Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Do sealed lead acid batteries require ventilation when used in a home?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Do sealed lead acid batteries require ventilation when used in a home?

    I plan on wiring together eight 12V 35Ah Sealed Lead Acid golf cart batteries in series and parallel to give me a 24V battery bank. The bank will be used with a 24V inverter to give me 110VAC and will be used for backups as well as small loads like a wireless router. It will be charged with a solar panel.

    If I setup the batteries in my basement, would I need to ventilate them? I've read that sealed lead acid batteries do not vent any gas but I want to be sure about it.

  • #2
    I would be VERY surprised to find sealed (True AGM) golf cart batteries. Just too expensive. More likely they are "maintenance free" flooded cell batteries or Gel batteries.

    AGM batteries would not need any special vent requirements.

    However, Home Power had an article several years ago called "Battery Blunders" and it showed 2 fellows looking over the remains of a fried battery bank. It was NOT pretty sight, basically, something had shorted, and in seconds, about 20 batteries exploded, with sparks and spewing boiling acid. Big fire, big mess. Not in my basement.
    My batteries will be in a brick or cement block shed. Way too much energy contained in a large battery bank to have it under the same roof I'm sleeping in.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

    Comment


    • #3
      good point. I'm glad you mentioned Home Power. Never heard of it before, I just ordered a subscription. were the fried batteries you mentioned AGM?

      Comment


      • #4
        It is a good idea to protect the batteries and their connections. I use boat battery boxes. All it would take is a small child to ruin your day. Also you should always work safe and protect your investment. I get the boat battery covers at Wall Mart. Gases not so bad for sealed batteries. Please also keep batteries away from heat. Any battery will weaken power due to heating.

        Comment


        • #5
          Sealed lead acid batteries don't really need ventilation when used indoors IF they are operating correctly. There's a nice bank of them running in a back office here, in fact... Now, the idea of using battery boxes is very good for safety reasons, to avoid short circuits.

          I have had SLAs split and leak before when they got severely sulfated. This will also protect your floor!

          Keep the battery temperatures as low as possible. Temps above 90F will shorten the batteries' life.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by DizzyD View Post
            were the fried batteries you mentioned AGM?
            no , they were charcoal

            No way to tell, and because of the fire from it, and the damage, the article was not very forthcoming about exactly what went wrong.

            But any batteries indoors, need venting outdoors, and some sort of acid containment incase all heck breaks loose
            Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
            || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
            || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

            solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
            gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by DizzyD View Post
              I plan on wiring together eight 12V 35Ah Sealed Lead Acid golf cart batteries in series and parallel to give me a 24V battery bank.
              If SLA bateries no requirement to ventilate, that is what they were made for. Even if they were Flooded Lead Acid (FLA) with such a small system there is no code requirement for ventilation.
              MSEE, PE

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by DizzyD View Post
                I plan on wiring together eight 12V 35Ah Sealed Lead Acid golf cart batteries in series and parallel to give me a 24V battery bank. The bank will be used with a 24V inverter to give me 110VAC and will be used for backups as well as small loads like a wireless router. It will be charged with a solar panel.

                If I setup the batteries in my basement, would I need to ventilate them? I've read that sealed lead acid batteries do not vent any gas but I want to be sure about it.
                even with sealed La batteries I would use a vent.....

                I don't want hydrogen and pure oxygen building up in my house from a leaking sealed battery. -_-

                error on the side of safe.
                But what if you use 12% and only get 8% energy return not filling a battery completely off the solar array- is this considered a cycle? Mmmmmmm mauh brain's sizzling
                [/QUOTE]
                [quote] If a pigeon had his brains it would fly sideways [/quote]

                Comment


                • #9
                  Hi guys - I am in the process of having a new cabin/home built in a remote area without power. Believe me that if I could connect to the grid I would but this place on a beautiful lake is very special. I am still in the process of designing the solar power system (with generator augmentation to keep costs low). As the plans for the cabin are getting nailed down in terms of floor layout and rough design, I am now wondering if I should pour/build some sort of cement shelter adjacent to the basement to store the batteries. I would really like to avoid this and just use a battery storage case.

                  I am curious what you guys think. Here's the rough specs/assumption

                  - Battery system is 48volt using (worse case) L-16 6 volt cells (325AH) flooded deep cycle. I have done the math and think I can avoid AGM due to cost. Obviously need 8 batteries.

                  I found an off the shelf storage case built by Radiant and made from HDPE material. I tried to create a link but it didn't work
                  ​I see that it has a vent so assuming I can vent that outside somehow and then the batteries are properly fused, would this offer suitable protection to keep the batteries in my storage area in the basement ?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Batteries, even sealed VRLA, require venting, because their failure mode, is to vent gas. 99% of the time, they stay sealed, but as they age, or if a charger fouls up, they will vent gas.

                    It's a good idea to have a structure separate from your home, to house the batteries and generator. If something does go wrong, it's not the house that burns up, just the outbuilding, Or you can take a chance...... Having gallons of strong acid under the same roof that I live in, is not my ideal lifestyle.
                    Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
                    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
                    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

                    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
                    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      thanks for the advice Mike. I think I can plan to build an outbuilding for this, then I would rest easy.
                      I will try to research the answer to my next question but.... do i need to worry about the FLA batteries in temps slightly below freezing assuming that they are charged?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Actually i decided to read the spec sheet on a typical Trojan battery.
                        I think I am good if I keep it charged:

                        -4°F to 113°F (-20°C to +45°C). At temperatures below 32°F (0°C) maintain a state of charge greater than 60%.

                        it won't get that cold...

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by DizzyD View Post
                          I plan on wiring together eight 12V 35Ah Sealed Lead Acid golf cart batteries .
                          No such animal exist. Golf Cart batteries are either 6-volt 225 AH, 8-volt 190 AH, or 12-Volt 160 AH.

                          There is no way you could possible use a 35 AH battery in any voltage to run a golf cart. They simply cannot provide the 300 to 600 amps of current required.

                          MSEE, PE

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Sunking View Post
                            No such animal exist. Golf Cart batteries are either 6-volt 225 AH, 8-volt 190 AH, or 12-Volt 160 AH.

                            There is no way you could possible use a 35 AH battery in any voltage to run a golf cart. They simply cannot provide the 300 to 600 amps of current required.
                            Uh. DizzyD last posted was almost 7 years ago. Maybe he had a much smaller golf cart back then.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by SunEagle View Post

                              Uh. DizzyD last posted was almost 7 years ago. Maybe he had a much smaller golf cart back then.
                              Crap and I usually catch dates.
                              MSEE, PE

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X