Battery Covers

Chippendale

Well-known member
I have two batteries in my front compartment, and of course they are in a box with a vent to the outside of the bottom of the trailer from the bottom of the box and also a hose from the top of the cover of the box to an outside vent above the compartment door. I understand why you would need and want a cover and this type of venting if the battery was in a cabinet in the "living" portion of the RV, but I do not see why it is necessary to have it in the "front" compartment which appears to be sealed off from the living quarters and is definitely not airtight to the outside.

Checking the water in the batteries is almost next to impossible without disconnecting all the battery cables and the vent hose and completely removing the box lid. I don't remember battery covers on the batteries of a houseboat I owned in the late 90's and I know that there were no covers on the batteries on a cruiser we had later. I can go out on the drive way right now, open the hood on my F350 and checking the batteries is easier than checking the oil.

Has anyone rewired the access cables to the batteries and removed the vent hose from the box so that the cover can be easily removed? I am very tempted to do this as it sure would make it easier to maintain proper water levels in the batteries. My gut feeling is that the vent hose, etc is not necessary in this configuration, but it comes with the box, so the factory installs it and we have to deal with it.
 
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RoadJunkie

Well-known member
Batteries can produce explosive generating gasses and it is therefore prudent to maintain a healthy level of ventilation.
 

ram22

Well-known member
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I had the dealer add my second battery and box - 22FBS only came with one. I’m sure my boxes are necessary to protect from the rain and road spray since that is the only box for them on the trailer tongue. These are RV/marine type boxes with a ventilating top. But that does remind me, I need to drill some drain holes in the bottom because they fill up with rain water all the way to top of the box, just below the top of the battery. I guess La Mesa didn’t think of that when they installed them!


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Lynn1130

Well-known member
I have basically the same set up with a generator in the compartment next to the batteries. The gasses that could build up in the battery compartment could be triggered by a spark from a loose battery connection one of the breakers in that compartment or from the generator. I would think it prudent to have proper venting. Now, most recently in my case I have changed to AGM batteries and I am thinking that the above is not as much of an issue. There is also a vent in the front of the compartment and several openings in the floor which will allow circulation.
 

jerryjay11

Well-known member
fa4d6e5cf640cc72a457011369107bd4.jpg


I had the dealer add my second battery and box - 22FBS only came with one. I’m sure my boxes are necessary to protect from the rain and road spray since that is the only box for them on the trailer tongue. These are RV/marine type boxes with a ventilating top. But that does remind me, I need to drill some drain holes in the bottom because they fill up with rain water all the way to top of the box, just below the top of the battery. I guess La Mesa didn’t think of that when they installed them!


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I have just one battery with this type of box and cover which does provide for venting, but I have the same boxes in my bass boat (Go Fast Boat) but without the covers in the rear compartment that also is vented. As was stated the covers help to keep road crude from collecting.

Edited response: The pic right after your post threw me off and I just realized you have batteries inside your front compartment (not on the "A" Frame) which really requires for the venting system your unit has installed. I wouldn't change that.
 
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LBR

Well-known member
If there was no box venting for your wet cell batteries, your electrical connections in that compartment would be all white with corrosion within a year or so...not good.
 

Chippendale

Well-known member
If there was no box venting for your wet cell batteries, your electrical connections in that compartment would be all white with corrosion within a year or so...not good.


I see what you are saying, but if I do what I am thinking about, I would still have the box and cover, the vent hole would still be in the bottom of the box, and the cover would still be on the batteries. The cables would be changed to where they were not attached to the top of the cover, and the upper vent hole would still be there, but not the vent hose and all the existing "air leaks" would still be there.

I guess what I am asking is, has anyone done what I am proposing and if so, how has it worked for them.
 

LBR

Well-known member
I see what you are saying, but if I do what I am thinking about, I would still have the box and cover, the vent hole would still be in the bottom of the box, and the cover would still be on the batteries. The cables would be changed to where they were not attached to the top of the cover, and the upper vent hole would still be there, but not the vent hose and all the existing "air leaks" would still be there.

I guess what I am asking is, has anyone done what I am proposing and if so, how has it worked for them.
Sorry....I only posted that in answer to your post #1 question of...

""....but I do not see why it is necessary to have it in the "front" compartment which appears to be sealed off from the living quarters and is definitely not airtight to the outside.""
 

Robsterling

Member
I have switched to AGM batteries and did away with the vent hose and battery housing altogether. I spoke with the battery manufacturer first. I have not had a problem.


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pegmikef

Well-known member
In my mind, even though the compartment is not air tight the gas can build up and it is explosive. Since the converter is continuously charging the batteries, there is always gas present and if not vented could build up and any spark could be catastrophic. In my Big Horn, the factory routed one the hydraulic lines right along the side of the battery box where the top and bottom joined. The corrosive gas leaking out cause the line to deteriorate and burst. When I replaced the line, I found that the one by the battery had just been made too long so they looped it there rather than making a new line.

Also, I figure the designers of the battery systems are smarter than me when it comes to safety precautions (kind of the same category as increasing the amperage of a circuit breaker without increasing the wire size)
 

Lynn1130

Well-known member
I figure the designers of the battery systems are smarter than me when it comes to safety precautions

I am not so sure about that. I have had concerns all along about batteries in the same compartment with breakers and next to a generator. While I never had an issue, I have seen batteries blow when jumping vehicles and it ain't pretty.
 
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