Power Strip vs. Surge Protector: The Dangerous Difference You Need to Know

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IMAGE FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY. We've all been there, staring at a mess of cords behind the TV and grabbing whatever plastic plug block we have lying around. But here is the hard truth: a power strip just gives you extra outlets, while a surge protector actively defends your electronics from destructive electrical spikes. Confusing the two is a very fast way to lose thousands of dollars of gear in a split second. They look exactly the same from the outside. They both have a row of outlets, a thick cord, and usually a little red power switch on the end. But what's hiding inside makes all the difference in the world. Let's break down exactly what you're dealing with so you don't make a very expensive mistake. The Basic Power Strip: Just an Extension Cord A power strip is basically just a multi-plug extension cord. That's its only job. It takes one wall outlet and turns it into six or eight. If you want to plug in a lamp, a fan, and an alarm clock all i...

Why does my tubular inverter battery smell like rotten eggs when charging? (The cause and fix)

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Have you noticed a horrible, sulfuric, rotten egg smell emanating from your home inverter setup while it is charging? You really should not ignore it. Most people assume that a heavy-duty tubular inverter battery normally smells this way. That's not so! It is a major sign that you have an improper chemical reaction occurring within the battery that will ultimately cause the failure of your battery and pose a fire risk in your home if you continue ignoring it.

This post will tell you exactly what is causing the smell and what you can do to fix it without paying for a costly replacement battery.


1. Why the odor?


The rotten egg smell is a signature of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Inside a tubular inverter battery, there are lead plates and a solution consisting of sulfuric acid and distilled water (H2O + H2SO4). During normal charging of your inverter battery, minimal hydrogen and oxygen gas will be produced. When the battery becomes overworked, the sulfuric acid begins to boil and breakdown, resulting in hydrogen sulfide production. The smell is very strong, so your nose can probably detect this gas from far away.


2. What can be the cause of the production of Hydrogen Sulfide?


Over-charging is the most common culprit: The charging circuit on an inverter will usually be programmed to turn off high chargingAmperages once the battery is fully charged and only provide a trickling charge. When your battery’s charging circuit board fails, the inverter will keep supplying excessiveAmperageto a full battery, which will cook the battery’s acid.

Dry Battery Cells: Especially when kept in warmer areas or rooms that heat up. It seems that during the higher voltage charging cycle, water will evaporate more quickly. When the water levels get below the top of the lead plates, the exposure to air will rapidly heat the lead plates and burn the acid within, resulting in a sulfur smell.

A Shorted Cell: All 12- volt tubular inverter batteries have six 2- volt cells. If any of these six cells has been physically broken or is internally shorted, all six cells become unusable (with the help of the inverter pushing all the 12 volt charging Amperages into five cells instead, that will only handle 10volts) at the point where the six healthy 2- volt cells will reach extreme temperatures. This high heat boils the sulfuric acid and gives off the sulfur smell.


3. If I notice this smell, am I doing something wrong and am I safe?


This is an extremely dangerous situation. Hydrogen gas is highly flammable, and the buildup of this gas in a closed area creates an immense danger. Even a mechanical spark or electrical switch turned on or off can ignite it, leading to an explosion. Prolonged exposure to hydrogen sulfide is also considered toxic and can cause severe headaches, and respiratory problems.


4. Immediate steps upon detecting this smell:


First: Ensure your home mains power is switched off at the main switch and your inverter is switched off at the main switch.

Second: Ventilate the room where your inverter is kept as much as you can by opening windows, but keep all the lights and fans off inside as there is a spark risk.

Third: Lightly touch the casing of the battery, preferably with a finger on your non-dominant hand; if you feel it is hotter than normal room temperature, you are likely over-charging your battery, so remove from charge and leave the battery to cool.

Fourth: Examine the indicator floats on your inverter battery. If they are pointing to the bottom-most markers, your battery is completely out of water.


5. Permanent fix for the smell:


Once you've let your battery cool down, refill the electrolyte levels with only pure distilled water (NEVER tap or drinking water as the impurities in tap/drinking water will ruin your lead plates).

If water levels seem fine during an investigation and you're experiencing the rotten egg smell anyway, your inverter float charge voltage is most likely set too high, or it is faulty; you'll want to take your inverter into a certified technician who can test the float charge voltage using a multimeter. If you have a battery more than 4-5 years old and this odor is being caused by a shorted cell, your battery has outlived its useful service life, and needs to be replaced.

The long and short of it is that your tubular inverter battery is not designed to have a smell; rather, it's designed to have a long, robust life as part of your home's electrical infrastructure. If your inverter setup starts giving off sulfur, it is an immediate problem, so unplug, inspect your battery, and test your inverter, because it's only when you take immediate steps will you prevent the far more expensive mistake of having to buy a new battery.