white caps and lower the voltage to 14.4.

The caps can be immersed in a bowl of water.  Detergent and paper towels might be necessary to clean black greasy stuff.  A toothpick might open a plugged hole.

Do the batteries have labels with part numbers?

 

[user 37446]

If you have a battery shop (Batteries Plus) or someplace you trust, have them give you an opinion.  Let them check the electrolyte levels, brands, ages, measure the specific gravity.  You might save them!

 

[highdesertranger]

she has a flooded and an AGM mixed together. you can never get the appropriate charge rate. you're either to high for one and to low for the other or vice versa. highdesertranger

 

[Weight]

Get a set of Duracell from Batteries plus Bulbs. Use the ones you have for the core charge. Do not use the mixed set of batteries. Do not try to save old batteries. Lead acid batteries can be dangerous if not maintained.