I had a flat battery a couple of weeks ago, knew it had a two year warranty but as I didn't have the receipt with me & I needed a battery, I bought a replacement. Went home & found the failed battery still had 2 months of warranty on it.
Took it back to the agent, they said they'd test it over the next couple of days & cutting a longer story short, I have a new start battery in the car AND a new Century Overlander in my garage. It has 830CCA & 100AH ratings.
I've thought about hooking up my previous house solar panels (you don't want to know that story - it involved a house fire) & using the battery to power lights, car fridge, etc. If I replaced the deep cycle battery in the van (age unknown but we've had the van for 2.5 years), I have issues -
- the battery is under "my" bed.
- not that easy to get at (topping the electrolyte up) - it would require using a mirror.
- is not vented to outside air & while my DC load is relatively small, LA batteries give off corrosive & explosive gases. I could put a vent(s) into the front boot that is vented as the gas cylinders are in there.
So I'm open to the experts (not a real lot in the "Search Tab") - do I use it at home for something? Or put it in the van?
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Warren
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If you don't get it done today, there's always tomorrow!
Is it too late to ask them to switch the replacement over for a proper agm plus a few bucks ?
for my mind, I'd not be putting it in the van if it can vent when on charge.
If your vans one is running fine, why mess ? if it aint broke and all that.
Do you have the set up at home to use it ? lights in the shed maybe ?
I actually have a newish battery in the shed which I stick on the charger now and then. My theory is that it is my back up if my main starter one goes.
My 2006 Toyota Prius has a flooded cell sealed 12v battery mounted behind the R/H rear wheel. It is a hatch back so this puts the battery inside the passenger compartment. I had a bad smell develop in the car that I only discovered when I returned home after 1 mth away, traced it back to the battery, a dead cell. So much for the sealed battery story, it was still venting into the inside of the vehicle. This tells me that a sealed lead acid battery still leaks gases, I sure wouldn't be fitting them under the bed, no matter if they are starting batteries, sealed batteries, AGM batteries or Gel batteries. If they are going to vent an explosive mix of 2 parts hydrogen and one part oxygen into an enclosed area then they have the potential to create a very dangerous situation. A vent needs to both up high and through the floor, the hydrogen will rise but unless there is an air flow from bottom to top, it will not pass out the top vent.
T1 Terry
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Terry, Doesn't the '06 Prius have a vent and circulation fan somewhere near the rear r/h door jam ? I think the manual when says to take care not to block it when packing the car. I certainly know I repacked my late Mum's Pruis every time she was readying for another cross-country jaunt and she would complain that it made the fan louder.
Terry, Doesn't the '06 Prius have a vent and circulation fan somewhere near the rear r/h door jam ? I think the manual when says to take care not to block it when packing the car. I certainly know I repacked my late Mum's Pruis every time she was readying for another cross-country jaunt and she would complain that it made the fan louder.
That fan and vent is for the traction battery, not the aux 12v battery. I sorted mine by building a 4 cell 12v battery from old 40Ah lithium cells and all the Prius Red Triangle of Death problems disappeared. I did the same with the '08 ex Brisbane taxi with 720,000km of the clock and that sorted its problems as well.
T1 Terry
__________________
You can lead a head to knowledge but you can't make it think. One day I'll know it all, but till then, I'll keep learning.
Any links to any sites or products is not an endorsement by me or do I gain any financial reward for such links
I relocated the van battery from under a seat in the van to the front boot, mind you the gas bottles are situated on the A frame, not in the boot. I didn't like where it was, under a seat next to the charger and the 3 way fridge, which is not completly isolated from the battery, and no ventilation. The battery is a sealed lead acid type but I was not happy where it was.
EJP
Hello everyone,
You've all confirmed what I feared when I asked the question.
The battery is not sealed plus a nice item that possibly causes sparks on the commy (the pump) is in the compartment as well. And there is a ruling that batteries are not to be stored adjacent with gas cylinders. I guess in the current positioning, Mr Jayco got away with the battery location as it would be about 1.5m away from the gas cylinders (on the diagonal) but with only the boot wall thickness separating them.
Brett,
I did ask about swapping it for a Deep Cycle (AGM slipped my mind at the time - tropical heat & humidity may have been to blame) & that was when I was told it was a combination HD battery.
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Warren
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If you don't get it done today, there's always tomorrow!
