Batteries box

[Lou_tribal]

I am about to build a box for y 4 gc2 batteries.
Is it better to separate the 4 batteries within the box or is it fine to put the 4 side by side?

L

 

[dhays]

I am about to build a box for y 4 gc2 batteries.
Is it better to separate the 4 batteries within the box or is it fine to put the 4 side by side?

L

I think side by side is just fine.

I am very busy and inherently lazy. Building your own box is great, but have you considered simply buying one? I bought boxes for my L16 batteries made by Century Plastics. I chose to get two dual boxes instead of one quad box to make it easier to move. However, for GC2 batteries I’d probably go with a quad box. The Century Plastics boxes are very sturdy with a strong lid.

http://www.centuryplastics.ca/images/stories/pdfs/Battery_Boxes_Containment_Boxes.pdf

I think I bought them from All Battery Sales and Service out of Everett.

 

[Lou_tribal]

I think side by side is just fine.

I am very busy and inherently lazy. Building your own box is great, but have you considered simply buying one? I bought boxes for my L16 batteries made by Century Plastics. I chose to get two dual boxes instead of one quad box to make it easier to move. However, for GC2 batteries I’d probably go with a quad box. The Century Plastics boxes are very sturdy with a strong lid.

http://www.centuryplastics.ca/images/stories/pdfs/Battery_Boxes_Containment_Boxes.pdf

I think I bought them from All Battery Sales and Service out of Everett.

Thank you very much for your input.
In my case the room for the batteries is quite limited. The box I want to build will have a removable front face and cover to ease batteries insertion/removal, this is the reason to build my custom one.
Trying to make the install as clean an easy as possible

L

 

[AusCan]

Lou,
It may be worth leaving a little bit of air space around each battery to allow cooling as all batteries decrease in performance as temperature increases. I built my battery box to fit 5 X 120 amp hour AGM batteries leaving about 20 mm of air space between each.

The air space may not be critical in your cooler climate but if you have room, I'd suggest leaving a small gap just so they aren't hard up against each other.

 

[FlyWright]

Side by side.

The shorter the cables, the less the loss and more equal the bank. Cooling shouldn't be a problem.

 

[sdowney717]

I built one large box to hold up to 4 batteries, but not 8D or 4D sized ones.
So all batteries sit together in the box. I only have 2 in there, plan to put a third one again this summer.

I coated the battery box with a rubber like coating. I have no top, the box sides reach to the battery tops and I have a board screwed down across the batteries to hold them in place. The box and top hold down board has been lasting great, I tried rope ties and webbing and it just was not as secure to hold batteries so they dont move. For spacing and so they can not slide, I cut some wood and they sit in the box bottom.

All batteries eventually fail and may spill some acid, so put a layer of baking soda in the box bottom and sit the batteries on that, or around that to neutralize any spills and preserve your box.

 

[FF]

With a good sized alt and a smart V regulator the battery temperatures will be monitored , and shut down if they get too warm.


Little 55A alt, and 1 wire V reg , pack em in a box..


Cruising sized alt with smart V reg,, space will keep them cooler , so the charge time will be quicker.

 

[Maerin]

If you're required to have a survey, a box constructed from material (like wood) that's not resistant to acid won't meet ABYC standards, nor will a box that won't contain the liquid content. So there's potential for that to be called out in a survey, FWIW.



If the batteries are AGM, there's less potential since they can't spill. The box for my 6 - L16 house bank can be disassembled to ease battery changes. It's not fully ABYC compliant, but it's not been dinged on a survey because the bank is AGM.

 

[O C Diver]

I would build the box so there's a 1/2" gap between the batteries for cooling. The gap can be achieved by sliding a 2" strip of Starboard down to the bottom between the batteries. The gaps won't make the box appreciably bigger or the cabling between batteries significantly longer.

Ted

 

[FF]

"Trying to make the install as clean an easy as possible"


Make it strong enough to hold the batts after dropping off a big wave at a 45 deg angle a few times.


You never know.

 

[Lou_tribal]

If you're required to have a survey, a box constructed from material (like wood) that's not resistant to acid won't meet ABYC standards, nor will a box that won't contain the liquid content. So there's potential for that to be called out in a survey, FWIW.



If the batteries are AGM, there's less potential since they can't spill. The box for my 6 - L16 house bank can be disassembled to ease battery changes. It's not fully ABYC compliant, but it's not been dinged on a survey because the bank is AGM.

Indeed that is why I am also trying to meet these requirements. Core will be wood but sealed in fiberglass and epoxy, should contains battery content, vented at the top with a protective cover.

L

 

[Lou_tribal]

I would build the box so there's a 1/2" gap between the batteries for cooling. The gap can be achieved by sliding a 2" strip of Starboard down to the bottom between the batteries. The gaps won't make the box appreciably bigger or the cabling between batteries significantly longer.

Ted

This is what I was panning to do but was not sure it was necessary.
Thank you Ted

L

 

[Lou_tribal]

"Trying to make the install as clean an easy as possible"


Make it strong enough to hold the batts after dropping off a big wave at a 45 deg angle a few times.


You never know.

For sure I will make it strong, knowing the number of time I am severely waked by idiot cruisers here, it better be strong!

L

 

[ranger58sb]

Indeed that is why I am also trying to meet these requirements. Core will be wood but sealed in fiberglass and epoxy, should contains battery content, vented at the top with a protective cover.

Would Starboard be worth considering?

-Chris

 

[Comodave]

Love Starboard, but it takes a special glue to glue it together. I am not sure what the strength of a glued joint would be. It needs to be glued so any battery spill would be contained. I would go with the plywood and fiberglass method. I do use Starboard for spacers between the batteries. ABYC says batteries should not move more than 1”. I use the spacers so that the batteries do not move at all. 1” of movement hundreds of times a day can’t be good for the battery or the connections.

 

[Dwk]

" Core will be wood but sealed in fiberglass and epoxy, should contains battery content, vented at the top with a protective cover." Going to construct a box to hold 4 GC2 using same method.

 

[friz]

I have a basic question about battery boxes. I get the impression that the primary purpose of a box for FLA batteries is to contain acid? Is anyone concerned about Hydrogen? Boat I recently purchased had 2 FLA batteries in the engine compartment under the fantail. They were unboxed, setting on the hull against the transom and no venting dedicated to the batteries. Even to my uneducated eye it did not look good. My plan is to expand the house bank to 2 and move all 3 batteries forward, approximately 7 ' to just inside the cabin. I will build/buy containment boxes for them but will Hydrogen discharge be an issue? As I do not have access to ABYC standards (I understand it is a closed club). If anyone has input about my first question that would be appreciated. Then if anyone knows how I can get my hands on the ABYC standards please let me know. Sorry if this is thread creep. I thought I was creating a new post but apparently not. Mia Culpa.

Thanks, Friz

 

[diver dave]

You won’t contain H2 in a battery box, since cables exit up high and light gas easily escapes.

 

[dhays]

Fritz, as Dave said, the H2 gas will vent out of the boxes. Your ER is well ventilated to keep the engine intakes happy. The batteries where they would be just fine. The reason for the boxes is to contain acid and it keep the batteries secured. A battery tray works just as well for this. I like the boxes as it means I can set things on top of the batteries if needed.

 

[O C Diver]

The simple answer to hydrogen gassing during charging is as follows:
If charging off a running engine or battery charger off a generator, the engine will provide enough ventilation while running to eliminate the generated gas. While sitting at a dock the charge rate is usually low enough for it not to be an issue. If I were charging a depleted bank off shore power, I likely run the engineroom ventilation till reaching the float stage, just to be safe.

Ted

 

[sdowney717]

I never worried about not covering my battery tray. I could easily make one strong enough to stand on. Yes, the gas wont be contained unless it is 100% sealed with a discharge tubing like some cars have.

A battery charger with a lower voltage wont cause gassing, mine is low enough the batteries dont gas. I suppose some chargers have cycles where the charge voltage is higher and they will gas then for a short time.

In many years, I have not had any problems, except if the battery fails with an internal short like all my batteries seem to eventually fail. Then they get hotter, the charger puts out more current, and they can leak acid out their vents.

One advantage of not covering them, it is easier to see any issues developing, like corrosion or leaking acid.

 

[MartySchwartz]

I am about to build a box for y 4 gc2 batteries.
Is it better to separate the 4 batteries within the box or is it fine to put the 4 side by side?

L

I did exactly that for my 6 GC2 batteries eight years ago. The box is 3/4" plywood with fiberglass inside and out and then painted with an epoxy paint for looks. The bottom is about 1" larger then the footprint of the box to provide a flange to screw the box down to the stringers in the engine room. The front panel is removable so I can easily remove the batteries. This was put to the test when I had to replace the batteries a couple years ago and worked like a charm. The panel has a water (acid) tight seal so any catastrophic loss of electrolyte will be contained. The sides are about 2" taller than the batteries to make room for cables and vents. The batteries are side-by-side with no spacing. The lid is also 3/4" plywood covered in fiberglass and is held in place with a ratchet strap.

If you want I can get some photos of the installed box and send them along. Sorry, did not take any photos of the construction process.

Marty............................

 

[Lou_tribal]

I did exactly that for my 6 GC2 batteries eight years ago. The box is 3/4" plywood with fiberglass inside and out and then painted with an epoxy paint for looks. The bottom is about 1" larger then the footprint of the box to provide a flange to screw the box down to the stringers in the engine room. The front panel is removable so I can easily remove the batteries. This was put to the test when I had to replace the batteries a couple years ago and worked like a charm. The panel has a water (acid) tight seal so any catastrophic loss of electrolyte will be contained. The sides are about 2" taller than the batteries to make room for cables and vents. The batteries are side-by-side with no spacing. The lid is also 3/4" plywood covered in fiberglass and is held in place with a ratchet strap.



If you want I can get some photos of the installed box and send them along. Sorry, did not take any photos of the construction process.



Marty............................

Thank you very much Marty! If not too much To ask I would be interested to see any picture!
What dis you use to seal the front panel?

L

 

[MartySchwartz]

Thank you very much Marty! If not too much To ask I would be interested to see any picture!
What dis you use to seal the front panel?

L

I need to check battery water in the next few days, will get some photos then. As to what I used for the seal, I don' remember exactly, it was 8 years ago after all. I seem to recall is was some foam-type auto gasket material that is supposed to be impervious to oil and acid. I do remember that I was looking for something that would conform to the surfaces and create a water-tight seal.

Marty.........................

 

[jcurry]

battery box

Indeed that is why I am also trying to meet these requirements. Core will be wood but sealed in fiberglass and epoxy, should contains battery content, vented at the top with a protective cover.

L

You can build a very strong acid resistant box and cover using 1/4"or heavier fiberglass sheet from McMaster Carr, an industrial supply house That allows on line ordering. Comes in various sizes, not all 4'x8' sheets.

 

[Lou_tribal]

Some news about the batteries box, started to work on that two days ago with some delay.
What I will do is kind of batteries tray on to which I can add a cover. Not sure I will need the cover as the + post will be protected by a plastic cover, but will see later on.
Here is the rough plan of what I am doing, top view and side view:



I plan to put each battery on a stand, empty in the middle to act as an acid "receiver" in case of a leak.
Each stand will be separated to the other by 3/4 inch. Battery will be enclosed in his own "cell".

Below one of the 4 battery stand that will be epoxy glazed, empty middle will be the so called "receiver":



Here are the 4 batteries I will install:



I am lucky they can be charged using solar power ouf!!!

L