Venting Batteries in 5er Basement?

[BurbMan]

Our new-to-us 5er has one group 24 battery in a front side compartment with the hydraulics for the slide mechanisms. It's in a vented box with a hose that exits the front of the camper.

In our previous TT we had a pair of GC-2's mounted on the tongue that worked well for us. Only had a 150w PSW inverter for TV/laptop, etc. Converted all the lights to LED so the only real power hog is the furnace. Always wanted another pair of GC2's but had nowhere to put them in the TT.

I was thinking of going to a pair of LiFePO batteries, but based on comments from an earlier thread will probably stay with the GC2's. I've got plenty of storage now in the 5er but need to vent the battery bank if I install in the basement.

Looking for ideas/suggestions on battery boxes or setups on how you vented 2 pairs of GC-2s.

[pianotuna]

BurbMan,

I cut a hole at the top of the side of the storage compartment and put a sponge (1" x 3" x 5") in place to prevent dust from entering the compartment. I had 4 Group 29 12 volt in the compartment.

I did weld a brace under the compartment and beefed up the floor with 3/4" marine grade plywood.

[Lwiddis]

The "negative" comments I see regarding Lithium RV batteries are from treating them as if they were wet batteries. Nothing negative about being much lighter, not needing to vent, not needing to fully recharge daily and not needing clean connections.

[otrfun]

Deleted.

[BurbMan]

Nice build! Thanks for the idea!

[12thgenusa]

I used a sealed storage box from an office supply store. The underside of the compartment was reinforced with angle iron and a hole cut for the PVC drain/air inlet. The vent tube goes to the original vent on the front of the compartment.



The batteries are nested together, nearly touching. The hold-down is 1/2" HDPE with spacers at the center and ends. bolts are stainless all-thread, nuts and washers. The wire exit points are grommeted for a completely sealed compartment.





All of the surrounding electronics have faired well since the installation 10 years ago. The batteries are also 10 years old and doing well.

[BurbMan]

Not so much worried about fumes in the bedroom as I am about a spark from the slide relays igniting the hydrogen gas. Dog, that the box I have now for my one group 27, do you know where I can find one similar that holds 4 batteries?

[BFL13]

It depends on the whole situation but with the 5er we had, there was no fume problem using the front cargo bay and no battery box. Lots of air got in and out without going up into the living space. Also I used a "cable hatch" inserted into the front cargo bay door as a vent, which allowed the cargo door to be down and locked.

Better to do it right with a vented battery box, but I have a lot of trouble with those getting the top to fit down tight on the several wires. You can limit the wires using busses outside the box, but you still need slack in the remaining wires so they can bend into the box just right to get a seal.

[2oldman]

BurbMan wrote:
but based on negative feedback from a previous thread on these, I'm back to looking at GC2's.

What negative feedback? In all likelihood they're the last batteries you'll have to buy.

[Grit_dog]

You can get SLA (sealed lead acid) batteries 6V 200ah, for slightly more than comparable capacity FLA 6Vs.
I bought Mighty Max batteries for our old TC off of Amazon, only big 6Vs that would fit in the short compartment. I don't have the camper anymore, but I know they're still working after 2 seasons and 2 winters.

[dougrainer]

This is the ONLY safe way to vent a battery. Doug

https://www.camperid.com/mts-products/vented-battery-box-for-group-27-batteries-mpn-250.html?view=98...

[agesilaus]

I know, that's why I was considering them, but based on negative feedback from a previous thread on these, I'm back to looking at GC2's.

Battleborn posted a comparison video, AGM vs GC2 vs Lithium and to their dismay found that the GC2 was the most cost efficient. They did their best to hide those results but they did not delete them.
Lithium on makes cost sense if you keep them more than many years, which few people do. How many sets of GC2 can you buy for the price of one set of Lithium

[BurbMan]

enblethen wrote:
From battery description:
"Lithium batteries don't outgas, so poses no negative health hazards or environmental hazards."
Sealed batteries do not normally need to be vented.

I know, that's why I was considering them, but based on negative feedback from a previous thread on these, I'm back to looking at GC2's.

[enblethen]

From battery description:
"Lithium batteries don't outgas, so poses no negative health hazards or environmental hazards."
Sealed batteries do not normally need to be vented.

[agesilaus]

For vents, I went to Lowes and got one of those wall vents:
Register Vent They come in all sizes.
And put it at near to the top of the pass thru door. It distinctly reduced the concentration of fumes. You may have to paint it to match the door color.
I considered putting a 12V fan in but it does not seem to be needed.