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Old 06-17-2016, 11:43 AM   #1
evy
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Building a battery box, info needed please.

Hi everyone,

I'm working on my very first DIY camper conversion, using a 2010 extended Ford E250.

Right now I'm planning my battery box for my two GC2 6V 215AH wet cells batteries.

I was planning :
-using plywood and caulking to seal it
-leaving 1/2" around the batteries and the box
-sealing the cover with a gasket and continuous piano hinges
-venting the box with a standard flexible pipe, 1-1/2" or 2" in diam. exhaust
-drilling many 1/2" holes on the floor between the batteries for air inlet (adding a screen mesh under the floor)
-adding a rubber mat underneath the batteries, do I need a pan?

If you have any issues or recommendations please don't hesitate, thanks!


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Old 06-17-2016, 12:29 PM   #2
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If you have any acid spill, a fiberglassed bottom would contain it but otherwise your design looks good.
Boats have very high standards for construction, here are some.

Batteries Sec. 183.420 Batteries
Each battery must be installed so that metallic objects cannot come into contact with positive terminals. (Or the negative terminal if you use a positive ground.) How can this be accomplished?
Battery Boxes
Boots on the positive terminal.
An insulating cover over the terminals.
There are other ways. The whole point is that you do not want a wrench or screwdriver of something metal that falls on the battery (like a metal portable gas tank) to come in contact with the positive terminal. This could cause a large arc and possibly a fire or explosion. It is best avoided.
There must be a means to vent hydrogen gas from the batteries to the atmosphere. Hydrogen gas is extremely flammable. The slightest spark will set off an explosion. Hydrogen gas discharged by a battery during charging must not be trapped in the boat, but free to make it's way out of the compartment to the atmosphere. Make sure the battery compartment is ventilated. If you put the battery in a box, make sure the box is vented and the gas has a way to escape from the compartment where the battery is located. Hydrogen dissipates very rapidly. A simple hole in the top of the compartment will work.
With the proliferation of sealed batteries some people have asked, well, if the battery is sealed why do I have to ventilate the battery? Because sealed batteries can vent hydrogen. They are what is known as Sealed Valve Regulated or SVR batteries. The valve in each cell is there to vent hydrogen if the battery overheats or overpressures. Under normal operating conditions they don't outgas, but they can. The space that the battery is in needs to be vented.
The battery must be secured so that it can't move around. That means it can't move more than one inch forward and aft, sideways, or up and down. A battery box will help but then the box has to be secured. Most battery boxes or trays come with a strap to hold them down. If not secured batteries can tip over, slide around, and spill acid. In one case a battery tipped over and made contact with a metal fuel tank. After the resulting discharge of electricity and fire the battery studs were welded to the tank. Batteries must be secured.
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Old 06-17-2016, 12:40 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arctictraveller View Post
If you have any acid spill, a fiberglassed bottom would contain it but otherwise your design looks good.
I was thinking of installing 1/2"x1/2" spacers on the bottom so that the base of the battery fits snug into the box and there are no possibility of moving around yet I still have 1/2" of spacing all around.

Other than tipping over on the side how do spills happen?

I bought some fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin for the shower base I will be doing soon, maybe with what is left I can pour it in the box and add a fiberglass cloth?
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Old 06-17-2016, 02:41 PM   #4
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Other than tipping over on the side how do spills happen?
Worst case is an accident, but spillage will be your last worry. Shorting out will be a bigger issue. Over charging can cause an acid mist to come out of the battery and rough roads might cause a little leakage. Perhaps the case could fail, but I've never seen it happen. My battery box is only plywood sides with a piece of wood over the van floor, but under the batteries was very corroded from acid.
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Old 06-17-2016, 07:01 PM   #5
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Worst case is an accident, but spillage will be your last worry. Shorting out will be a bigger issue. Over charging can cause an acid mist to come out of the battery and rough roads might cause a little leakage. Perhaps the case could fail, but I've never seen it happen. My battery box is only plywood sides with a piece of wood over the van floor, but under the batteries was very corroded from acid.
How did it get corroded? How did the acid get there?

I just installed this charger/controler/panel.

Mighty Mini Compact AC/DC Power Distribution Panel

Do you think there's a chance that it will overcharge the batteries?
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Old 06-17-2016, 07:58 PM   #6
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How did it get corroded? How did the acid get there?

I just installed this charger/controler/panel.

Mighty Mini Compact AC/DC Power Distribution Panel

Do you think there's a chance that it will overcharge the batteries?
It's not uncomon for batteries to corrode surrounding metal. I don't really know all the ways acid can get out of the battery, but it can and does. Usually after a few years you see the corrosion unless you have wood or plastic boxes. It's not a huge deal, but it's easy to avoid with a non metalic box. As for your charger, it looks ok assuming it accurately maintains the stated voltages, but I do question the need to apply an equilizing charge every 21 hours. I've never heard of that and no doubt it will increase water consumption.
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Old 06-18-2016, 07:09 AM   #7
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Another way to get an acid spill: Inadvertently left a drain on the battery while the van was in winter storage. Killed the battery, battery froze. battery case cracked from the frozen water/acid expansion, spring thaw battery LEAKED. I now triple check the kill switch when storing van for winter.
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