HELP! Spilled gas on marine battery

Littlewing17

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Jul 3, 2020
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I’m pretty new to electronics, batteries, etc on boats, so I apologize if I sound dumb, but while filling up my new boats gas tank, I spilled a small amount of gas on one of my 12v Interstate batteries. The gas spread over the top of the battery and down into the tray it sits in. It also got on a a few of the connection wires that run to the battery charger etc. I immediately cleaned the spill with dry paper towels.

my question is... is the boat safe to start again once the gas is dry? Should I be taking any precautions such as buying a new battery or of that such? Should I use water and soap to clean the battery off again before I start the boat? Is there any risk of fire?

thanks!!!
 
Last edited:

alldodge

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my question is... is the boat safe to start again once the gas is dry?

Yes
Figuring your boat has outboard motor, so it will air out in short order. If it was I/O it to would be ok, just run the blower as normal and all good
 

Texasmark

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Dec 20, 2005
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The plugs in the cell caps seal very well so I wouldn't worry about internal contamination. As Dodge said, once dry no problem. Gas fumes settle. Wouldn't hurt to run a fan in there for a few minutes to ensure all is well. Course there aren't any sparks in the bilge with an outboard.
 

tpenfield

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:welcome: to iBoats . . .

The battery should be fine . . . the bigger issue is gasoline fumes. Make sure you have cleaned and ventilated the area.

Just trying to visualize how gasoline gets poured on a battery . . . :noidea: small boat ?

Don't do it again :)
 

dingbat

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Nov 20, 2001
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As everyone has noted, gas on the battery isn’t an issue. Gas in a confined space is.

Would have been better off hosing everything down with water to dilute the fuel then draining the bilge
 

Littlewing17

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Jul 3, 2020
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Thanks for the replies! It really helped put some ease on my mind as a new boat owner. For anyone wondering, the boat is a 17’ Lowe Skorpion bass boat with a 60hp outboard. In most of these 16’-17’ bass boats, the batteries are crammed in the same compartment as the gas tank. In the previous boat I used (but didn’t own), this wouldn’t have been a worry as the battery was located in a separate part of the boat away from the gas tank.
Anyways, thank you for the replies! I’ve left the gas/battery compartment open all night with the garage door open after cleaning up the spill, and will continue to let it air out today.
 
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