[VAC] Battery ventilation

[Terry Tyler <tylerbears@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Dick,

Yes, the battery boxes can be purchased at Boat Liveries or Sears or Auto
Zone or similar type stores.

Yes, there are protrusions on the side of the cover for the cables to exit.
My battery cables route up over the box lip, then down and out through
protrusions on the sides of the covers.

No, the protursions are not sealed in any way. Rightly or wrongly, I figured
any battery vapors would continue to rise rather than spill over the lip
edge of the box and fall out in a downward direction. With that in mind, I
saw no reason to seal the area where battery cables exit the boxes.

Yes, I covered the little louvred vents on the top of each cover with
electrical tape. Ordinary packing or duct tape could be used as well.

You wrote: 

> One boat guy told me that they worry about trapped battery gases
> because they cause aluminum to corrode

With the way I've set up my battery boxes, there is no trapping involved,
nor is there any aluminum directly involved. It's an open system with a hole
in the high point on the cover which facilitates vapor travel for following
the hose and exiting my Airstream.

Yes, 1/4 inch seems reasonable to me. We're not talking about very much
vapor. For those with a penchant for nit picking logic,  I think any
buffeting which occurs along the outside of my Airstream merely contributes
to movement of those vapors.

Granted, there could be an argument made for suggesting the buffeting is
pushing air into the hole (of the 1/4" tube) and causing an accumulation of
vapor, but my gut feeling is that during an equal number of times, buffeting
is reducing the air pressure along the side - and thereby causing air to
flow out of the hole. In the bigger scheme of things, I suspect this is all
academic and not a significant factor to consider.

It's your call - it's your Airstream - the only decisions worth a hoot are
those you make. Keep cogitating until you're satisfied with the concepts
involved, then make it happen and keep on trucking.

Terry
mailto:tylerbears@airstream.net