Battery location again

[Jayman]

Hey folks,
Here are the latest questions:
1.  if you locate your batteries in the area just forward of the bilge, how do you avoid the buildup of hydrogen gas in that area?  The area doesn't seem very well ventilated. 

2.  There is about a 1 1/2 inch high and 24 inch wide "wall" that keeps water in this same area where several of you have located your extra batteries (under the floor board) that keeps that water from emptying easily into the bilge.  Has anyone thought of drilling some drain holes in that little wall to allow the water to more easily drain into the bilge?  What I am trying to avoid is having battery boxes sittling in 1 inch of water that doesn't easily make it over that little wall.

Thanks in advance,
John

[EdHouston]

I looked long and hard at locating my batteries and decided on the port side Lorette locker, but high up I will dig out some pictures for you if you wish, I find this location to be a great spot I did not like the access under the floor boards plus I use that area for cases of bottled water.

Ed
S/V Moonlight Mile.

[Jayman]

I'd love to see the pictures of where you located your batteries.
Thanks,
John

[RayNWanda]

 Ed did a very nice looking installation!
I'm still kicking around where I'm going to put ours. Maybe in the bilge, maybe similar to Ed's but with 2 up on a shelf, 2 in the original battery box. We have 4 group 31's for the house bank. Weight wise, in the bilge over the ballast makes the most sense- they won't change the trim of the boat. The down side is that if you have a flooding event, you will probably lose the use of the batteries when you need them the most. That is why they are not already in there.
Like most everything else on a boat, anything you do is a compromise.

[SV THIRD DAY]

On THIRD DAY we have 5 group 27 12v batteries under the salon floor and then two more in the port sail locker.  The two banks are seperated with a 1-2-all-off perko switch so that in the event of bilge flooding, I can isolate the banks and still have use of my electric bilge pump.

It is a PITA to do our monthly battery checking and water fills but it's a great use of that space. 

[Jayman]

Has anyone actually drilled drain holes to empty that wet area aft of the batteries and forward of the bilge?  Would that be a problem?
John

[BlameItOnBuffett]

Only if your drilled downwards.    

On mine, the wall doesn't go completely across. It has little breaks at each end...

My batteries are in the port cockpit locker, but their shelf now needs rebuilt, as a screw came out of the hinge, and it has apparently been dripping on the shelf, which was "almost" completely glassed over. However, "almost" and compeltely are not one and the same. The drain dip along the back edge of the shelf did not go all the way through the plywood to let it drain. Instead, it only wnet halfway down, which had it soaking into the plywood, which now has rot all over....

JT

[RayNWanda]

I suspect the little wall has wood in it. If so, opening the wood up to water would probably be a mistake.

[Jayman]

The wood inside is a great consideration.
John

[Snboard976]

I have 4 Walmart batteries under the floor boards for the house bank and a starting battery in the port locker.  The only downside I can see is if the boat were to take on a large amount of water. 

I don't think that the lockers are much better ventilated than the area forward of the bildge and they are certainly warmer.

The little wall doesn't trap any water that I can see.  The area around the mast step and the flat area under the table trap more water.  If the boat is rolling or healing water won't stay behind the wall for very long.  I don't know what the original intent of that wall was.  Probably to keep things from rolling into the bildge.  It is a nice support for my batteries.

Here are instructions and pictures of my installation.

http://www.cruisingsabbatical.com/2009/06/new-battery-box.html

[Jayman]

Thanks for the pictures and the design.  The look great.
John

[EdHouston]

Here is one of three pictures of my instalation

Ed

[EdHouston]

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[EdHouston]

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