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Old 03-22-2005, 06:47 AM   #1
carlson
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Making Battery Boxes

I have (1) 12 volt battery in the 5th wheel now and plan on putting in (4) 6 volt golf batteries and a 2000 watt inverter.
I have been having problems in finding the correct size battery boxes.
Then I found some and it was going to cost me about $60.00 per box.
So since I have been making shelves in the 5th wheel, I decided to make my own.
I made two boxes, 16 x 11 x 12 1/2 tall and covers out of 5/8" plywood I had around the garage.
I put a 2" hole in the bottom and 2" holes in the sides for the vent line between the batteries out of PVC pipe.
I also plan on running the cables between the batteries in the PVC pipe.
I have some fiberglass resin and cloth so I will fiberglass the insides,
I plan on putting the boxes one on each side.
With what I was going to pay for two boxes, I am able to about buy two batteries
 
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Old 03-22-2005, 06:53 AM   #2
Montana_265
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Sounds like you have a little Tom Edison and Tim the Toolman in you!
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Old 03-22-2005, 08:07 AM   #3
Montana_2785
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carlson,

Your battery box construction is just what I was looking for. I'm planning on a number of batteries as well and was trying to decide what kind of box I could build. The problem was materials that would contain acid vapors and hydrogen and not cost an arm & a leg.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Eric
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Old 03-23-2005, 01:35 AM   #4
tweir
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Dos Centavos: may I suggest in lieu of using fiberglass as the interior liner, spray the inside of the boxes with automotive undercoating--its cheap, resists acid and makes for a quasi no-slide underlayment for the batteries so they won't shift even with battery hold-downs. You can get that stuff at any auto parts store and its about 5 bucks a can. I use it all the time. I run 29 battery powered vehicles here at work, and I always spray the battery hold-down areas; even on new units right from the factory. Don't forget to coat your terminals with anti-corrosion compound--you'll be glad you did in the long term. That product comes in either a spray ($4.99 per can @ NAPA)or brush-on. Spray is neater and easier, but the brush-on lasts longer. I recoat terminals at least once every three months after a good cleaning of the batteries with a neutralizer (baking soda & water works real well). Not being fastidious or anything, I do the same thing on the Montana and our personal vehicles. Send some pics when you finish your project---really sounds interesting.
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Old 03-23-2005, 01:54 AM   #5
Montana_2785
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by tweir

Dos Centavos: may I suggest in lieu of using fiberglass as the interior liner, spray the inside of the boxes with automotive undercoating--its cheap, resists acid and makes for a quasi no-slide underlayment for the batteries [...]
Tom, I think you have perhaps solved another part of the puzzle. I was trying to thing of a good gasket for the lid of this box and I think the undercoating material would "stick" together well enough to provide a decent seal. What to you think? My goal is to have the battery box sealed well enough that my charger & inverter can be mounted inside the front compartment next to this new battery box. That way, all my high current wiring is right there where I can get at it.

Eric
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Old 03-23-2005, 02:48 AM   #6
carlson
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twier,
I never thought about the spray undercaoting, but it is a great idea. I haven't done the fiberglassing yet.
What I might do is a light coat of fiberglass so I can put the cloth in the corners for strenght and then undercaot the fiberglass.
I like it!!!
Eric,
What I am planning on is using a thin foam strip on top of the boxes and the covers will not have hinges but two tie down types fixtures to hold the covers down tight, still working on that.
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Old 03-23-2005, 06:25 AM   #7
tweir
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The undercoating may work as a seal depending on how much "compression" you can get between the lid and the box itself. The foam strip sounds good,and the stuff is cheap--like duct tape; it has 1001 uses...! Make sure if you put undercoating over the fiberglass, the glass is cured real well so the coating will adhere. I think both you folks are onto something and the project will work very well.
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Old 03-25-2005, 09:59 AM   #8
CRUZIN 2
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We all know the battery box needs to be improved. In ours, we had two boxes which took up lots of room, so I replaced them with one. I will try to display one picture of what I did, at a very low cost. I used a plastic tub with a lid, cut holes in for the cables. It is fastened down with screws coming up from the bottom into a piece of 2 x 4 in the bottom of the tub. We all have different ideas and most will work.

Larry & LaVonne

http://tinypic.com/view.html?pic=2bwl00
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