Crawlspace storage

[PVCabin]

Is it possible (and advisable) to store the batteries (AGM) and all the necessary equipment (battery chargers, inverters, etc) in a crawlspace? I'm trying to maximize the use of the small cabin upstairs. The temperature outside will certainly drop to the single digits (and below zero on occasion) at night in the winter time. Is it possible to properly insulate the crawlspace enough so as to not damage the components? Anyone have a similar setup?
Thank you.

[Mike90250]

Crawlspace is not optimal, and local code may prohibit it.

AGM batteries are pretty safe (allowed on airplanes) but with the gear out of sight, it's goin g to be tougher to monitor & maintain.

[PVCabin]

I will see if I cant squeeze these into the back of a small closet. I shouldn't require too many batteries and the inverter & charge controllers seem rather small and can be mounted onto the back of a wall/cabinet. I will have to check with the local code about keeping them in a crawlspace, but a very good point about monitoring the batteries-less likely for me to do this if I have to go into the crawlspace.
I appreciate all the information!

[Naptown]

also keeping them a little warmer will help also

[russ]

There are enough connections there that area is your greatest fire danger - isolated is better than where you have any risk of burning the house down?

[SteveC]

I live in a small cottage [so, all floor space valuable] in an area where it gets cold [+2 F. this a.m.] and stays cold for months at a time. Even on warmer days, and sure there are some of those, too, the crawl space remains an ice box from about Oct. to about May. Miserably cold under there. If you put those batteries down there, even those that don't need water added, you will be an unhappy guy if you need or want to do anything to or with them during the cold season(s). Trust me. Nothing like crawling around on your belly in below-freezing temp's with tools and flashlights and so on. Miserable.

I put my batteries in my house. Even though they take up some space, I can deal with them in warm comfort. It is worth it.

Of course, if you own the place and have a little place outdoors where you could build a small, heavily insulated battery shed, you could do that as well. The batteries still won't be as warm as inside and you would have the expense of large-gauge wiring to run. Real large. Unless you are inverting out in the shed, to 120 v. If you are running DC current from the batteries to equipment in the house, you'll need very large cables.

I'd put the batteries indoors.....

[PVCabin]

I live in a small cottage [so, all floor space valuable] in an area where it gets cold [+2 F. this a.m.] and stays cold for months at a time. Even on warmer days, and sure there are some of those, too, the crawl space remains an ice box from about Oct. to about May.

This sounds like where I will be building the cabin...Where do you store the batteries, inverters, etc.? Do you have a separate closet for them? Like you mentioned, all floor space is valuable, so now I am trying to design the cabin with the idea of having the batteries inside. Where is a safe place to store all the equipment without having to worry about a fire?

Speaking of a fire, since this is an off-grid system, it never occurred to me the potential for a fire. Has anyone experienced any fires with their electrical equipment?

[SteveC]

We have a pantry, or what we call a pantry, which is also an open area through which we walk to get into an attached greenhouse and the bathroom. The walls are covered with shelves and the Sunfrost 'fridge and freezer are in there. I have the batteries against one wall, below the shelves of canned goods, etc., on that wall. The inverters, controllers, and etc. are all mounted on a section of wall above the batteries. So, everything but the panels is right there, together. I have smoke and CO alarms in there, plus a fire extinguisher on the wall.

Fire is a concern anywhere one has electricity, electronics, and batteries. Obviously. Fire is also a concern anywhere there is equipment for grid-supplied electricity. I don't feel as if we have any unusual fire danger with our off-grid system. The installations I've been around that worried me [and I am not a pro', I just have an off-grid home I have built myself, including all the PV systems] were those where an owner kept expanding the system without properly upgrading some components. For example, adding more panels to the array and trying to run the electricity from the panels though control systems that they've rigged up to handle more power but without upgrading breakers, fuses, wiring, etc. I've seen those, and they scare me.

But if you are obtaining and installing reasonably up-to-date and properly-sized components, no problem. Or, that is how I feel. I have zero problem with the batteries being in my living space. You must set them up so that you cannot accidentally short the battery terminals [drop a can of soup across them] and that guests and kids also cannot.

A friend of ours with an even smaller place than we have built a bench seat thing against one wall with cushions on top so it would function as a sitting area. The batteries are down inside the bench seat. He put a port to the outdoors and another at the bottom of the far end of the battery chamber so no H2 would build up in there. He used short, scrap pieces of three-inch PVC pipe. You would never know there were batteries under the cushions. All he had to do to check on or service the batteries was to pull off the cushions and the plywood top of the seat. Just one idea.....

[PVCabin]

Thank you for the information and ideas regarding battery storage-I was only thinking about the crawlspace in order to maximize the space in the cabin.

A friend of ours with an even smaller place than we have built a bench seat thing against one wall with cushions on top so it would function as a sitting area. The batteries are down inside the bench seat. He put a port to the outdoors and another at the bottom of the far end of the battery chamber so no H2 would build up in there. He used short, scrap pieces of three-inch PVC pipe. You would never know there were batteries under the cushions. All he had to do to check on or service the batteries was to pull off the cushions and the plywood top of the seat. Just one idea.....

This sounds like a great idea, and with AGM batteries, I won't need any venting. Would be great to make the bench large enough to house the inverter, charge controller, and the rest of the required equipment.