Battery Box

tdawg · 12-29-2014, 02:18 PM

Our 2013 Alpine did not come with the battery in a box it is just on the battery tray that is the size for 2 batteries if i wanted to add the 2nd. Should i put it in a battery box and put the vent on it or just leave it on the tray its not in a totally sealed compartment.

**JRTJH** · 12-29-2014, 03:32 PM

Larry,

As best I can determine, RVIA requires batteries located INSIDE an RV to be enclosed in an "air tight battery box that is vented to the outside" Batteries produce explosive gasses and although it is very rare, there is a possibility that the gasses from the charging process could accumulate in the area of the RV where the batteries are installed and produce a fire or explosion.

I have seen RV's where owners have installed batteries without a box, even without securing them so they won't slide around in the compartment, but I've never seen batteries installed on the interior of an RV "by the factory" where they weren't enclosed in a box (or airtight compartment) that is vented to the outside.

For safety sake, I'd urge you to install a battery box that is secured to the RV so it won't move around and that is air tight and vented outside the RV. Whether you install only one battery or multiple batteries, the gasses should not be vented into a confined compartment of your RV.

ADDED: As an example, on our 2014 Cougar XLite, the battery compartment is open on the bottom, sealed with silicone on all corners and creases, and it was still enclosed in an airtight box and vented to the outside of the RV.

tdawg · 12-29-2014, 03:59 PM

Thanks, The compartment is open on the bottom to the outside, i will put in a box just didnt know if this was common that the factory did not have it provided. I guess they saved $20.00

**JRTJH** · 12-29-2014, 04:18 PM

I would almost bet the trailer shipped with a box in it and the dealer took it out. Check the compartment and see if there is a 2.5" round vent up toward the top. If there is, the trailer was engineered for a box and likely shipped with one. Sometimes dealers "do their magic" and can make an extra $20 by selling the box in the parts store, "since you didn't really need it anyway"... Only a "select handful" of dealers think along those lines, thankfully they are in the minority...... Anyway, if you've got the round vent that's designed to adapt to the vent hose from the box, the trailer was built to have a box in the compartment

ADDED: Well after "preaching the sermon" I found this picture of a battery compartment on a 2013 Alpine 3535, so it is very possible that they did not ship with a battery box. I'd still look for the round vent to be sure....

tdawg · 12-29-2014, 04:48 PM

Yep I have the vent.

sh4al · 12-30-2014, 01:11 PM

I have the 3720FB Alpine (2013) and there's no battery box. Looks just like the pic John posted. Battery just sits on a tray but like tdawg mentioned the bottom of the compartment is pretty much open so there is plenty of ventilation.

Steve

mikell · 12-31-2014, 09:54 AM

2010 Alpine 3640rl same open bottom Never an issue

Bob Landry · 01-01-2015, 05:49 AM

Batteries, and hopefully boxes, are installed during dealer prep, not shipped from the factory.

gearhead · 01-01-2015, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Landry

Batteries, and hopefully boxes, are installed during dealer prep, not shipped from the factory.

^^^This.
Plus I think when batteries are charging they off gas hydrogen. Being a lighter gas it will tend to rise as opposed to settle down, out those vents on the bottom of the tray.
John: what did you use to join the 2 vent hoses on yours? I saw a pic on here and it looked good. PVC "T" fitting?

**chuckster57** · 01-01-2015, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Landry

Batteries, and hopefully boxes, are installed during dealer prep, not shipped from the factory.

As a rule, bumper pull trailers have the support for the battery box(s) and the leads. Fifth wheels have a single battery box with venting installed from the factory, and the lead wires if it's in the front compartment. My '97 Jayco had a battery compartment with a vented door on the curb side about 2/3 of the way to the back with a tray that slid out. Had room for two gp 24's.

**JRTJH** · 01-01-2015, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gearhead

^^^This.
Plus I think when batteries are charging they off gas hydrogen. Being a lighter gas it will tend to rise as opposed to settle down, out those vents on the bottom of the tray.
John: what did you use to join the 2 vent hoses on yours? I saw a pic on here and it looked good. PVC "T" fitting?

Curtis,

The vent hose is a fabric covered spring coil hose that's an "off size" I think (but wouldn't bet on it) that it's about 1.75" ID. A 1.5" PVC fitting is too small and a 2" is too big. I happened upon a light duty T fitting at the dealership in the battery box/vent hose section. I bought 2 of them since they looked so fragile. I put 1/2" foam weatherstripping that was 3/8" thick around each end of the T fitting and twisted the hose onto it. Then I ran square drive 3/4" screws into each end to keep the hose from slipping off.

I suppose you could do the same thing with a 1.5" PVC T fitting by wrapping thicker weatherstripping around each end.

You're right about batteries offgassing hydrogen which is lighter than air. In the picture of the Alpine battery/hydraulics compartment, the bottom is open, but the battery is sitting under an array of electronics that appears to be a series of relays and possibly a hydraulic pump off the end of that hydraulic reservoir. I'm not sure whether or not I'd want a battery charging and offgassing hydrogen under a spark producer like that, even if the bottom is open.

Maybe I'm just thinking avionics safety and we're talking about "bailing wire conditions" but I wouldn't leave it like that on my RV and plug in a generator out in the woods. Just one spark, one boom and there's no fire department anywhere nearby......

I watched a neighbor's house burn down from a battery explosion in his bass boat. It was in the garage, battery compartment open and garage closed. A kid hit the door opener in the car parked out front and the rest is history. I think Hindenburg and get a cautious perspective for hydrogen gas.

ADDED: According to RV Service Parts, the hose is 1 13/16" It's a C-1 category hose. http://www.rvautoparts.com/Smooth-Bo...25_p_1088.html

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