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Deep Cycle Battery Safety

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 16:35
by David M
I am wanting to put 2 deep cycle batteries into the packing system at the back of my Patrol. I am assured by Battery Centre that there is zero risk of fumes as they are sealed even if overcharged but I have previously seen other opinions on the forum and heard differently from other people.

To explain further I use a very simple system of a solenoid to isolate the main battery from the 2 auxiliaries and all batteries are 90 Ah so they charge evenly. The only thing that can go wrong is the solenoid which is easily bridged should something go wrong. No fancy electronics and chargers to go wrong in the middle of nowhere.

All comments and opinions are most appreciated as as much as the experts say it is safe I have this nagging feeling and I don't like nagging feelings.

Re: Deep Cycle Battery Safety

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 18:16
by IanT
I have never heard of any problems, I have been running around Africa for 25 year with main batteries and aux batteries under the passenger seat in my landies and more recently behind the rear seats in the patrol and have never experienced any fumes ect. Cheers Ian

Re: Deep Cycle Battery Safety

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 19:19
by Peter Connan
Several cars have had their batteries installed in the passenger compartment over the years.

None of the ones i can think of have a particulalrly good record of safety though, although that's probably co-incedental... :biggrin:

Re: Deep Cycle Battery Safety

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 20:45
by David M
Peter Connan wrote:Several cars have had their batteries installed in the passenger compartment over the years.

None of the ones i can think of have a particulalrly good record of safety though, although that's probably co-incedental... :biggrin:
Are you talking about fire or fumes? The way these will be fitted the vehicle could roll and there would be no contact plus they are protected by fuses. My concern is fumes.

Re: Deep Cycle Battery Safety

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 21:34
by Tinus lotz
dude we have discussed batteries on this and other forms a lot but let me give you my 2 cents
deep cycle batteries are not the correct choice for what u want to do for the following reasons
1 it has limited amount of charge cycles available what this means is when u start your car and switch it off one charge cycle is gone and there are only 300 available
2 the ideal charge voltage for a deep cycle battery is 14.8 v your car alternator doesn't make that
3 if you do get an alternator to do that you are gonna lose your crank battery very soon because they don't want much more than 13,8 v otherwise the plates bend
4 when charging a deep cycle battery at ideal voltages you only get 20% of batt capacity back in there per hour or think about it like this at 13.8v it will load at about 10A per hour minus loses (your fridge normally runs at about 5A ave )
5 the better battery to go for is lead crystal can be stored empty for up to 2 years and will show no effect, deep cycles will break if you don't maintain them
6 if you give john strubel a call, he is the marketing guru or bigshot at deltec sa he will give you the same info and a very good price on the correct thing I found out for Peter c a while ago and it was about R2 k a battery of 90a but need to check again
7 if you insist on sticking with deep cycle batteries just get a c-tek system they jack up the charge voltage to suit the needs of a deep cycle .
8 if you want to stick to basic solenoid system get hi cycle batteries and make sure you don't drain them below 10.5 v otherwise they break too
9 to get back to your problem ......the deep cycle and hi cycle batteries are sealed so no fumes they have a breather but not to worry about only to let pressure in or out not open to atmosphere
10 lead crystal has no breather no vent only gel inside can lay on side or up side down no problem
hope it helps :thumbup: :thumbup:

Re: Deep Cycle Battery Safety

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 22:23
by David M
Tinus lotz wrote:dude we have discussed batteries on this and other forms a lot but let me give you my 2 cents
deep cycle batteries are not the correct choice for what u want to do for the following reasons
1 it has limited amount of charge cycles available what this means is when u start your car and switch it off one charge cycle is gone and there are only 300 available
2 the ideal charge voltage for a deep cycle battery is 14.8 v your car alternator doesn't make that
3 if you do get an alternator to do that you are gonna lose your crank battery very soon because they don't want much more than 13,8 v otherwise the plates bend
4 when charging a deep cycle battery at ideal voltages you only get 20% of batt capacity back in there per hour or think about it like this at 13.8v it will load at about 10A per hour minus loses (your fridge normally runs at about 5A ave )
5 the better battery to go for is lead crystal can be stored empty for up to 2 years and will show no effect, deep cycles will break if you don't maintain them
6 if you give john strubel a call, he is the marketing guru or bigshot at deltec sa he will give you the same info and a very good price on the correct thing I found out for Peter c a while ago and it was about R2 k a battery of 90a but need to check again
7 if you insist on sticking with deep cycle batteries just get a c-tek system they jack up the charge voltage to suit the needs of a deep cycle .
8 if you want to stick to basic solenoid system get hi cycle batteries and make sure you don't drain them below 10.5 v otherwise they break too
9 to get back to your problem ......the deep cycle and hi cycle batteries are sealed so no fumes they have a breather but not to worry about only to let pressure in or out not open to atmosphere
10 lead crystal has no breather no vent only gel inside can lay on side or up side down no problem
hope it helps :thumbup: :thumbup:
Thanks dude. All the info in one post at last. I have been reading different threads on different forums for a while now and was more confused than when I started.

Last time I looked at the lead crystal a couple of years ago when it was still new technology the cost per cycle was about 30% more. If it's R 2 k for a 90 Ah now the costs are about equal at 65c per cycle.

I have an isolator switch so no charging during stop start driving.

I know that the Alternator is not charging it to 100%. That being said I bought the vehicle with a 90 Ah as the main battery and too soon to tell how long it will last. On a previous vehicle I however had a 90 Ah as a main battery with an average of 5 starts per day (checked my GPS Logbook) and it was still going strong after 2 yrs when I sold the vehicle (that's a minimum of 3650 cycles - almost double the quoted stats). I fully charge the batteries with a normal charger from the mains at home before leaving and sometimes while away if mains power is available.

Fridge is set to switch off at 10.5 v so no problems there.

The lead crystal however sound like an attractive proposition when I do need to replace. The question however is would I need a C Tek or similar to charge them or would it work straight off the alternator via a solenoid?

There seems to be consensus that safety is not an issue.

Re: Deep Cycle Battery Safety

Posted: 18 Feb 2014 22:31
by Jorrie
Be aware that when a lead-acid battery is charged, that at some point in the charge a by-product will be Hydrogen, which at certain percentages become explosive when mixed with air.

Adequate ventilation is a must if you install it in the cabin of the vehicle.

I have one installed like that for two years now and have not experienced any problems. Note that it is unlikely that you would be able to smell hydrogen fumes in any way. :mytwocents:

Re: Deep Cycle Battery Safety

Posted: 19 Feb 2014 08:20
by ricster
Regarding the C-Tek, of which I'm a huge fan ( I have the 250 D 12v-12v), give Johan a call. He has given me beyond normal aftersales service, and I cannot fault the system He will be able to answer your questions honestly, without forcing the C-Tek on you. Its not a cheap unit, but does everything you need without you even knowing it.

BTW : He is from C-Tek itself.

Johan
076 81 four 8 one zero 5

Re: Deep Cycle Battery Safety

Posted: 19 Feb 2014 11:20
by Grant
Gents,


:mytwocents: :mytwocents:

The problem for me with the Cteck system is the built in solar regulator. I have a digital, Stecca regulator and the second battery system is coupled to this so I can see what I am putting in and what I am using. The Cteck does not offer this and thus I am not interested. The solenoid system I use is reliable and I believe in Deltek. Battery's last around four years so I am happy.

A point that I must make is that one also need to learn how to manage your fridges. I for example do not use the fridges to cool coldrink. I have a good cooler box that keeps ice for a couple of days and a emergency bag of 10 ice cubes in the freezer. This I do not share QQQ QQQ QQQ.

Re: Deep Cycle Battery Safety

Posted: 19 Feb 2014 14:48
by Chris Skinner
For hydrogen (which is the explosive gas emitted from charging batteries) the concentration levels required to cause an explosion is 4%(lower limit) and 75%(upper limit).
Even to get a 4% concentation in a vehicle with approx (my guess) 6sqm of volume, ie 6000 litres of air would require 240 litres of pure hydrogen - which is probably unlikely to come from one battery!
Problem with hydrogen is that it is much lighter than air, thus will rise to the roof level where you could well get required concentration for an explosion from an electrical spark.
So, best precaution, if concerned about this, is always leave two windows open 2 or 3 mm, thus any hydrogen will dissipate out of the vehicle anyway. :mytwocents: