Battery on a slide out?

[MickinOz]

Decided on Flooded Lead Acid deep cycle battery.
Simply the most watt-hours per dollar, and (hopefully) longevity.
I briefly considered Lithium, but I don't have any spare kidneys to sell!
I was interested in AGM due to the no top-up thing, and in theory the plates can't drop sulphates, etc., and my flash new solar regulator is allegedly fully programmable to suit.
But, bang for buck - FLA.

The thing that had me considering alternatives to the FLA was the water.
Specifically, I'd like to mount the battery under the galley counter between the fridge and the forward bulk head. Couldn't make it any harder to get at for maintenance.
Has anyone mounted their battery on a slide out? I could make the fridge slide out big enough for both.
Did it allow extra vibration and cause early failure?
I know, it's very hard to pin battery failure to something like that, but if anyone has had a bad experience?

[tony.latham]

I mounted a Group 24 on a self-built slider in this little teardrop:



I wish I had a photo of how I did it.

The battery box is connected to a piece of 19mm plywood that the edges were cut at 45º. They slide into a couple of side pieces that are also cut at 45º. It's not fancy but the battery is accessible when needed which is rarely. I don't recall how I locked it in place. It's not as if you need the feel of a drawer on ball-bearing slides.



Tony

[MickinOz]

Thanks Tony.
I just bought a pair of 100 kg drawer slides, so I can customise a an under bench fridge slide out. I reckon I may have the space to mount the battery on the same slide (still need to check that but I do have 600mm to play with and the fridge is only about 300mm wide.)
So I'm thinking it could be a nice tidy set up. As long as it doesn't get shook to death from being slid in and out with the fridge, or just from riding down the road on something that can move a little bit.
It appears group 24 batteries are mostly AGM?

[tony.latham]

No, they are not. It just designates the size. My bro-in-law did install a Group 24 AGM.

You'll do just fine with a FLA battery. The one in my old teardrop is seven years old and is still fine. But I babied it.

If I hadn't been writing a book about this last teardrop --that I installed in a closed-in space-- I would have considered one.


Tony

[MickinOz]

ta mate. I got the size thing, its just when I googled them I only found one that wasn't AGM.

In my boat, I keep the battery right down the back under the outboard well.
The boat's doesn't take water over the wave breaker much, even in 20 knot winds, so I could keep it somewhere else without drowning it; but I keep it under there because I think that is where it gets pounded the least.
But it sure is a PITA ass to get to to check it.
Come to think of it, I get many years outa my boat batteries, and they must surely get shook up more than in a camper.
The winds start about September here, and don't drop off until next August.
As I type its a nice mild Autumn day, and the wind is sitting on 17 knots.
I run a 16 footer on the bay. 17 knots can give you three foot chop where the tide is running up into the shallows against the wind.

I'm going to go with it, FLA on a slide, even if there is a wing nut or two to make sure it's all held steady when travelling.

[edgeau]

Just consider cable travel so they don't catch on stuff going in and out.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[MickinOz]

Just consider cable travel so they don't catch on stuff going in and out.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Yes, I'll have to leave some swinging, I think.
Which means I'll have to hit up son #2, the electrician, to go get a couple metres of red and black multi multi strand cable from the wholesalers.