Safe location for house batteries in van?

[lzcamper]

I've always questioned the safety of batteries inside of a van. My VW Westy had the starting battery underneath the passenger seat and my '06 Sprinter has the aux. battery in the same location and in both instances, they were wet cell batteries, so I guess it's OK, but why is it that American vans/cars all put their batteries outside the passenger/living area?

In my DIY van conversion, the most convenient place to put 2 AGM batteries would be in an externally ventilated wood box on the floor directly behind the driver's seat. Do you think that this location would be safe? If so, how would you fasten the batteries/box to the floor?

Rick

[markopolo]

Your choice to mount your AGM's inside is a proper use of the technology. I think venting them outside is optional.

I copied the following from Northern Arizona Wind & Sun's website. It describes why you would choose am AGM battery.

AGM batteries are not the best choice for all applications - they are rather expensive compared to flooded batteries. However, their safety and design features make them the battery of choice for many applications, such as:

* Where you cannot have fumes or hydrogen, such as in poorly ventilated areas.........
* Where resistance to shock and vibration is important.
* Where spilled acid from leaking, tipped, or broken batteries cannot be tolerated.
* Anyplace where you need a reliable totally sealed battery for safety or environmental reasons - ......... inside RV's, computer room UPS systems, or in enclosed spaces in boats.

I saw this on RV Times:

Re: AGM Batteries: Even under severe overcharge conditions hydrogen emission is far below the 4% maximum specified for enclosed spaces.

If your battery is outside you really don't need to spend the extra money on AGM batteries (unless maintenance access is difficult).

Like you, I don't like the idea of wet cells batteries inside an RV. Is the aux battery in your Sprinter vented to the outside? I recall reading about or seeing a tube so an acid leak would drain outside. Perhaps it vents that way also.

At one time, I had a bunch of Gel batteries inside my Roadtrek. I also used them in my current RV. They're on a BatteryMinder in my workshop now.

Link: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=38

The two boxes were joined across the top and screwed to the plywood floor. I also used some "L" brackets to keep them in place.

Will you have a plywood floor in your unit?

I saw these vented boxes on PPLMotorhomes.com

[lzcamper]

The aux battery in my Sprinter has a small (1/8" I.D.) tube that comes off the top of the battery and exits through a small hole in the floor. The plywood floor ends about 6" from the back of the driver's seat pedestal. That area will have to be fitted with another small piece to make the floor level and allow the battery box to be bolted to the pedestal and the floor. If I could find a commercially made battery box that would fit into the 10" W x 22" L space that exists in that area, I would buy it.

Up to now, I'd planned to build a completely enclosed wood box (21"x 8"x 11") that would hold two 6V AGM 200aH batteries end to end with a vent to the outside (like the one on the box in your PPL photo) and a small hole near the bottom to allow air to enter as hydrogen exits at the top. More information seems to indicate the vents will not be necessary as long as the box is well ventilated and does not allow the minute amount of H to get trapped and accumulate to a dangerous level.

Thanks for the information from Northern Arizona Wind & Sun's website.

Rick