Battery Venting

[trailrider]

I installed two 6-volt golf cart batteries inside my AllTerain truck popup camper. I built a battery box and modified the vent caps to vent the batteries to the outside. I caulked the inside seams of my battery box with silicone and coated the inside with PlastiDip liquid coating. Someone in a previous thread asked about finding vent caps with a hose connection for venting which gave me the idea. Batteries for some cars in the trunk vent to the outside with hose from the case. I could not find any vent caps with hose connections so I modified some old ones I had. I took the vent caps apart and drilled and tapped into them using 1/8 in NPT thread. I bought polypropylene 1/4 in hose barb with a 1/8 in NPT pipe thread and threaded them in. Polyethylene will also work. Nylon will not work in sulfuric acid service. You can find them at Grainger or McMaster Carr. I sealed the bottom of the cap (thread of the barb fitting) with 100% silicone caulk. I joined the hoses from 3 caps together via barbed tees and ran to the outside of the camper. I made sure my hoses sloped upwards and had now low spots. Each battery has it's own hose venting to the outside. My old vent caps had a rubber gasket on the bottom of them. My new ones did not. You could make a gasket for them if needed. You could also seal off existing vent caps and tap into the top or upper side of the battery case. I did not want to buy AGM batteries due to cost.

Looks like I can't post pictures. I hope this helps someone.

Mike

 

[rayra]

Interesting solution, but I don't think it was a good idea to use 6v golf cart wet cell batteries in an 'all terrain' trailer in the first place. Almost all new batteries even those tagged '6v golf kart' are sealed. And hydrogen production is only a concern in a fault condition / overcharging etc. And that being the case, a tightly sealed box is the LAST thing you want, if your concern is hydrogen. You want the hydrogen to get out. And frankly a hydrogen atom is a slippery little ****er, you'd have a hard time keeping it in regardless. It is really ridiculously low down on the list of legitimate concerns.

From your comment about cost, my surmise is that you are using older capped wet cell 6v batts. I might be mistaken about that but it wasn't clear.

Now if you intent was the control of acid sloshing around, then your system sounds like a fair attempt. But again I remark that the choice of that style of open / capped wet cell for such an installation is a bad one.

A 'good' 12v deep cycle sealed AGM batter is about twice the cost of a 6v golf cart battery. But you typically buy two of the latter. For the same money you could start with a far safer battery and buy the second one later, achieving a similar power capacity over time, without all the added steps and materials trying to correct a compromised design choice.

I'd suggest posting the same or having this topic moved to teh battery subforum for a much broader audience of experienced people. See what they have to say. I think their responses will be similar to mine.

 

[MountainD]

2x6v GC batteries have way better cost per similar 2x12v with comparable amp-hour capacity and a way better charge/discharge life. I run them in my off road trailer, and also in golf carts (go figure) where they take beatings and sloshing and seek to hold up pretty well so far. I'd say they are superior in every category to AGM except durability but I think they are more durable than 12 acid car batteries and durable enough for a trailer, but that is empirical data to me. Many of us solar guys run GC batteries due to the ability to cycle charges (and the cost per capacity is amazing).

That said, I wouldn't vent them directly-- it allows contaminants to get in and evaporation at greater rates. I'd leave batteries sealed and vent the compatment-- that is my solution, at least.

 

[IdaSHO]

I agree 100% MountainD


And I also run 2 6V wet cell deep cycles

 

[Joe917]

I agree 100% MountainD


And I also run 2 6V wet cell deep cycles

X2

 

[mtaylor]

The vast majority of golf cart batteries are not sealed, and have a nasty habit of leaking and/or exploding at the most inopportune times. They also weigh a ton. I wouldn't use them for an off road vehicle even though I could get them for cheap.

(I'm a golf cart mechanic.)

 

[sleepywheel]

Has anyone looked into this style of watering system? The cells are now sealed and the batteries can be watered with just a hose connection. I've installed them on forklifts, power jacks, and walkies. The OP has the right idea but it would be a real hassle to have to take everything apart just to water the cells.

http://www.phlsci.com/product/1/7

My plan is to install 4 6v Trojan T105 batteries in heavy duty plastic boxes in front of the wheel wells in the pickup box and then slide the camper in. One of my suppliers gave me a set of the injectors so one of these days I'll give it a shot. My inverter has a equalizing charge setting and it really gets the batteries boiling in which case the injectors would have to come off and the regular caps go on for that session. At least that would only be once a year when the camper comes off for cleaning.

 

[mtaylor]

Those single point systems are popular with golf courses and come with most cars from Club Car, I have never used one of them but our road mechanic sweats by them.

 

[IdaSHO]

I use a large dopper.

Assuming you have a proper charge controller, you will not need to add water very often. Id be surprised if you needed to add water within a year of service. With a proper charge controller it simply isnt an issue.

The vast majority of golf cart batteries are not sealed, and have a nasty habit of leaking and/or exploding at the most inopportune times. They also weigh a ton. I wouldn't use them for an off road vehicle even though I could get them for cheap.

(I'm a golf cart mechanic.)

Both due to methods of charging.

Solar + proper charge controller and you will not have any issues.


Bottom line, for the cost 6V deep cycles is the BEST bet.

 

[mtaylor]

You would be both amazed and alarmed how many batteries I have seen explode with minimal provocation.

 

[westyss]

You would be both amazed and alarmed how many batteries I have seen explode with minimal provocation.

can you elaborate more on that, like what is the provocation needed and this might be touchy but type or make of battery, what is the explosion like?

 

[sleepywheel]

I used to reseal forklift batteries with a little propane torch back in the days when the top of the battery was sealed with tar. Always removed the caps and blew out the gas with a squeeze bulb. Never had a cell blow on me. But then I had a friend who just hooked his battery back up in his CJ7 after doing some work, turned the key and blew the battery into a million pieces with acid everywhere. Never did figure out why it blew, terminals were on correctly so it may have been an internal spark from a cracked cell connector.

I would say it is a good idea to make sure any battery is anchored down to keep it from moving around. My friends CJ7 was used off road a lot with a lot of bouncing around so that may have started the cell connector crack.

 

[mtaylor]

can you elaborate more on that, like what is the provocation needed and this might be touchy but type or make of battery, what is the explosion like?

Provocations can be jarring creating internal shorts, too much current draw, overcharging, freezing, and a few other issues I am forgetting. I have seen a brand new Trojan battery go (we never did work out what caused that), as well as older ones, Interstates, and other random no name ones. Basically, really loud pop and acid everywhere. It's usually one of the corners splitting.

Yeah, proper anchoring is definitely something to do well. Also, golf cart batteries don't react that well to full discharges.

 

[Stumpalump]

I used to reseal forklift batteries with a little propane torch back in the days when the top of the battery was sealed with tar. Always removed the caps and blew out the gas with a squeeze bulb. Never had a cell blow on me. But then I had a friend who just hooked his battery back up in his CJ7 after doing some work, turned the key and blew the battery into a million pieces with acid everywhere. Never did figure out why it blew, terminals were on correctly so it may have been an internal spark from a cracked cell connector.

I would say it is a good idea to make sure any battery is anchored down to keep it from moving around. My friends CJ7 was used off road a lot with a lot of bouncing around so that may have started the cell connector crack.

I've seen them blow up as well. If the shrapnel does not get you the acid does. I get a kick out of people swarming around car wrecks. I drive a lot. After a few minutes of short circuits and cracked battery cases you get the nice boom and associated acid shower. Stay away from the front end of car wrecks. Back on topic... Hydrogen rises. All you need is space or a vent outside of the battery housing to let the concentrated hydrogen up and out. I used a bilge pump thru hull fitting and a bilge pump hose thru the side of my van when the batts were enclosed. Now that they are mounted in a more open space they do not need dedicated venting. Venting is the inside of the van. The gas is safe to breath and will not explode unless it has an area to concentrate. If they were mounted in a box like a seat bench bottom I may vent thru the floor but have an escape thru the top to let the light hydrogen out. Nothing wrong with the way the OP or anybody else does it as long as you don't get an area above that can trap the gas.