New battery box

Overhauling my DC electrical system. Built a new battery box from 1/2 inch plywood and fiberglass. House bank is 6 volt golf cart batteries (690 amps) from Sam's club, and two 27 size 1000 cca start batteries. The hold downs are PVC L channels pop riveted together. All the grounds will connect to the 600 amp bus bar in the front. A cable will connect the single terminal on the left side for the battery charger, inverter, and panel. A similar bus will be installed on the side for the positive cables of the house bank. The two fittings on the left hand shelf will hold 300 amp slo blow fuses for the starters. Cables go to on/off switches, and then to the starters. Both alternators and the battery charger will feed all the batteries through a ProIsocharger isolator. Fixing a lot of 40 year old problems along the way. Most of the battery cables have open terminal ends and show corrosion. I'm replacing them with closed terminal ends and shrink wrap. Also need to clean up the connections at the engine blocks. The fun never stops!

Very nice, Bilgewater!! I like your attention to detail!

Bilgewater,

I am sure with you on this one. I have been dreaming for a couple of years of rebuilding my Batt Box. Unfortunately, the dream keeps slipping away as higher priorities continue to emerge.
At this point, it rates closer to a nicety than a must-have.

Very nice job! This is my Sam's Club batteries box. I didn't use glass but I soaked the whole interior with two coats of penetrating epoxy. I have a computer brush-less fan that pushes air into the box creating a nice positive pressure atmosphere to get the off gasses out through the exhaust vent. I went with yellow for the inter-connecting wires because what the hell are they positive or negative

There doesn't seem to be much space between the individual batteries , I would install a temp sensor if they will be charged hard with a big alt.

No sense in going Boeing!

FF said:

There doesn't seem to be much space between the individual batteries , I would install a temp sensor if they will be charged hard with a big alt.

No sense in going Boeing!

Click to expand...

FF,
You must be talking about mine as bilgewater has very nice spacing on his. I didn't have the space but mine are fan cooled and as such never even get warm. Yes all large banks should have temp sensing as mine does thanks to the Magnum invert/chrg sensor visible with the grey wire leading to it.

FF -
Yes, I was concerned about temperature in the design. That's one reason I didn't enclose the batteries. Since it is mounted in the engine room itself, underway things should be cool enough with outsied air being drawn in for combustion. I am planning on installing an exhaust fan, maybe with a thermostat, to cool the spaces after the engines shut down at the end of the day. Of course, maybe just running the bilge blower will do the same thing. I'll have to play with it when we get it in the water this summer.

I had to think a moment about your comment about not going Boeing, and their battery issues. I was a KC-135 crew chief for over 30 years. I used to wear a patch that said "If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going". Hows that for product loyalty, Marin?

Both battery boxes nicely done gents - time well spent!

Bilgewater: "Hammers are our friends" intriguing, please elaborate.

Shoalwaters - The tag is a tongue-in-cheek reference to some of my less than elegant former aircraft mechanics. Same guys that say "If it don't fit, force it; if it breaks, it needed changing anyway".

...and if it didn't break, you just need a bigger hammer.