Locating the battery INSIDE camper

[crowelle]

I have added a 12 volt system (battery and converter) to my '60 Shasta Airflyte and had added one previously to a '66 Compact that I owned. On the '66, I located the battery in a storage compartment on the outside, but am trying to be a bit more conscious of the classic lines of the '60. I found a source on eBay that has these sealed (but vented to the outside) battery boxes. I purchased one and it exactly fit the bill -- I used the water fill hole that was no longer functional (too low to. Allow the gravity feed to my new storage tank) for the vent. Hooked it all up yesterday so now my system is complete!

Look for my post further down in this topic for how I did the converter. It really works well and is surprisingly simple for even "non-electricians!"

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[universalexports]

I would be very LEARY about a battery inside, I know you know they can put off gas, but I dont know enough about the chemicals to know if the fumes will go up an out the vent tube, specially as it seems the gas will have to go up, then the tube drops downward. not sure how that works since hydrogen wants to rise.

here is a good writeup on venting a battery to properly vent hydrogen gas

www.bdbatteries.com/hydrogenventing.php

personally if I felt I had to put the battery inside I would go with a gas-less battery one of the Gel cell battery's that does not put off gas like AGM Batteries and still vent it like a normal battery just to be sure.

[WingedWonder]

Technically speaking the vent should go up and not go back down. Hydrogen is lighter then air and 'may' become trapped in that high point. I assume the box has another inlet at the bottom to allow a bit of flow. Race cars require a battery box when located in the trunk. The small vent tube just goes from the top of it through the floor much like what yours does.

That being said, in my early days I just put a battery under the seat like I saw everyone else do and your setup is way safer than I ever had. I doubt you will have any problems at all.

[cowcharge]

My giant golf cart batteries have not noticeably outgassed as long as I've had them sitting on the floor of the camper, uncontained (I've looked during bulk-charging, and have only seen tiny, slowly-produced bubbles). You really have to overcharge them severely to generate enough gas quickly enough to worry about an explosion (or overwhelming the battery's own vents suddenly enough to make the battery burst its case from the pressure), and with any modern converter you shouldn't have to worry about that. Jump-starting with huge amps or over-charging is when they really produce gas quickly enough to accumulate.

Even though it should vent upward and have an inlet vent at the other end on the bottom to completely vent the gas, in a small box with a large vent like that one, you can only build up so much gas and no pressure, as any extra will just push out the vent. I'd think the worst you could get out of that small a space if it did ignite would be a "pop" out the vent, or at worst blow the lid off the box if it's not secured tightly. There isn't enough volume in that little box to blow up your camper or anything. If you're worried about it though, make sure the box is securely fastened in place with something strong enough to hold a fifty pound battery under driving and braking conditions, coat all your battery connections in the box with that plastic dip stuff from the Home Depot paint dept, and make sure the cables can't come loose, and that there's no loose bare metal in the box like bungee cord hooks, so there's no possibility of any sparks. An intake vent through the bottom of the box to the outside would help, or like it says in universal's link, a smaller inlet tube run down the inside of the larger vent, but run to the other end of the box so that the far end of the box from the vent is where the fresh air goes in, so that stagnant areas aren't formed where gas can accumulate. You could even look for the vents on the battery and tube them up through the big tube to the outside so that any gas goes right outside and never even gets in the box, like they do with motorcycle batteries. I'd be much more concerned with my oven than a battery, though.

[crowelle]

Interesting discussion. Yes -- I do wish that I had the option to vent more "upward" but am working with an existing penetration hole in the side of the camper. I like the idea of running a second smaller vent hose inside the existing one...the unit had two vent holes -- one on top and one (3") on opposite side on the bottom, but not wanting to create another penetration to the outside on the bottom of the trailer that mice could use as an entry point, I opted to tape off the second vent hole. Now that I think about it, I could drill some 1/2 inch vent holes into the bottom (and all the way through the floor) but then place a metal screen between the box and the floor to keep any small varmits out. That would create ventilation between top and bottom. I do have the unit screwed securely to the floor. This would also allow a place for any moisture that might collect to escape.

[cowcharge]

If you can afford an AGM battery, that would eliminate the potential problem, as well as just plain being a better battery for deep discharges like you get in campers.

If you hook up the car to charge the battery while driving, you could put a small forward-facing scoop over the lower vent to force ventilation. And maybe a little rotating hood for the upper vent, so it keeps the rain out when stopped, and then turn it to face aft while driving to suck the air out.

[crowelle]

I was thinking about the AGM battery option. Right now I am using a repurposed 12 volt car battery but was going to purchase a deep cycle marine/RV battery. I may as well spend the extra few $$ to get a good AGM battery. Good advice on the scoop option...

[pathfinder3081]

Uh oh... Battery question along these lines. I just use a small 12 volts lawn mower battery in my camper to operate the little 12 volt light above the table from time to time. Plus we have a little fan that I've plugged up once. I have just charged it up and returned it back to its place inside the camper ( a plastic battery box beside the water tank.. see the pic) The PO had it all wired at this location PLus a car radio (I have no idea what he was thinking with that)... Do I have a problem Houston?

opps the pic wont go from my office..

[boneneck]

I got an AGM battery recently and love it. The price was a bit much on my budget, but you can't put a price on piece of mind.

[offspringin]

I have looked all over in my camper and cannot for the life of me locate the battery... i found a pack of AA's and an open pack of AAA's but that's it.... I'm out of luck i guess.....

[crowelle]

Jun 18, 2012 14:54:50 GMT -5 offspringin said:

I have looked all over in my camper and cannot for the life of me locate the battery... i found a pack of AA's and an open pack of AAA's but that's it.... I'm out of luck i guess.....

I had to add a battery to both my '66 and now my '60. I think batteries are a bit of a newer phenomenon (at least newer than '66) for campers.

[crowelle]

Jun 18, 2012 13:29:01 GMT -5 pathfinder3081 said:

Uh oh... Battery question along these lines. I just use a small 12 volts lawn mower battery in my camper to operate the little 12 volt light above the table from time to time. Plus we have a little fan that I've plugged up once. I have just charged it up and returned it back to its place inside the camper ( a plastic battery box beside the water tank.. see the pic) The PO had it all wired at this location PLus a car radio (I have no idea what he was thinking with that)... Do I have a problem Houston?

opps the pic wont go from my office..

I would not think a battery that small would be a problem, but heck, I started this thread by showing mine mounted inside! So maybe I'm not the best to assure you!

[cowcharge]

Jun 18, 2012 13:29:01 GMT -5 pathfinder3081 said:

Uh oh... Battery question along these lines. I just use a small 12 volts lawn mower battery in my camper to operate the little 12 volt light above the table from time to time. Plus we have a little fan that I've plugged up once. I have just charged it up and returned it back to its place inside the camper ( a plastic battery box beside the water tank.. see the pic) The PO had it all wired at this location PLus a car radio (I have no idea what he was thinking with that)... Do I have a problem Houston?

opps the pic wont go from my office..

I wouldn't worry about a tiny battery like that. Especially if it's not being charged in the camper. It's mostly overcharging that makes them generate lots of gas.

[pathfinder3081]

Thanks fellows... I really did not know where this all was going. Yes battery acid would be a pain, I would only trickle charge if I left it in... (I gotta get that too) ect, ect.. Which make me ask this. Why does the PO have so many wires going to the battery? I kinda answered my own question I guess (so the alternator will charge it when your driving Scott, just like the sloop)
But why are the trailer running lights and the what not coming to the battery then moving on?
I'm gonna strip all of this crap out and make a legible plan.. Ugh! This cat had scraps from stereo drop chords, a blender or two, what else?.... Jeepers!!

[crowelle]

I stripped what little I had and started fresh -- especially if you have the opportunity to do it while renovating. I also kept the outside running, brake, marker, turn signal, etc. lights separate from the internal lights and other circuitry that I would be using while camping. I ran all the exterior lights to a central point inside the camper where I could get to the connections if needed and made one run back to the hitch where these light plug into my tow vehicle. As far as interior lighting electric goes (12 volt at least), I also ran everything to one spot and this is where I installed my 110/12V control center and charging unit. That is the beauty in these units - they allow you to terminate in an orderly way, with fuses, overload protection, battery charging, etc. I then ran one set of wires to the battery - these wires came from the charging connection on the control center. They act to both pull energy to the battery for charging and pull energy from the battery when you are not connected to "shore" power for your 12 volt accessories. I also ran new 110 Volt wiring to strategic places in the camper where I thought I might want to plug something in while camping and connected to shore power. In both of my renovations, I installed both 110V and 12 Volt plugs in the rear compartments so that they are accessible from outside the camper -- this is so convenient when you want to plug something in on that side of the camper and keeps the outlets out of the weather. I also installed a 12 volt light in those areas so that you have light to work with when setting up camp, etc.

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[Gone Kayaking]

crowelle....I wish I'd thought of that...putting outlets and a light in the cargo area.