Battery Box Basics

Looking to build a battery box for flooded batteries, where can I go to get good reading material on the subject?

Thanks,
Philip

Comments

  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Battery Box Basics

    phil,
    i'm not so sure there is a book on it specifically, but maybe the guys know of some other books that may have addressed it briefly.
    to me it really isn't rocket science and parameters for the box may be determined by other influences such as inside/outside, temperature mins/maxes, quantity of batteries, type of batteries, venting if applicable, etc. it's really just a glorified box and can be simple or complex depending on what you have for its requirements and what you desire for it.
  • Vic
    Vic Solar Expert Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Battery Box Basics

    Hi Phillip C,

    This site has had a number of threads on battery boxes, for example:
    http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?t=7105&highlight=battery+box

    AND:
    http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?t=6661&highlight=battery+box

    Searching some Forum(s) can be a bit frustrating, but searching on this site for "battery box" yielded this list:
    http://forum.solar-electric.com/search.php?searchid=559841&pp=25

    You may wish to poke around on this list of hits.

    One thing to be aware of, is that for installations that will be inspected for code compliance, some jurisdictions may require 'secondary containment' when flooded batteries are used IIRC.

    Good luck, Vic
    Off Grid - Two systems -- 4 SW+ 5548 Inverters, Surrette 4KS25 1280 AH X2@48V, 11.1 KW STC PV, 4X MidNite Classic 150 w/ WBjrs, Beta KID on S-530s, MX-60s, MN Bkrs/Boxes.  25 KVA Polyphase Kubota diesel,  Honda Eu6500isa,  Eu3000is-es, Eu2000,  Eu1000 gensets.  Thanks Wind-Sun for this great Forum.
  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Battery Box Basics

    Basic rule of thumb is keep temperatures in the battery enclosure as stable as reasonable. Large battery banks have considerable thermal mass so that they heat up and cool down slowly.

    After that, in a small battery bank, a voltage controlled vent fan system or a good passive vent system to vent hydrogen gas. Larger system might benefit from hydrogen gas sensor controlled vents.

    A containment base to contain electrolite in the event of a failure is probably a good idea.

    Above all, fire protection with proper fusing, fire rated material such as cement board or fire rated drywall. Bottom line is, batteries have tremendous stored energy, so a short, or failure can have catastrophic results.

    Just a start,

    Tony
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Battery Box Basics

    By the way, the "Forum Search Link" is a temporary cache--and will go away soon.

    For forum searches--Try Google and adding "site:wind-sun.com" to limit your searches to this site:
    And, watch how well the materials selected will withstand any acid spills/mist:
    I would start by identifying the type of plastic (perhaps, the recycle symbol with the number inside--typically 1-7).
    Let’s start with #1 PET which stands for Polyethylene terephthalate. Soda bottles as well as some beer and liquor bottles are made from PET along with a variety of other food bottles and trays. PET can be melted and drawn out into long fibers and recycled into carpets, fiberfill for jackets, and fabric for T-shirts and shopping bags which unfortunately cannot be recycled. Manufacturers want recycled PET and buy it. Coca Cola has finally started using a measly 3 percent recycled PET in their bottles. Be aware that local recyclers only accept narrow-neck PET bottles. I have surmised over the years that used PET food containers with sticky food scraps contaminate the recycling machines.

    Milk and water jugs are made from number #2 HDPE or high-density polyethylene. Clear HDPE could easily be made into new containers. The colored HDPE (liquid detergent, and shampoo bottles) is generally recycled in plastic lumber. Those tough Tyvek mailing envelopes and white contamination suits are also a form of HDPE and are impossible to recycle.

    Vinyl or polyvinyl chloride (# 3 V) could be recycled. It is used for clear food packaging and plumbing pipe. However, collecting it for recycling is cost-prohibitive because there are not enough items made from the material to warrant local factories to recycle it into new products. They are generally used once and tossed.

    Low-density polyethylene (# 4 LDPE) is very flexible and made into bags for bread, frozen food, and grocery. Some of these bags are recycled into new bags or plastic lumber such as Trex. This plastic is lightweight and trucking it back for recycling uses more energy than producing a virgin product. Unless there is a recycling factory close by, most LDPE ends up in the landfill. Consider using cloth shopping bags. My husband and I have used the same bags for over eleven years.

    Polypropylene (# 5 PP) is made into yogurt, margarine, and other food containers. Like number 3 V, there are not enough containers made from PP to justify collecting it and shipping it to a recycling factory. In places where big industries use PP, there is enough volume for it to be sold for recycling.

    Then there’s #6 PS - Polystyrene, the plastic that I would ban from the face of the earth. Solid PS is made into compact disc jackets, eating utensils, and take-out food containers. The expanded PS know as Styrofoam is used for packing materials, coffee cups, meat trays, and egg cartons. The cost of moving used Styrofoam is higher than making it from virgin oil. Jax Place reported, “Foam recycling is a scam to make you feel OK about buying it. Don’t buy it; PS is buried in landfills.” Styrofoam is always found in our local creeks and rivers where birds and fish think it is food clogging up their digestive tracks thus ending their lives.

    The last of the labeled plastics is #7 OTHER. I echo Mr. Place’s voice, “Don’t buy this stuff unless you want to keep it. It can’t be sold or recycled.” Catsup bottles have wavered between PET and OTHER over the last few years. Lids and imported containers are likely to be made from mixed resins known as OTHER.
    Then use a Chemical Resistance Data Base like this one.

    For the 10-75% concentrations of Sulfuric Acid, I got:
    [FONT=Fixedsys]     Sulfuric Acid (10-75%)
    
    Material         Compatibility
    Carbon graphite  A-Excellent
    Carpenter 20     A-Excellent
    Ceramic Al203    A-Excellent
    ChemRaz (FFKM)   A-Excellent
    CPVC             A-Excellent
    Epoxy            A-Excellent
    Fluorocarbon (FKM)  A-Excellent
    Kalrez           A-Excellent
    Kel-Fr           A-Excellent
    LDPE             A-Excellent
    NORYLr           A-Excellent
    Polypropylene    A-Excellent
    PPS (Ryton®)     A-Excellent
    PTFE             A-Excellent
    PVC              A-Excellent
    PVDF (Kynar®)    A-Excellent
    Vitonr           A-Excellent
    ABS plastic      B-Good
    Bronze           B-Good
    Buna N (Nitrile) B-Good
    EPDM             B-Good
    Hastelloy-Cr     B-Good
    Hypalonr         B-Good
    Neoprene         B-Good
    Polycarbonate    B-Good
    Natural rubber   C-Fair
    304 stainless steel   D-Severe Effect
    316 stainless steel   D-Severe Effect
    Acetal (Delrinr)      D-Severe Effect
    Aluminum         D-Severe Effect
    Carbon Steel     D-Severe Effect
    Cast iron        D-Severe Effect
    Nylon            D-Severe Effect
    Polyetherether Ketone (PEEK)     D-Severe Effect
    Polyurethane     D-Severe Effect
    Silicone         D-Severe Effect
    Titanium         D-Severe Effect
    
    Ratings -- Chemical Effect
    A = Excellent.
    B = Good -- Minor Effect, slight corrosion or discoloration.
    C = Fair -- Moderate Effect, not recommended for continuous 
                use. Softening, loss of strength,swelling may occur.
    D = Severe Effect, not recommended for ANY use.[/FONT]
    
    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Vic
    Vic Solar Expert Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Battery Box Basics

    Oh, I thought that had been resolved, and that posted links would remain valid over extended time periods.

    OK, but still, for a user, searching the form will provide many useful hits, and reduce the amount of gross data that needs to be stored. Searching this site works well, particulary if the search term has several words, etc

    Particulary, the Moderators wind up posting replies over and over, to recurring wonderments from newbies like myself.

    Thanks BB Bill, Vic
    Off Grid - Two systems -- 4 SW+ 5548 Inverters, Surrette 4KS25 1280 AH X2@48V, 11.1 KW STC PV, 4X MidNite Classic 150 w/ WBjrs, Beta KID on S-530s, MX-60s, MN Bkrs/Boxes.  25 KVA Polyphase Kubota diesel,  Honda Eu6500isa,  Eu3000is-es, Eu2000,  Eu1000 gensets.  Thanks Wind-Sun for this great Forum.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Battery Box Basics

    Our pleasure Vic.

    The links to posts themselves will be there "forever"...

    The Forum Search Tool creates a "temporary" web page with the results (I guess to save processing time)--but does not last very long (less than an hour +/- ?? --- maybe a bit longer.

    If you put "battery box" in the forum search tool--you will get Vic's results again.

    The Google Search tends to be more "natural language" and is a good place for people new to the forum who may not know some of the common terms used here.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Vic
    Vic Solar Expert Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Battery Box Basics

    Otay, Thanks Bill,

    Off to the mountains we go ! C U Thanks again, Vic
    Off Grid - Two systems -- 4 SW+ 5548 Inverters, Surrette 4KS25 1280 AH X2@48V, 11.1 KW STC PV, 4X MidNite Classic 150 w/ WBjrs, Beta KID on S-530s, MX-60s, MN Bkrs/Boxes.  25 KVA Polyphase Kubota diesel,  Honda Eu6500isa,  Eu3000is-es, Eu2000,  Eu1000 gensets.  Thanks Wind-Sun for this great Forum.