I'm planning to make a battery tray that attaches to one of the frame rails under my class C. Do I need to bother with protecting FLA batteries from road spray at all? Is there any possibility that road spray will make its way into the batteries through the cap vents? I could put them in a plastic battery box but that's not very helpful for maintaining the batts.

Road spray and all the junk in it...salt, oil, diesel, gasoline, grease, ag chemicals etc...is exactly what I’m protecting my batteries from when running down the road.

If "your" state uses salt on roadways then yes a battery lid must not get wet with salty road spray. If the battery gets a layer of dry dirt on the lid, wash it periodically.These are about the most important points.

Honestly, I really suspect that if you mount FLA batteries like that, you won't check the fluid levels often enough. You may tell yourself you will, but it's such a pain in the ass to do that most people wind up letting it slide.No problem mounting truly sealed batteries, like AGM, down there.

AGM ain't gonna happen unless they quickly become more price competitive with FLA.

Never say never on the road spray issue, but I think it is highly unlikely. I have seen some big rigs driving around that have "open" battery boxes.The biggest thing would be to wash them often even with a garden hose and keep some kind of grease on all the battery cable connections.

Battery Protection | Good Sam Community

16 Replies

Optimistic_Para
Explorer
Oct 14, 2018
pauldub wrote:
AGM ain't gonna happen unless they quickly become more price competitive with FLA.

I wasn't trying to talk you into buying AGMs. I was trying to talk you OUT of mounting FLAs somewhere where it won't be EASY to check the fluid levels. 99 out of 100 people with such a set up will wind up running their batteries dry and killing them prematurely. IMNPHO.

But if you're convinced that you're that one in a hundred, then by all means go for it!
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Oct 14, 2018
Never say never on the road spray issue, but I think it is highly unlikely. I have seen some big rigs driving around that have "open" battery boxes.

The biggest thing would be to wash them often even with a garden hose and keep some kind of grease on all the battery cable connections.
pauldub
Explorer
Oct 14, 2018
AGM ain't gonna happen unless they quickly become more price competitive with FLA.
Optimistic_Para
Explorer
Oct 13, 2018
Honestly, I really suspect that if you mount FLA batteries like that, you won't check the fluid levels often enough. You may tell yourself you will, but it's such a pain in the ass to do that most people wind up letting it slide.

No problem mounting truly sealed batteries, like AGM, down there.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Oct 13, 2018
If "your" state uses salt on roadways then yes a battery lid must not get wet with salty road spray. If the battery gets a layer of dry dirt on the lid, wash it periodically.

These are about the most important points.
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Oct 13, 2018
Road spray and all the junk in it...salt, oil, diesel, gasoline, grease, ag chemicals etc...is exactly what I’m protecting my batteries from when running down the road.

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Battery Protection

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