Smell from my seat!

Her in doors bought some furniture and it is ready for collection today.    I went in the garage too get the camper out which has been in hibernation since early september ...Except for 1 trip to wicks to get plaster board.       I opened the door and holly stink there was a horrible pong!....   First though was that maybe i'd not emptied the waste water...  But a quick sniff at the sink and that was fine.   Then a quick sniff of the chemical toilet encase i'd forgot to empty it...Fine..   a quick route about but the smell was every where and really acrid.  So strong I could'nt really say what the smell was.    Anyway it only just started.  Which i thought was odd as its been on the Ctec since being parked up.  Driving to work freezing to death with windows open every time i closed my window the smell was back, and seamed to engulf me immediately..    It reminded me of my work experience placement at Pembroke petrochemical labs.   A real sulfurous smell, i wan't sure if there was a whiff of burning wires in the mix.  I had to stop the van and have a fresh Sniff.      The smell was everywhere but i thought it was worse at the back of my seat.  Envisaging finding something rotting I moved the seat forward and nothing was to be seen.    But the battery was roasting hot.   I disconnected it lifted it out to see it was also leaking...  The condition window looked empty.     This battery was the original "petrol" starter battery.  When i fitted a TDI engine I also fitted a large battery in the engine bay.   So really only the rear battery was needed.  But still more batteries the better in my eyes  in a camper.   So if you go camper and there is a horrendous smell  don't blame it on the dog or wife!  it might be your battery!   

I have a volt meter on the Scangauge thing and the alternator is not over changing.   The Ctech charger which had been connected I will check if its overdoing it a little but i just think the battery is dead.   While the camper was hibernating I  flick a switch so the previously 2 starter and 1 leisure battery are together and the 10 amp ctech maintains then all at once.     I had noticed at the end of the camping season the starter batteries would drop in voltage significantly after about a week, there seamed to have a battery drain I could not find.   I bet the now dead battery was loosing charge and sucking the life out of the larger battery in the engine bay.    

If both the large battery and smaller starter battery are connected together whilst charging?

craigy345 wrote: If both the large battery and smaller starter battery are connected together whilst charging? The Ctek would only see the average of the 2 batteries i.e if 1st was 11v and the 2nd was 12v = 11+12=23 /2 =11.5v The Ctek would continually provide charge (it thinks its only 1 battery) and would lead to overcharging the smaller/weaker battery.  Not a problem when camping and using power but when not using power over a prolonged period can be a problem with mis-matched batteries.

Charge up both batteries separately with the ctek.