Clean up after cooked leisure battery

[timski]

Hi Guys,

My leisure battery recently overheated and the smell was terrible. The van still smells and I've noticed the worst of it emanates from the  leisure battery well (under and behind the front passenger seat). The carpet at the bottom of it is wet, presumably discharge from the battery? Any suggestions on washing/neutralising it?

Thanks,
Tim. 

[Mocki]

That wetness is likely to be battery acid , extremely corrosive and I’ll turn good metal to rust in a matter of days 
wash out with clean warm water several times and dispose of the carpet safely .
wash your hands, and don’t let it touch your clothes , or they will look like moths have had a party quite soon .

the eggy smell is toxic , try not to breathe it in , air the van out get clean air in and through 

[weimarbus]

best to use washing soda crystals in the water to neutralise the acid

[300CE]

Exactly the same happened to me a couple of weeks ago - leisure battery cooked but luckily the egg smell appeared when close to home.  The battery was extremely hot and i'm glad i wasn't on the motorway as would've had to pull over to remove.  Had a small leakage on the side and gave it a damn good clean out and have now replaced the relay to a heavy duty one just in case.