Hydrogen Venting

[Ralph-n-Bev]

For the last 4 years we have been using two 6 volt Trojan batteries to power the van.
I have to say moving over to these deep cycle type battery's from the normal Leisure type is the best thing we ever did. They just seem to keep going and when they do discharge the solar seems to top them back up quickly.

However.....The downside is that they need to be in a sealed battery box if kept inside the MH and vented to the outside. This is because they are open vented where the hydrogen gases given off are vented into the area where it is being charged.

Since using this type i have kept them in a plastic storage box with a foam sealed lid and then vented from the top of the box out through the floor using two tubes, (you can see the two clear tubes in the top right of the box) For those that don't know Hydrogen is lighter than air so rises to the highest point in the box.
I am no scientist BTW its just what i read when researching

Does anybody else use this type of deep cycle battery inside their van
If so how do you vent yours ?

Can you buy a proper sealed box for the job ?

I am just looking to improve the venting and battery box for the new PVC build.

Thanks.....Ralph

 

[tonyidle]

For the last 4 years we have been using two 6 volt Trojan batteries to power the van.
I have to say moving over to these deep cycle type battery's from the normal Leisure type is the best thing we ever did. They just seem to keep going and when they do discharge the solar seems to top them back up quickly.

However.....The downside is that they need to be in a sealed battery box if kept inside the MH and vented to the outside. This is because they are open vented where the hydrogen gases given off are vented into the area where it is being charged.

Since using this type i have kept them in a plastic storage box with a foam sealed lid and then vented from the top of the box out through the floor using two tubes, (you can see the two clear tubes in the top right of the box) For those that don't know Hydrogen is lighter than air so rises to the highest point in the box.
I am no scientist BTW its just what i read when researching

Does anybody else use this type of deep cycle battery inside their van
If so how do you vent yours ?

Can you buy a proper sealed box for the job ?

I am just looking to improve the venting and battery box for the new PVC build.

Thanks.....Ralph

View attachment 47733

These are available in various sizes:

Broken Link Removed

Might be worth looking at marine installations to see what they use too?

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

Thanks Tony, that could work if i can get 300 mm in depth

 

[DBK]

I wonder if you realise how potentially dangerous your hydrogen tupperwares are? Although in theory lighter gases rise this doesn't happen in the way you might think, otherwise our own atmosphere would be stratified with the heavy gases like CO2 at foot level and the next lighter gas lying above that.
This doesn't happen because the individual gas molecules shoot about at high speed and this results in a mixture.

Over a long period hydrogen, being so light, does rise to the upper atmosphere but this doesn't happen immediately.

So your boxes are filled with an explosive mixture of hydrogen and oxygen. Hope your connections are sound.

There is a reasons why these batteries have fallen out of fashion for leisure use and safety is one of them.

 

[CazPaul]

We had 2 batteries similar to yours, Rolls Surrette 6volts, dead same vent caps though.

The last MH, Hymer S820 was an outside locker so no need to be vented.

However, we had the batteries inside the motorhome on the previous van and changed them over.

To vent I used some household plumbing bits from B&Q, you can get elbow pieces that fit tightly over each vent cap and then reducers on these elbows until you get to the size of the vent tube which goes through the floor.

I wish I had taken a photo now to show you what I mean, it worked perfectly.

You need an elbow on each vent cap though so 6 in total, they fit nice and tight

Take a vent cap off and go to a plumbers merchant or B &Q.

I muck prefer my method, venting each individual vent cap through the floor, than yours in trying to vent a whole sealed box.

Any gases will be pushed through the individual vent arrangement down through the floor, a dab of sealant where it goes through the floor, or a grommet. Bingo..

Knew I should have got a patent

Paul.

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[Ralph-n-Bev]

Bump
anyone else ?

 

[jockaneezer]

If the batteries are producing gas in a sealed environment, this would create a positive pressure within the enclosure, therefore expelling the gasses ?

 

[mjltigger]

The sealed environment will be full of hydrogen

Look at this one

http://www.zomeworks.com/battery-electronic-enclosures/hydrogen-venting-system/example-5/

 

[jonandshell]

Ours are in the garage, open to a large air volume. In fact our garage is also open to the rest of the van.

The hydrogen gas is well dissipated within the van, helped by an adjacent blown air heating vent.

No loud bangs so far!!!!!

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Why don't you look at using a small 12 volt computer type fan to push out the gases?-must be simple to set up

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[mitzimad]

we just have a aquarium round vent top and bottom of the bed box they are under as with most gases it a case of air flow to dissapate themyou realy shouldnt be getting much in the way of gas from them unless something has gone wrong weve never had a problem comming up for 2 years now and yes we agree the performance leaves normal leisure batteries way behind

 

[tonyidle]

The sealed environment will be full of hydrogen

Look at this one

http://www.zomeworks.com/battery-electronic-enclosures/hydrogen-venting-system/example-5/

That looks like an easy system to replicate. Even a simple arrangement of a top & bottom tube would induce enough flow to ventilate a box adequately.

 

[Pilote87]

Why don't you look at using a small 12 volt computer type fan to push out the gases?-must be simple to set up

Please don't use any fan for expelling hydrogen, or any other flammable gas, which is not specifically designed for use in "a hazardous environment". A computer-type fan, as sometimes suggested for assisted fridge cooling, is not a totally sealed motor and could cause a spark. Then there could be a big bang.

J

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

Thanks for all you reply's.

Can i just say again my current setup is vented it is not in a sealed box .
What i am wanting to do is improve the ventilation and find a better box.
As we are converting a Panel van i don't think i have any option but to have them inside the van.
As long as the box they are in is vented properly to the outside i don't see a problem.....Do you ?

Thanks for the link mjltigger this looks like the sort of thing i need to build.
Another good point made by Devonbeekeeper is battery connections. I know they are all good for now but think i will move the shunt and
all other connections to the outside and just have a couple of heavy duty panel mount terminals on the box with short links to the battery's.

I do know other Funsters who use these type of battery's but most of them are in Garage areas like John n Shell.
I was hoping someone else had them in a locker like me and had overcome the venting issue.

One last thought, do you think a vent through the roof like the SOG type will do the job ?

Thanks again.....Ralph