6 volt battery suggestions

[Paul & Deb]

These added battery boxes appear to be standard marine parts. They would be available at most marine stores for either 6V or 12V batteries. The marine requirements are a little different than RV. The boxes must be water tight to the height if the battery (no vent out the bottom) and they vent through the lid "overhang" where the cables come in. There is no requirement to seal and vent the box, but the space where the batteries are located must be vented. Is it a RV requirement that the battery box be sealed and vented to the outside ? or just a common industry practice ?

Rob

I don't know the answer to that but I do know that my early RVs never had the batteries in boxes. They were in compartments and may have had vents in the compartment doors but I can't remember. I've just had actual vented boxes starting with my 2011 5th wheel.

[notsosan]

If you had a comparment with an open bottom like the propane bottles I would imagine that would qualify as vented but I've never seen a fully enclosed compartment that didn't have vented box.

[Cate&Rob]

The difference between venting for propane and venting for batteries, is that propane is heavier than air and goes down but hydrogen is lighter than air and goes up.

[notsosan]

Makes sense.

[Rondacker]

I have a pair of Interstate GC2-XHD-UTL 6 V's rated at 232 amp hours. The U2200's we had in our old rig worked well so I went with them again.

This is the install

I Had the same batteries on the tongue of my old rig. I'm putting them into the generator compartment, and need a vented box. Where did you source yours? Thanks
Steve

[notsosan]

I Had the same batteries on the tongue of my old rig. I'm putting them into the generator compartment, and need a vented box. Where did you source yours? Thanks
Steve

A local small battery shop but someone else said it looks like a marine box so that might be a good place to look.

[Cate&Rob]

A "marine" battery box will contain the battery but will not collect and expel the hydrogen gas created by charging a lead acid battery. Since the forward compartment of the RV is sealed, GD vents this gas directly from the sealed battery box in an upward direction to the outside. You would not want to fill the upper portion of the forward storage compartment (where there are several electrical relays and switches) with hydrogen from charging batteries.

There is more of this discussion in the earlier posts of this thread.

Rob

[Rondacker]

A "marine" battery box will contain the battery but will not collect and expel the hydrogen gas created by charging a lead acid battery. Since the forward compartment of the RV is sealed, GD vents this gas directly from the sealed battery box in an upward direction to the outside. You would not want to fill the upper portion of the forward storage compartment (where there are several electrical relays and switches) with hydrogen from charging batteries.

There is more of this discussion in the earlier posts of this thread.

Rob

I'm aware of the off gassing issues, since I've had vented boxes in other enclosed rigs. So far, they've been 12-volt single banks. I'm not so sure about converting a "regular" box. I really want a truly sealed and vented box to accommodate 2, or, maybe 4, 6-volt batteries. I'm good with fabricating something, but, would rather get something ready to go. I've seen them somewhere, if I could just remember. LOL

[TucsonJim]

I don't use vent boxes for my batteries. I use two 6V AGM batteries and they don't outgas hydrogen like a lead/acid battery.

[Rondacker]

My batteries are just a year old. Had I planned ahead for a fifth wheel, I would have gone with AGMs. Since I'm a frugal guy, I'm gonna keep these for now.