CanoeStream,
Wardinbb - the gas that is most often vented is hydrogen which is much lighter than air.
Pat
Thank you Pat. So between the LP leaking and the battery too, I could get a really good bang going!
Well, given a sealed compartment and a vent through the floor with adequate air flow spaces between battery and floor, that in the event of an off-gas condition, I'm thinkin' that a venturi effect would be present with the natural air movement from under the trailer created either by wind or motion, or the back-up of gases eventually exiting the vent area.
From the additional posts above, it's appearant that the battery vent condition in many of our rigs represents an imperfect world that has not affected us adversely. Yet.
After obsessing over the issues I bought Lifeline AGM with a three stage charger. Battery cost, size and power all increase together. I went with 6 volts battery's for 220 AH. Lifeline / concorde is a solid brand with years of Marine service. Shop price and shipping and you will likly find you can save a few dollars.
__________________ Let those who can play, let those who cann't watch....
my setup seems to have the gassing part covered: the battery is in a sealed box, with a vent hose leading out to a louvered opening.
The part that was not well thought-out is that in order to service the battery (and only one!) you have to open the front hatch, shift the box onto the hatch door, remove 4 screws (that hold the box together) and then you can check water levels, etc. Guess how often I do that in real life?
I was kind of hoping that if I used sealed agm batteries, I could do away with the box and just put them in the space (which is under my gaucho). However I am convinced from what I have read on the forum that it is not safe to have any unvented batteries in the living area. So, out to the a-frame I go.
At least if I do it that way, I won't have to worry about it again!.
Well it looks like we stirred up a "Hornet's Nest" about Venting of Batteries. I can tell you that all of the Standards that I have seen treat Flooded Lead Acid, Gel Cell, and Absorbed Glass Mat the same. All have a Gassing potential and need to have a Tray to collect any overspill and Venting to protect from that Gassing.
Now I would like to find a "Sanitary Way" to get the Battery Cables into the Inside of the Trailer.
Hope this Helps, it looks like this discussion will make a few Trailers Safer.
Steve
Markdoane,
Thanks for the direction on the battery box, I seem to actually remember seeing that animal but didn't think I would need one! The above bulk head connection is a great score a swell. Thanks for finding these things.
After obsessing over the issues I bought Lifeline AGM with a three stage charger. Battery cost, size and power all increase together. I went with 6 volts battery's for 220 AH. Lifeline / concorde is a solid brand with years of Marine service. Shop price and shipping and you will likly find you can save a few dollars.
Great choice! I have the same set-up in my 19CCD....just awesome!
So, if I install my group 27 AGM battery inside a self-made enclosure with two tubes, both high and low, I can keep the battery in it's original location (in the rear one-stop access compartment, next to the intellipower converter)?
Would there be a problem with putting a second battery where one of the propane tanks goes? We seem to be able to go a long time on one propane tank. Could it be safely transported in the back of the TV and swapped out as needed? Jamie
Would there be a problem with putting a second battery where one of the propane tanks goes? We seem to be able to go a long time on one propane tank. Could it be safely transported in the back of the TV and swapped out as needed? Jamie
It depend on how you install it and the battery type. A regular lead-acid type will out-gas and should be placed in a vented battery box with the vent pointed down and exiting from the bottom of the tank enclosure (if you have one) or away from the tank.
If you use an AGM type battery, they do not gas unless they are overcharged so you should be OK without the box. OTOH, it sure would look strange without some sort of enclosure around it, so I would probably but that one in a box also....much neater installation! IMHO...........
Also, You should not use 2 dissimilar batteries in a 2 battery set-up. They should be the same size, rating and manufacturer and preferrably.....age!
Jim, batteries on new Airstreams are mounted in a box on the tongue right behind the LP tanks. I posted the following pic from my '06 Safari in a different thread: http://www.airforums.com/forum...6&d=1165796236
Does this mean that Airstream had any reason - other than cost - for abandoning the two battery boxes built into the trailer shell? The box on the tongue has got to be a lot cheaper to fabricate - but it does make me wonder if there has been any liability issues.
Cracker,
The dual battery doors on my '77 Excella 500 and the single battery door of my '86 Sovereign have two vents at the top as well as two vents at the bottom of the door. These vents are cut into the aluminum door only. The plastic battery compartment has a flange that the door frame fits over before riveting therefore the box is insulated from the inside of the trailer. There is no further venting. One of the battery boxes on my '77 had a 4" crack at the top of the back of the box. I used black RTV to seal it so that battery vapors would not get inside the trailer.
__________________ Craig
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