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Old 03-16-2015, 11:17 PM   #1
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Batteries Inside Living Space or Below Bus?

Hey friends,
Ive always planned on keeping my batteries in a closet inside the bus under the couch, but lately im thinking about storing them in a metal box under the bus. My worry is the ambient temp will cause problems if the battery box is all out in the cold. We sometimes go a few weeks without getting above freezing and will go as low as -15 a couple nights.
Id like to have the extra space inside the bus if I can do this.
Any thoughts? Anyone with experience?

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Old 03-17-2015, 06:56 AM   #2
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i have a home pv system, when batterys are drawn down they can freeze and bust or short out. they should be kept room temp in a sealed box with a vent going outside. you can still have them below the bus but the air intake for the batt box should come from the inside of the bus with a back flow devise to keep the gases from entering the living space and sending you to the moon.
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Old 03-17-2015, 08:51 AM   #3
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I have 4 sealed DEKAs under the bed. They are sealed, they can be used on their sides, or whatever.
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Old 03-17-2015, 08:58 AM   #4
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I once owned a battery powered car ('81) that had the batteries under the bench seat. The company was forced to redesign the car so the batteries would be out of the space containing driver and passengers. They moved them to the space between the bumper and the vehicle (partly to piss off Ralph Nader). That did it. The car and company was doomed. Their plastic body panel formula was taken by GM and used in certain vehicles.
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Old 03-17-2015, 09:07 AM   #5
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old vw's and some corvettes had batteries in the pass compartment. I'd vent them to the outside. The hydogen gasses emitted while charging can go "boom" if ignited.
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Old 03-17-2015, 11:38 AM   #6
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the 2002-ish buicks had battery under seat and the battery actually had a rubber vent that went through the floor, not alot of hydrogen buildup with a start battery in a car application
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Old 03-17-2015, 12:29 PM   #7
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Talking great tips

Quote:
Originally Posted by superdave View Post
i have a home pv system, when batterys are drawn down they can freeze and bust or short out. they should be kept room temp in a sealed box with a vent going outside. you can still have them below the bus but the air intake for the batt box should come from the inside of the bus with a back flow devise to keep the gases from entering the living space and sending you to the moon.
Good to know that they should be inside, I was unaware of that and told my fiance I wanted them outside to save living space! I will adjust my plans again!
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Old 03-17-2015, 01:47 PM   #8
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See, this is where the personal choice comes in. There's no "right" location for them. I'm putting them outside in a compartment. Others put them inside. Put them wherever it works for you. You just have to deal with the consequences (applies to all choices to be made).

Note that superdave's freezing comment was about a particular circumstance. Batteries don't freeze in normal use - otherwise they wouldn't be very useful in a car or bus parked overnight in winter, would they? A PV system can draw them down enough to create some risk, though. But you could also resolve that with a compartment heater - either one of the mats used to keep water tanks/lines from freezing, or something like a "Goldenrod", which they use in boat closets over-winter to dehumidify them. It doesn't need to keep the battery at 70...

SO much to think about just in this one point. Wiring, service access, gas venting, space usage, weight/balance, etc., etc.
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Old 03-17-2015, 02:30 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by charles_m View Post
Hey friends,
Ive always planned on keeping my batteries in a closet inside the bus under the couch, but lately im thinking about storing them in a metal box under the bus. My worry is the ambient temp will cause problems if the battery box is all out in the cold. We sometimes go a few weeks without getting above freezing and will go as low as -15 a couple nights.
Id like to have the extra space inside the bus if I can do this.
Any thoughts? Anyone with experience?

Where did the manufacturer of your bus put them?
On the bus I will be picking up in June, they're out side. It was -25 give r take most of Feb. this year....the cold will let you know if you have a weak Battery
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Old 03-17-2015, 03:34 PM   #10
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Wow. Thanks for the replies. I know this is a situation where there is no right or wrong answer so Im just looking for opinions and experiences. The manufacturer states the batteries should be kept between a narrow temperature window to preservw batt life, etc. I wont be drawing down below 50% as a rule. Im just thinking that I really want the floor space and deal with the consequences of batts outside the living space.
An insulated battery box seems like a waste of effort.
probably just a steel/aluminum box.
Makes venting super easy
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Old 03-17-2015, 04:31 PM   #11
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Batteries inside a closed metal box (unless sealed and totally gasless) will try to eat the aluminum or steel around them pretty quickly but a couple of coats of a good quality truck bed liner can extend the life of the metal pretty much out to the life of the bus. And Roger the positive pressure venting above. It is recommended even for the hi tech (hi dollar) sealed units.

BTW...there are some small computer fans that draw very little juice but can move a lot of air. I am playing with the idea of a single vent line for both the house batteries (indoors hopefully) and a composting toilet. Let one small fan handle both.
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Old 03-17-2015, 05:10 PM   #12
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Use a battery maintainer to keep them charged when the bus is parked between trips, a charged battery won't freeze.
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Old 03-17-2015, 06:11 PM   #13
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i built a wooden box. vented from bottom to exit out the top. convection venting if you will. never smelled gases. my batteries charge everyday and never have condensate on top of them. dont even need a fan. the reason for this is to keep the batteries at temp of the interior. a cold battery is very low efficiency. with the batteries at ambiant of the interior of cabin, they are more efficient so they take a better dharge, hold a better charge, last longer , and the temperature corrective charge controller works better also.
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Old 03-17-2015, 06:34 PM   #14
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any battery with a charge will not freeze.

You can keep a battery charged with a time clock and a small charger. Turn the charger on 6 hours and off 6 hours. The battery will not freeze and will always be ready to go. Outside is the best way to install batteries.... Frank
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Old 03-17-2015, 07:13 PM   #15
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when a battery is discharged the electrolyte becomes very week. close to the composition of water,they can freeze solid. i draw my batterys down every night hoping for sun the next day. as far as your sealed batterys home power magazine did a piece on them and said they have a much lower freezing point. they are however very sensitive to high temps and overcharging.
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Old 03-17-2015, 08:13 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by charles_m View Post
An insulated battery box seems like a waste of effort.
The resistance inside a battery cause heat both in the charge and discharge cycle. Insulating the box go's a long way in the northern climate.

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Old 03-17-2015, 08:36 PM   #17
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Nat--
How are you planning on housing your batteries? Insulated 'basement' Right?
That might be the best for me. Insulated battery box below the bus.
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Old 03-17-2015, 08:59 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by charles_m View Post
Nat--
How are you planning on housing your batteries? Insulated 'basement' Right?
That might be the best for me. Insulated battery box below the bus.
Mine will be a custom LI-ION pack built from cells used for electric cars. They are not harmed by freezing as long as the parameters are set correctly in the battery management system.

The cells I will use are available from 20 amp hours to over 1000 amp hours. It takes 4 cells per 12 volts in your system. For versatility, I may stay with 12 volts, but may go as high as 48 volts when I get the inverter hooked up.

They will be housed in one of the bays in the belly of the bus. I will use a large ABS pelican PELICAN Case, 33-3/8 InLx28-7/16 InWx18-1/4 InD - G4785523 at Zoro Canada luggage box with wheels to hold my cells. The battery bank will be removable by simply disconnecting and removing the case.

This is for versatility. The battery bank will be able to be used in my electric car when I build it, as a silent generator on work sites, ect. It will also have the charger built into the box so I can charge it in the house, shop, or anywhere else I need to.

The battery cells.
Lithium Car Batteries Electric Vehicle EV Batteries Motors.

The compartment will be insulated and heated with a heat loop from the hot water heating system. It will have it's own thermostat to keep the battery's from over heating.

Nat
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Old 03-17-2015, 09:01 PM   #19
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We have both of our battery banks (bus and house) as AGM and are outside the bus. The vehicle AGM's are designed for 2,200 cold cranking amps. I have been told in the past that batteries inside the living area is a bad idea. Just what I have been told.
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Old 03-22-2015, 08:17 PM   #20
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While some car companies do it, having the batteries inside the bus is a bad idea. In an overcharging state or high draw they give off bad gasses. I have been there when a few batteries exploded. (Yes they will). in an enclosed space like a bus you will go unconscious fast.

One possibility if space is limited is to have the batteries in a case under the bus but accessed thru a hatch in the floor inside. that way you can put them anywhere but have them safely outside of the living quarters.
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