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225 Topless Batteries

May 11, 2011, 12:05:04 am

Part Deux

Got the fan (110v muffin) installed today that a couple of you suggested after I eliminated the sealed battery compartment on my 225. It's powered on the same circuit as the converter so it runs whenever the batteries are charging. Puts a nice air stream right into the tire well. I'm also putting hydro caps on the Trojans for an extra measure of safety. All in all, I like this set up. Now I'll finally have decent coach battery life!
jor

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Re: 225 Topless Batteries

Reply #1 – May 11, 2011, 07:51:10 am

Nicely done. I'm looking at adding a fan there as well. Thanks for sharing. 

Steve

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Re: 225 Topless Batteries

Reply #2 – May 12, 2011, 05:07:07 pm

I haven't followed the history of this mod, so this reply may be out of order, if so, I apologize.

Unless the fan is rated as "explosion proof" you should mount it on the outside of the lower part of the battery enclosure (blowing in) with open vents at the top. Hydrogen, which the batteries are giving off, is lighter than air and will accumulate in the upper part of the box. By mounting the fan outside the box, blowing in, it is not exposed to the Hydrogen.

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Re: 225 Topless Batteries

Reply #3 – May 12, 2011, 06:08:35 pm

Dave,

In a perfect world, I totally agree with you-- put the fan on the clean, intake side.  BUT, since there is no separate battery compartment-- it is open to the rest of the basement compartments, a fan on the intake side would not insure that hydrogen and the sulfuric acid vapors would be vented.

With the CFM of the fan he is using, it would be hard to conceive of a way (short of complete battery failure due to severe overcharging) that could produce a hydrogen concentration strong enough to cause an explosion.

Said another way, short of containing the batteries in a separate compartment vented to the exterior or going with AGM batteries, his modification is workable.

Perfect, no. Best solution given no separate battery compartment-- likely.

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