Battery - "well"

[Paul Morgan]

I have a Rapido 7087F which has a 90amp battery and I have just bought another 90amp which i intend linking together. Rapido have set the original in a "well" cut out of floor, This not only saves space but keeps it all neat and tidy.

 

QUESTION:- 1 Where can I buy a well for my new battery?

2 Is it safe to cut out another section of the floor?

3 Or should I use a battery box?

 

Thanks Paul "worms"

[tonyishuk]

I think I would go for the battery box ! (Make sure you ventilate the battery properly !)

 

I look at the fixing in our Rapido (709F) and am left with the feeling that one day I might look and find the battery has fallen thro the hole ! Also I think if you got any acid anywhere near the gavanised tray, it would not be good thing !

 

I was contemplating reflooring the existing box, but it is a lot of work for no gain as the present system seems OK for now

 

Rgds

[Mel B]

Hi Paul

 

Our Rapido 709F had a well at the rear with the battery in also, it was an absolute s*d to get in and out though! To be perfectly honest if I was doing this, I'd buy a battery box and use that, making sure to put a hole through it and the floor for the drain tube of course and suitably securing the box itself. To put in a battery well would be hard work and that's assuming you could get one that was right for the job - don't forget that batteries are extremely heavy and I suspect the original battery well is a very well constructed affair (it was in ours) so trying to match this would be an absolute pig of a job. Are you so short of space in the storage area next to the existing battery that you really need to do this? :-S

[Paul Morgan]

Mel

 

Thanks for the info. Battery box it is then.

 

Paul "worms"

[Derek Uzzell]

Paul:

 

Interesting that Tony mentions leisure batteries falling through the floor as I remember the UK Rapido importer telling me this had actually happened and the factory had needed to modify the installation arrangement PDQ. (I hasten to add this wasn't recently.)

 

Not sure whether the in-floor lidded battery-holder currently used by Rapido is a proprietary item, but my 2006 Masters catalogue shows a product that looks identical. The Masters-advertised all-plastic 'well' has stated internal dimensions of 390mm x 200mm x 240mm(depth) and costs 28.90 euros. Caravans Rapido used to offer a 2nd leisure battery as a dealer-fitted option, so it might be worth you speaking to them (or Brownhills) to check if in-floor wells are available in the UK as they are definitely a neater storage solution than using a non-built-in battery-box.

 

Many batteries nowadays have carrying-handles that should make removal from a close-fitting enclosure reasonably straightforward: otherwise a couple of strong 'slings' placed around the battery before it is placed in its box will simplify subsequent removal. (Think coffins and graves!)

[Pat]

Getting a custom made battery well should not be difficult at all just go to a local steel or sheet metal fabricator with your measurements and they will happily make it for you and in whatever metal or thickness you require and I bet that you will be surprised at how cheap one would be!

 

Getting it galvanised maybe a bit more difficult but not impossible, however with battery technology these days spillages are the exception rather than the rule and non existant with sealed for life or gel batteries.

 

Just make sure of the position of the well wont weaken the floor and there are no obstruction before cutting!!

 

Regards Pat

[Bill Ord]

Hi,

On my Rapido 924F 2005 model I have fitted a second battery in a battery box in the wardrobe connected by meaty cables and fused and vented through the floor. I believe Rapido fit the factory fitted item in the same place but in a box let into the floor. I tried to order one while the van was "in build" but was too late however on reflection this is a simple addition and easy to service and I recomend it as a proven for two years now modification.

 

Bill Ord