dual battery hook up in tube vented boxes

[ntrsandman]

Our CTX came with a tube vented battery box. The dealer installed the battery and just placed the top on. The box is not very wiring friendly for the battery cables, making running the cables and closing the box next to impossible. I am going to install a second box and battery and connect the tubes together for the vent.

Has anyone added a second battery with a tube vented box and have successfully wired them together, made the install look good, and have been able to close the boxes? Looking for ideas, suggestions. Thanks!

[Lloyd]

I just finished mine the other day. If I get a chance I will post a pic. tomorrow.

[Hamops]

I bought two Marine battery boxes and mounted in the battery compartment. I removed the vent hose and drilled three large hole in the box covers to allow any gases to vent. The battery compartment is exposed to the outside of the trailer and there is sufficient air movementto flush outany gases. Edited by: Hamops

[Lloyd]

The hose on the left goes to the outside air intake. The looped hose just hooks both boxes together. The boxes I made. I bought 2 new marine boxes originally and immediately broke one. They seemed to be real brittle.I made them out of 3/8 plywood and then used the covers from the marine boxes. I drilled holes in the bottom to let anything out that might accumulate in there be it gases or liquid. The compartment does have some open areas on the bottom so for some, the tube venting probably doesn't seem necessary, but I set in one place for extended periods of time and just felt better with the tubes.
I used 1 1/2 in. PVC pipe and a coupler. Only used a very short piece of the coupler glued (1/4 in.) onto a short piece of the PVC., enough to stick through the cover about 1 in. Cut a hole in the cover just small enough for the pipe with the coupler on the bottom of cover and siliconed everything together.
I plan on changing it and using 2 elbows coming up off the cover pointing at each other, that way the hose can be slipped off and on real easy without the need for screws.

[ntrsandman]

Thanks for the picture. It gives me some ideas. We do not have the luxury of a separate battery compartment. The battery is in the front storage compartment. I wish I could use regular battery boxes. Running the wiring would be easier. Because of the batteries being in the same area as stored items, enclosed boxes with the vent tubes need to be used like this:



http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/r...xes-vented.htm



The plan is to put the boxes side by side lengthwise and fab a "Y" to connect the two boxes and a single hose to the external vent. The boxes leave little room to run wires. Especially 6g to connect the batteries. Wire access ports will need to be enlarged. I am trying to prevent as much battery gas from escaping the boxes as possible, and make accessing the batteries easy as well.

[Lloyd]

http://www.allbatterysalesandservice...cfm/4,576.html

http://store.greenpointmarine.com/ve...rce=googlebase

[carl]

I installed second battery in a box and simply added a tee directly above the original vent. Then just run tube to second box vent. I did not run cables from battery to battery but ran them to their rv end terminalsfor parallel connection.

[Bob Landry]

The issues(or non-issues) of battery gassing has been discussed onmany forums ad- nauseum, but a lot of people still have panic attacks over it. You would have to have a room full of wet cell bateries all overcharging and gassing at the same time in order to generate anymeasurable amount of hydrogen gas. Then you would have to accumulate it in enough concentration to present an explosion danger. Possibilities, slim to none. This is from a colleague whom I have worked with for years in the marine industry who was a submarine sailor, and the Navy wrote the book on deep cycle batteries and charging.

Boat builders have been installing batteries inside cabins, closets, lockers, and under settees with no addition venting other than into the cabin for years and there are no, I repeat no, documented cases of explosions due to hydrogen gas. Stove alcohol and propane are a different matter entirely. I'm far more concerned about propane leaking and accumulating in a low or enclosed area that I am a couple of ppm of hydrogen gas.

[we-canoe]

Very well put Bob L. I don't believe the battery box top seals tight enough to bother with external venting. And just like subs old VW Beetles battery was under the rear seats.

[Lloyd]

You could be right, but for me I would never advise anyone to not vent the battery box.
I witnessed a battery explosion and the aftermath wasn't pretty.
Myself-- I will error to the safe side now.

[fhenn]

I have seen batteries explode under the hoods of cars and trucks as Lloyd said it is not a pretty sight.

[we-canoe]

Of coarse the caps will vent unless plugged or malfunctioning THEN there needs to be a ignition source (spark). Not being familiar with 5 wheelersdon't the compartments have screening to vent the area?