best place for batteries

g'day all,
I want to wire our old van up with more 12 volt accessories (water pump, more lights etc .But finding a place to store the battery is what question is about. Is it safe to store batteries in the van ,under a bed or seat for example, or does it need to be in a vented area, i thought of mounting it on the A frame but room is limited,with the gas bottle and spare tyre already there.Any ideas and theories would be much appreciated,thanks in advance.
Cheers John.
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Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 at 18:20

Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 at 18:20
Perfectly safe to mount the battery under a bed or seat or cupboard, providing it is an AGM style battery. These batteries are sealed and do not give off explosive or corrosive vapours. No need to vent this type at all.


Bill.
Bill


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Follow Up By: john&thejayco - Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 at 18:32

Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 at 18:32
g'day Sandman,
the battery i was going to use is a sealed calcium gel battery that i have been using in my tinny to run an electric motor and depth sounder, but if they are not suitable for this type of installation, i will look at the AGM style you are talking about.
Cheers John.
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Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 at 20:58

Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 at 20:58
A calcium gell battery is also safe to use if you already have one, but the efficiency is not as good when compared to an AGM battery.

AGM is an acronym for Absorbed Glass Matt construction.

See Battery Tutorial for more information.


Bill.


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Reply By: carlsp - Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 at 21:22

Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 at 21:22
Hi John,

An army battle tank has 8 truck batteries mounted inside the tank. All this where 4 soldiers work, sleep and cook dinner. Not to mention fire lots of big guns.

So you can do the eating and sleeping and if you want, the gun firing as well perfectly safely. I would go for Gel or AGM batteries rather than standard lead acid one however.

PS: do not check the battery level however with a bic lighter when inside the tank. Only did it once.
AnswerID: 426888

Follow Up By: Mike DiD - Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010 at 12:03

Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010 at 12:03
If the batteries had removeable caps for checking water level then they weren't AGM or Gel.

The battery compartment must have been sealed from the crew compartment and vented outside.
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FollowupID: 697519

Follow Up By: carlsp - Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010 at 21:28

Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010 at 21:28
no normal lead acid wet batteries and not in a seal compartment, nor vented to the outside.

Tough guys in tanks
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Follow Up By: Member - Roger B (VIC) - Monday, Sep 06, 2010 at 22:16

Monday, Sep 06, 2010 at 22:16
Centurion or Leopard ??
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FollowupID: 700342

Reply By: WATTS2C - Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010 at 08:46

Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010 at 08:46
A few facts from our website on AGM batteries -

AGM batteries are totally sealed, ‘transport’ classed as spill proof and never need topping up with water. Ever!

~ They can be installed at any angle (accept upside down).

~ They have very rapid recharge times - much faster than gel cell and lead acid batteries.

~ They have a low discharge rate.

~ They can be mounted inside a car, caravan, motorhome etc and only need to be vented to atmosphere - they do not need to be in a sealed box vented to the outside like wet batteries, and can be mounted on their sides or ends if needed.

~ AGM batteries were originally developed for the military, they are very robust and can take a real pounding.

regards

MH

AnswerID: 426920

Follow Up By: ABR - SIDEWINDER - Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010 at 13:03

Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010 at 13:03
They have a low SELF discharge rate

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