Second battery inside the vehicle?

Be alot safer to put a gel battrey inside the vehicle. The gas given off a normal lead acid battery is both toxic & explosive.

Tom,

If it's a standard wet cell battery it will generate explosive gases whilst charging and if tipped over, hydrochloric acid will spill into your vehicle.
Even inside a box, you will need to provide venting to the outside.

You aren't saving anything by trying to retain your old battery. You will end up spending as much money providing a "work-around" as you would buying a new AGM Deep Cycle battery which is not only more suitable for inside the vehicle but it will charge quicker.

Whether fixed, or portable, the only battery you should consider is an AGM type.

Gday,

As far as i know illegal to have a normal lead acid battery inside a vehicle (as it is potentially unsafe).

Do a search on here for AGM or sealed batteries and you'll get a fair few hits.

sealed batteries have internal valves and dont vent gas which makes them suitable for use inside a vehicle.

I have a 100AH AGM inside my vehicle as there was no room under the bonnet
Just make sure its secured well.

Regards
Rev

Ok, well thats a pity as it was new only a few months ago. However, maybe I can get it to replace the one under the bonnet, wouldn't be a total loss then. Its a Century N70ZZH, suitable as a cranking battery?

So with an AGM Deep cycle, does that have any special requirements if its inside the vehicle? (other than the terminals being isolated from conductors etc)

Could I use the AGM in an emergency to crank the engine?
I had a dodgy battery in the Challenger, it was brilliant to be able to open the bonnet and jump start from the other battery.
I know they aren't meant for it, but would it do a lot of damage to them if they were used a couple of times a year (maybe) to get started if I left the lights on or something stupid like that?

Should not be any problem in using an AGM battery to start your car, assuming it has sufficient "grunt" (CCA) to do it.

12V Power Pack is the way to go. Fully automatic and in one compact unit, you can fit a AGM battery inside the unit as they are safe and will fast charge.

Opp Lock do one now as well as my own ABR unit.

As far as inside the vehicle goes BMW still has their battery under the rear seat and in the boot in some older models.

Regards Derek from ABR www.sidewinder.com.au

Hi t0me, there is no reason you can’t just use the battery you have.

A number of vehicles come standard from the factory with wet cell batteries fitted in the cab and they have never had a problem, VW combies are a perfect example, for many years now have been supplied with wet cell batteries so there is no reason to go to the additional expense of buying a new, more expensive battery when you have a perfectly good battery on hand.

Cheers

Arghhhhhh I'm soooo confused!!!!!!

In any of those vehicles with the battery inside the car, are they in some form of box?

If its illegal, can you give me some idea where you heard that (or a reference where I can see it online).

t0me (WA)
if the truth was known, I've had one x 80 a/h Delkor DC calcium battery in the back of my vehicle, (another is underneath it, accessed through a hole & fitted lid in the floor) sitting less than two foot of my fridge and beside my bed for almost 5 years, and it will go back into the exact same position tomorrow when I pick it up.
It's in a black plastic battery box with no special venting.

If it gives off dangerous fumes well they haven’t affected me .. yet, L0L
Some may tell you different, conversely I still have all my own hair :-)

I’m not recommending the idea - just stating a fundamental fact of life!
Don’t do as I do… because it’s bad, if there was another way I may do it differently, and then thinking about it probably not!

My two DC batteries are close to the Solar regulator and to the fridge, with only about 2 foot of cable between each.

I couldn't find any ADR's on the issue, but after some heavy googling (ok I admit it I asked here first hoping to find a quick answer)...

On the DOTARS website I found this to do with building streetrods...
"7.7 BATTERIES
7.7.1 Batteries are to be secured and placed in a container suitable for the purpose of
holding a battery. The battery must be positioned outside of the passenger
compartment unless it is in an enclosure that is vented to the outside of the
passenger compartment. A dry type battery may installed inside the passenger
compartment."

I found this, its to do with vehicle standards for Taxi's in Victoria.
http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/vrpdf/rdsafe/vsi31.pdf

" 24. BATTERY
The vehicle battery must be properly secured in the
design or other location. If the battery is moved to
the boot or other suitable location inside the vehicle
it must be secured in a suitable covered container,
attached to the vehicle and provided with drainage
through the base to outside the vehicle.
A suitable container must prevent leakage or
spillage of any liquid in the container inside the
vehicle and prevent electrical shorting under likely
operating conditions.
However some vehicle manufacturers have supplied
vehicles with the battery in the boot or passenger
compartment. In these vehicles the battery is
either non-vented or a special sealed battery usually
vented to the exterior of the vehicle. These vehicles
are acceptable provided the battery is of the same
type as originally supplied by the vehicle
manufacturer."

Brilliant, thankyou (and everyone) for your answers.

Legal liability considerations will (should) preclude a definitive reponse.

Virtually every battery maker in the world warns against housing batteries in 'sealed containers' and emphasise this includes AGM and gel cell batteries.

There is little risk in a well-ventilated vehicle as long as nothing goes wrong. If however the charging circuit goes haywire, it is possible that the battery can be seriously overcharged. If that happens gas builds up fast. The vents are thus designed to pop in such circumstances (this being considered safer than the battery exploding) - but a great deal of potentially explosive gas is suddently released. It burns at 4% concentration and explodes violently at 10%.

How probable is it that this may happen? Unlikely - but it can and does.

The only legally (and practicably) safe advice is to house it in a container that is ventilated (from both top and bottom) to atmosphere.

It seems to me that there is some confusion about what constitutes 'inside'. My old Liteace van had the underfllor battery accessed through a trapdoor under the carpet behind the driver's seat. Accessed from inside, but actually outside - hung under the floor and well ventilated.

My very old mini (1960s or early 70s) with the starter button on the floor, had the battery under the floor in the boot. This one was actually in a solid metal box set into in the floor, not outside. One day, for no apparent reason, I hit the starter button and the battery blew itself apart. I put it down to a short circuit and a build up of the explosive gases mentioned by other posters.

Mastervolt has 2 volt agm batteries, maybe you could rig up six of them and be able to fit them in your engine bay. I am going to do this with my patrol for a 3rd battery.