Battery box ? thinking ahead

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Battery box ? thinking ahead

Postby rustytoolss » Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:38 am

I may end up installing my Battery inside my camper. (in the interior cabin/in closet area) . I know that batteries need to be vented. What I would plan to do, is vent out the bottom through the floor. Got a question about battery boxes. The standard RV battery box has large vents in the lid. Would that be safe in the cabin area of the camper ? Do battery vapors go DOWN or UP ? Like I said My plan was to make a tube to vent out the floor. Did not think it would be wise to vent out through the a foam wall :NC
Last edited by rustytoolss on Thu Oct 20, 2016 4:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Battery box ? thinking ahead

Postby Padilen » Thu Oct 20, 2016 10:58 am

My battery box is designed for interior use age. The box has a hose to vent outside, mounting from the lid. It also has a through the floor drain for acid leakage.


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Re: Battery box ? thinking ahead

Postby tony.latham » Thu Oct 20, 2016 10:59 am

Just go with an AGM battery. No venting needed.

T
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Re: Battery box ? thinking ahead

Postby Padilen » Thu Oct 20, 2016 11:29 am

tony.latham wrote:Just go with an AGM battery. No venting needed.

T

For me it was cost, I already had a deep cycle battery. But then decided not to swap back and forth to my boat. And bought another. Funny never used the boat either.


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Re: Battery box ? thinking ahead

Postby rustytoolss » Fri Oct 21, 2016 10:46 am

I get the cost factor. So for me I will probably have to use a standard 12 volt car battery. I only would need battery power one weekend a season. And if I found that I needed a deep cycle battery later, get one then. Turns out that I may be able to put my battery on the tongue.
Last edited by rustytoolss on Fri Oct 21, 2016 1:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Battery box ? thinking ahead

Postby KCStudly » Fri Oct 21, 2016 11:11 am

Lead acid wet cell batteries off gas hydrogen, so lighter than air, so gases vent up. Any acid spills or terminal cleanups performed in place (using baking soda and water) will want to drain down.

A gel battery would be nice, but I, too, already have spare wet cells from my boat.

My battery compartment is a sectioned off area of my tongue box with a separate side access panel. The compartment has (will have) a baffled vent positioned on the back at the top and two spade bit sized drain holes in the floor of the compartment. I will cover the latter with bits of screen mesh (to keep critters out). The whole compartment is sealed with FG/epoxy so it can be hosed out if need be.
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Re: Battery box ? thinking ahead

Postby Andrew Herrick » Fri Oct 21, 2016 7:19 pm

You can get a vented battery box on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/Large-Vented-Bat ... B00KPR85Z0

I haven't used them, so I can't comment on how well they hold up or how well the included vent prevents rain from entering the pipe if you install it on the sidewall.
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Re: Battery box ? thinking ahead

Postby Padilen » Fri Oct 21, 2016 7:27 pm

Andrew Herrick wrote:You can get a vented battery box on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/Large-Vented-Bat ... B00KPR85Z0

I haven't used them, so I can't comment on how well they hold up or how well the included vent prevents rain from entering the pipe if you install it on the sidewall.


That's like mine. Got it at one of my local RV dealers. That Amazon price seems high.


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Re: Battery box ? thinking ahead

Postby Ice » Tue Feb 14, 2017 4:31 pm

tony.latham wrote:Just go with an AGM battery. No venting needed.

T


AGM Batteries need to be vented. They produce hydrogen. If you look closely there is a small vent at the top.
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Re: Battery box ? thinking ahead

Postby GuitarPhotog » Tue Feb 14, 2017 6:41 pm

Ice wrote:
tony.latham wrote:Just go with an AGM battery. No venting needed.

T


AGM Batteries need to be vented. They produce hydrogen. If you look closely there is a small vent at the top.


They vent only in case of catastrophic overheating to prevent the battery from exploding. They do not vent under normal conditions. And in fact they can be mounted upside down with no ill effects.

The hydrogen they produce during charging is recombined with oxygen in the battery to form water. Which is why they can be sealed and not need topping up with water.

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Re: Battery box ? thinking ahead

Postby Shadow Catcher » Tue Feb 14, 2017 7:56 pm

A number of builders here have used a vented battery box Image which vents up, that lighter than air thing.
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Re: Battery box ? thinking ahead

Postby lfhoward » Tue Feb 14, 2017 9:14 pm

Shadow Catcher wrote:A number of builders here have used a vented battery box Image which vents up, that lighter than air thing.

I have three of those boxes, the group 24 size, in white, that I bought for my build and didn't end up using. I could sell them for much better than the price on Amazon. Send me a PM if interested.
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