battery box or not

[njw]

I wanted to change a 100ah wet battery for two 113ah batterys but was not sure if they would need to be in battery boxes as they are sealed batterys many thanks

[Mel B]

It will really depend on where you're fitting them. I'm assuming that neither will be going in the place where the original battery was.

 

If you are intending to have them put in an 'internal' area, ie in a locker beneath seats, then putting them in a some sort of enclosure, be it a battery box, or some other type of plastic 'watertight' box, would seem a good idea. This would not only to keep any escaping 'acid' safe, but also stop the batteries themselves from being damaged by other items in the locker and/or stop anything touching the terminals and causing problems there - don't forget the breather hoses though and also to make sure that they are securely fixed in place so they can't move around.

 

We had a second battery fitted last year, it was put in an external locker which is in the side skirt so we didn't need to put it in a battery box of any sort.

[Frankkia]

Being sealed batteries you wont have breather tubes to worry about but I would still agree with Mel.

 

1) Make sure they are secured in place - in the event of an accident flying batteries can be lethal.

 

2) Make sure that they will not come into contact with any other loose metal objects floating about - the sparks from metal contacting battery posts can cause a fire.

 

3) If possible fit the batteries inside (bed / seat box etc) - having batteries outside in the cold reduces their capacity quite dramatically.

 

4) keep leads between and from your new batteries as short and heavy as possible - The further away and the thinner the cable the more of a voltage loss you will have both on supplying power and charging.

 

5) Fit a fuse as close as possible to the battery terminal (30 amp is usually sufficient)

[njw]

thank you both for the info, perhaps a bit more info for you would help.the original battery is under a bench seat in a box which is next to the water heater and the water pump and also pipework coming from the webasto heater which is under the floor.if i was able to remove the box and not have to replace boxes i think i will be able to fit two battery next to each other and not have to extened the wiring ,if

[Frankkia]

Ok the extra info helps.

 

You can get away with not having additional boxes in that situation, however, I would still ensure they are:

 

1) fixed in place - I suggest you fasten a piece of aluminium "L" profile to the floor at either end of the battery area and trap a stout webbing belt beneath it (the ratchet load tie down belts are good for the job) This will stop the batteries sliding about and the belt will hold them down.

 

2) use the quick release type of battery connectors (the ones with the red and blue plastic lift up cover releases). That way you have some protection from anything else coming into contact with the terminals.

 

3) Keep the connector leads as short as possible. I use old cut down jump leads for the purpose. (without the crock clips). Make sure there is no bare cable outside the covers.

 

cheers

[Brambles]

If I am not mistaken the 113AH rating gives it away this is a NUMAX CXV battery. They are not sealed in the sense of a gel battery. They have a labyrinth in the top which makes then none spill, and are fitted with a spark guard. I believe they are still vented and will require a vent tube.

They are wet flooded Calcium/Calcium technology and are manufactired by AtlasBX batteries in Korea. Ca/Ca technlogy also gives low self discharge.

The 113 Ah rating is probably more like 100 Ah rating. Going by weight of battery I would say less. In battery language when both plates use Calcium in the alloy they are termed maintenance free, it really is just a term meaning very low maintenance, and the term sealed means the top filling plate is bonded on so topping up is impossible.

 

I have no experience of these batteries so cannot comment on quality and would be interesting to hear coments fronm anyone who has had them in use for a few years. They are also sold under the exrider brand, Numax CXV, and also Lucas.

( http://www.atlasbx.co.kr/eng/product/product_list/Product_View_SC.do )

 

Anyway, as usual I waffle on, the point I was trying to make was they still need venting if my assumption of the 113 Ah is correct, are not sealed as such but filling plate is sealed on so cannot be topped up.

 

Jon