[marcksv]

Hey all!

Just sold a 1984 B250 camper to buy a brand new promaster as a base for a conversion project. In the B250 there was a Lead / Acid battery sitting under the bed in a plastic battery box. No vents to the outside, not sealed...

I am wondering if I should go by the book and have the battery bank (2x crown235) sealed / vented or if I dont if I would explode /*die!

I am looking for opinions /*comments from your experience!

If I buy AGM batteries to replace the lead /*acid crowns... Can I have those unsealed or they need to be vented also?

Thanks a lot!

 

[cahaak]

In regular air, hydrogen does not reach the explosive limit until about 18% and flammable at about 4%. So, for all practical purposes, if you use a good quality three stage charging system and have any type of passive air exchange with the areas where your batteries are stored, you will never be in a situation where you generate enough hydrogen to get 4% - much less 18% concentration in air. So, I think you are pretty safe here. Really, the advent of multistage chargers has greatly reduced / virtually eliminated the production of hydrogen from charging the batteries.

 

[marcksv]

Thanks for the reply!

I will have a Magnum MMS-1012 as a shore charger /*a Bogart SC-2030 as solar charge controller and a Sterling power B2B charger as a alternator charger controller when I'm driving the van.

Sounds good ?

 

[GaryBIS]

Hi,

Agree with Marcksv that as long as the charger is working properly that venting is not really needed.

On mine, I went ahead and did the venting just to be safe and cover the possibility of charger failure. Its basically an hours work to do the venting -- pretty simple.

Details on my vent:
http://www.buildagreenrv.com/our-conversion/promaster-diy-camper-van-conversion-electrical-and-solar

Search down the page for "venting".

Gary

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

I also vented mine. It’s cheap, easy and saves even thinking about spending more on AGM.

 

[proeddie]

As Gary said, "I went ahead and did the venting just to be safe and cover the possibility of charger failure"

For me, it was vent or AGM.... I went with AGM!

(2) 100Ah AGM with 3 year replacement warranty were $300....$ 100 per year

One less hole in van...

 

[marcksv]

My plan is actually to have the less amount of holes in the body... Only place I see I'll have no choice is for the propane stove and for the propex heater! But these will be in the floor so it can be patched up pretty easily compared to a hole in the side panels or roof!

Solar will go on a roof rack fixed to the stock attachments on the roof! Solar cables will go through the rear camera entry point. Shore power will go through the already present hole where the wires for the hitch goes through the floor (left rear corner I think).

Thanks for the inputs!

BTW, GaryBIS, Thanks for your website! I have been reading a lot on there in the past few months!

 

[Ziggy Stardog]

(2) 100Ah AGM with 3 year replacement warranty were $300....$ 100 per year

Ed,

I'm looking into AGM options so I'm less restricted by orientation for mounting-- not having to vent is a bonus. Could you elaborate on the specific battery you used?

I know you used an Autocraft Platinum batteries but I can't quite find the model. Are they actually starter batteries perhaps? I like the idea of a longer warranty and the ease of just going to Advance for pickup and replacement. I was also considering is Sams, but their warranty is a bit shorter.

Thanks!

 

[proeddie]

ZIG,

I got 'em from Advance Auto.... Google "AutoCraft Platinum AGM Battery, Group Size H8, 850 CCA"

Last I saw, they were about $195 with 20% or 25% off... Their description used to say for starting and high load (website info is pretty poor) - it seems to be a combination of a starter and deep cycle battery, so technically I guess it's not as good as a pure deep cycle battery... that being said, they have worked flawlessly for my setup with an Engel fridge, TV, ham radios, scanner, led lighting, Roku, laptops, cell phones, model train setup, and a Maxxair fan. The HF 2000W not-a-pure-sine-wave inverter I have is only used for the microwave, and a cheap induction burner, and I added the second battery because it didn't work very well with one.

Tough to find a good fit battery box so I used a Harbor Freight toolbox as an enclosure for each battery... the toolboxes comes in a set of 4 sizes for about $20 with coupon. They fully enclose the battery to protect the terminals from shorts from other items stored under my couch/bed... I used the second biggest size box in the set.. perfect fit for the battery described!

You need to bring in a core battery to exchange, but they took an old tractor starter battery as my core... they will take almost any 12V battery for a core.

Their 3 yr warranty is full replacement - not prorated, so you get 3 years out of 'em at minimum.