183 replies to this topic

[Wallowa]

Jiggers. Our battery compartment is vented too, and the area sealed as described by others above. Never noticed that before. But the vents don't look sufficient to cool very much in hot weather, it seem more for venting gas. On the other hand, in very cold weather it may be enough to cool a lithium battery that's not being used all night below freezing. The top of that compartment is somewhat sealed too.

 

Maybe it's wise to get a battery with the heating feature. Or plug the venting in that compartment, and maybe vent to the inside so the battery stays a little warmer at night.

 

Double issue....'too cold' my BB BMS will not allow battery to charge; but then again I can drop the SOC to about 20% before BMS shuts it off [charging and use are different issues]....so I have 80aH available between charges...'too hot' and life of battery decreases....soooooo, you can use the internally heated BB; on at 25-45 degrees [which we have], to charge the battery even if battery compartment is well below freezing [not nice in Hawk at those temps; but furnace keeps it cozy if I am in camper] such as when I am out skiing and ambient is down to 15 degrees or less, heated battery keeps the solar panels charging battery; I do not leave furnace/propane on when I am out of Hawk.

 

'Too hot'? well not a lot you can do about that; install a fan, but it is not the battery generating the heat but outside air, so fan will just circulate hot air assuming Hawk and outside temps are the same.  A few campers have air conditioners; but honestly you need 110v hookup for those.

 

Without a heater in battery [BB] you could leave tie down doors open and run furnace to heat area of truck bed around battery box....not very efficient...or cut vents in battery box inside the camper to let in furnace heated air...still not the best solution.

Edited by Wallowa, 05 December 2022 - 11:13 PM.

[Vic Harder]

FYI, this is where my batteries are...

battery shelf - Vic's Puma (Grandby) build - Gallery - Wander the West

[Jack]

For FWCs sold in Oregon, the battery compartment must be sealed and vented, regardless of battery type. I had to remove much of the silicone sealant to fit two Full River AGMs into our 2015 Fleet FD. Our current battery is a 280aH LifePO4 - so much better.

[Wallowa]

For FWCs sold in Oregon, the battery compartment must be sealed and vented, regardless of battery type. I had to remove much of the silicone sealant to fit two Full River AGMs into our 2015 Fleet FD. Our current battery is a 280aH LifePO4 - so much better.

 

Only in Oregon?

 

Wow...where is the statute specifying that the battery box must be sealed?  Must be a new mandate since our 2016 Hawk [bought new here in Oregon] did not have a sealed battery box; screwed on lid with gasket was definitely not gas tight.  Where was silicon sealant you removed?

 

Don't doubt it happening here in the Peoples Republic of Oregon and assume then that California would have had such directive first.  

Edited by Wallowa, 05 December 2022 - 11:41 PM.

[ckent323]

Vic et al.

 

I checked the BattleBorn and Renogy mfg instructions and concur that both claim no venting is required for their batteries.

By comparison I checked the Rolls-Surette, Lifeline -Concord, Interstate, NAPA and Renogy instructions for their AGM batteries and all call for venting.

 

Conclusions, it seems some (maybe all) LiFePO4 batteries do not require being placed in a vented compartment when used in the passenger compartment or living area.  I do note that a number of RV and Battery info sites recommend having vented compartments for all batteries used in passenger compartments and  living areas due to health and safety concerns in the event the batteries become overheated/overcharged or fail for any reason.

 

Caveat emptor

 

I hope this information is helpful.

 

 

Craig

Edited by ckent323, 06 December 2022 - 12:30 AM.

[PaulT]

As far as a state requirement for a sealed battery compartment goes, any replacement battery might not be sealed so the state mandating sealing the compartment from the interior & venting to the outside makes sense from their viewpoint. The next owner is then free to use a different battery technology. If they are serious, they could require inspection of the vent & seal on transfer of ownership.

Like Phil, my 2014 Hawk is neither vented or sealed.

 

Paul

[rubberlegs]

This site says no venting: https://www.camperva...or vented box). says

Q: Where should the RV battery bank be located?

A: We recommend you locate your RV house battery bank in a sealed battery box in the interior of your camper van, preferably vented to the outside (lithium batteries do not require a sealed or vented box). If you keep your batteries around average room temperature, not cold or hot, they will serve you for a long time. Having an interior battery bank will also minimize the lengths of your wiring runs, which will keep voltage drop low and save you money on materials.

 

 

But this site https://www.ultrahea...ant-for-your-rv says the opposite:

 

While lithium batteries don’t produce gas the same way the other two batteries do, they still require ventilation to prevent thermal runaway. If the battery gets too hot, it can reach a critical condition and explode.

 

 This site may have more knowledge and authority of the previous two, and it says no venting needed: https://www.rvia.org...thium-batteries

With the existing and continued growth in popularity of non-vented batteries, it seemed no longer necessary to place non-vented, lithium batteries in vented compartments or boxes.

As such, last month, the RV Industry Association Board of Directors approved a recommendation from the Standards Steering Committee permitting non-vented (lithium) batteries to be located inside the living space of the RV, without venting. 

 

I used to work on the 787 airplane, so don't trust me! ha ha. (I didn't work electrical stuff.)

[PaulT]

 

I used to work on the 787 airplane, so don't trust me! ha ha. (I didn't work electrical stuff.)

 

I had a neighbor that flew those and was flying  one of  the first ones grounded. It was while mid flight to Tokyo. I remember that he asked if it was ok to continue to and land in Tokyo rather than attempting to land his plane mid ocean. He was stuck in Japan for months.  

 

As I recall, the fix initially was to vent the battery box in thermal runaway to the air. Seemed like a hard way to solve an engineering problem.

 

Paul

[Gumbus]

Thank you Vic for this very informative thread. With respect to running 4awg from the truck batt to the Victron Orion Tr Smart 30A and 100AH LiFe battery:

 

1. How do you make the connection at the truck bed? The Anerdson SB connectors seem fine but not a very clean pass through at the truck bed. I thought this might work - 

https://www.westmari...e-17950122.html  

 

As this only accepts 6awg I would use this to step down 4awg to 6awg.

https://www.elecdire...y-to-6-awg-blue

 

2. So many differing opinions where to put the CB near the camper battery (LiFe). Do you recommend the CB (80A) between the Batt and the DC/DC charger?

 

What are your thoughts as the effectiveness and any another ideas you might have.

Thank you.

Edited by Gumbus, 06 December 2022 - 04:36 PM.

[TacomaAustin]

Thank you Vic for this very informative thread. With respect to running 4awg from the truck batt to the Victron Orion Tr Smart 30A and 100AH LiFe battery:

 

1. How do you make the connection at the truck bed? The Anerdson SB connectors seem fine but not a very clean pass through at the truck bed. I

Thank you.

There are mounts for an Anderson SB120, such as the one below:

 

https://www.amazon.c...155551245&psc=1

 

The description calls it a "Trailer Vision 120A Battery Quick Connector Protective Cover Mount Fits SB 120 Gauge 6-2 AWG 120 Amp Anderson Plug Assembly"

 

For the SB120 connector specified for #4 gauge wiring:

 

https://www.amazon.c...120&sr=1-2&th=1

 

Edited by TacomaAustin, 06 December 2022 - 05:49 PM.