interior vented battery box

[wheelerimage]

Hello,

The battery in my 65 Globetrotter is under the goucho. There is no box. I wonder if I should be worried about that. Exploding gasses etc. I have seen battery boxes in the forums, but they seem to be made to go outside the trailer. Usually on the tongue. I have my spare tire and propane tanks on the tongue. No room there for a battery.

Is there a battery box that is made to go inside the trailer. How should I vent it?

Also, I was thinking of adding a 2nd battery because i frequently boondock.

Someone out there must have found a great solution to this problem.

[John H.]

Buy an enclosed plastic battery box to fit your needs, 1 or 2 battery's.

Buy a plastic tube and run to the out side of the coach, there are many ways to do this and the location of your box would determine where and how you run the tube. Marine supply stores, like West Marine can fix you up with all the correct fittings and boxes also

[easyride]

My 63 has a sheet metal box covering battery,the door gives plenty of air by fitting so loosely.Any kind of plastic box that you can seal,and add a vent hose to exterior,would work for multiple batteries. Dave

[gwchitty]

Yes, box up and vent a standard lead -acid battery using a plastic tube to the outside. There should be a vent connection already installed in the skin for this. If you go with an AGM battery you can go without the vent and a battery box, but I use a tray under it anyway. Do a search on "Phreds Poop Sheets" on the web for more good reading on this subject.

Bill

[WineStream]

After my AGM took flight out of the exterior battery box on my '74 on the W.Va. turnpike, I replaced it with another AGM but it is now inside the living space of the trailer, specifically under the mid-ship gaucho. My head is within inches of the battery every time I sleep in the AS and I'm still alive. Plus, even if it should break free from it's new attachment, at least it's not going to go flying from the AS and over into a ravine like the last one. AGMs are expensive, but for the advantages, I can't see that you can beat it for an RV.

[markdoane]

I would definitely buy a vented box. Make sure the vent hose goes upward until it reaches the outside. The vent gas is hydrogen and it needs to go up to get out.

[thecatsandi]

Originally Posted by wheelerimage

Hello,

The battery in my 65 Globetrotter is under the goucho. There is no box. I wonder if I should be worried about that. Exploding gasses etc. I have seen battery boxes in the forums, but they seem to be made to go outside the trailer. Usually on the tongue. I have my spare tire and propane tanks on the tongue. No room there for a battery.

Is there a battery box that is made to go inside the trailer. How should I vent it?

Also, I was thinking of adding a 2nd battery because i frequently boondock.

Someone out there must have found a great solution to this problem.

You definately need a sealed vented box. One option is two tubes. One for fresh air another for the gas to be pushed out. Another option is sealed vented batteries. They exist. They have vent tube attachment right on the caps.
You can try something like this:
West Marine: 8D High Double Battery Box Product Display
or
West Marine: Large Battery Boxes Product Display
Having something to catch sulfuric acid is a good thing as well.
Me Personally when I go to add a third battery it will be AGM just like the others. I will have to replace all three at the same time (ouch). It will not need a box but I will make one from 18 gauge steel and paint the interior with epoxy paint.

[bryanl]

Keep in mind that code requires all lead acid batteries to have a vented box, even AGM's. Things can go wrong and your battery charging system might decide to overcharge the batteries. When that happens with sealed batteries, bad things happen.

[87MH]

Originally Posted by bryanl

Keep in mind that code requires all lead acid batteries to have a vented box, even AGM's. Things can go wrong and your battery charging system might decide to overcharge the batteries. When that happens with sealed batteries, bad things happen.

For a manifold of safety reasons NO batteries should be installed unvented in any living area.

For an example of things that could go horribly wrong see this thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f449...ttery+meltdown

[wheelerimage]

Thanks,

I had a Progressive Dynamics Intelli Power 9100 converter installed. They have an add on called Charge Wizard. This Charge Wizard is a little computer that controlls the charge to the battery. The RV place where I bought it said I didn't need the charge wizard. The service guy said they "didn't have any luck with them. " I thought that was a vague & meaningless response. But it sounds like I do need it to make sure my battery isn't over charged. Has anyone had experience with this?

[silverleeper]

If you leave your trailer plugged in all the time I would think that a Charge Wizard would be a must.

On the other hand if you only plug in while camping it's probably not necessary.

I have one on both trailers and have had no problems.

[63air]

I sleep much more soundly with an Optima (nothing to vent) battery under my goucho. The terminals are protected and every thing is fused. I got rid of the conventional battery because of the venting issue. Acid fumes and hydrogen gas, even in small amounts can cause some very exciting things to happen.

[bryanl]

The charge wizard approach is one of the better ways to make sure your battery gets a good charge when connected to power and also to keep it in good shape when in storage.

The IP converter with charge wizard does a very good job of not overcharging the battery as you can tell by its users seldom having to add water. The storage mode is a bit tougher to measure but the tests I have run with a commercial grade conductance meter do indicate it reduces sulfation that is what happens as batteries age.