Dual 6V batteries inside BF17...

[Franswa]

first a little background....the DPO had dual 6V batteries installed under the left dinette seat by "Lord knows who"....they were in battery boxes...taking up so much space that you had to remove one to check the electrolyte level in the other one....plus the flimsy hardware holding down the boxes soon parted...on top of that he left the wire run to the propane locker/forward storage box (just taped up the ends) and spliced/tacked on new battery leads on said wire just before they exited the under seat area (creating a hornets nest of tangled up wires so you could'nt tell what was what or where it was going)

I got rid of the battery boxes. There is enough room for the two batteries side by side to be fully exposed when the seat lid is up. They sit on a "rack" made of a plywood base and 1"x1" border...screws through the plywood and two large eyes take care of keeping the batteries in place....a length of rope (through the large eyes) with a truckers hitch keep them down

I had two brass wire terminals left over from a long time ago boat project that I used to straighten out all the mess of wire. It is now easy to tell at a glance what goes where. All those snap-on connectors (?) are gone except for one left to join the trailer brake/breakaway circuit (blues wires). There was never a main fuse for the battery so I added that. I left that abandoned circuit going forward...I use it for the deployable solar panel. It's also a possible outside 12V power source...

After catching so much grief on here about "ventilation" last year I decided to do something about that....it's an upside down, tight fitting vinyl container with a hole cut in it to accept a breather tube that runs outsite the trailer and into the propane locker. Hydrogen gas is FOURTEEN times lighter than air...not being able to go down it will exit the coach through the tube...

I plan on playing around (experimenting/adding to) some more with the electrical system....the blocks will make it real easy to do that...

I know somebody on here was toying with the idea for a BF17...so I thought I'd post this "example".....cheers

[Bob Miller]

FWIW: There are "Double Battery" racks available that have a base plate and a top clamp to hold two batteries. sizes for two 24's, 27's, and 31's are available.


If that Blue Box is a cover, it will trap lots of hydrogen gas inside and needs a top vent. I always vent to the outside with a regular 4" diameter RV battery vent cover.

[Franswa]

I didn't know it would'nt fit through a half inch clear tube (it's "friction fit through the top/side of the "box" and the outside wall of the trailer)

[Bob Miller]

Battery box vents are usually at the top of the cover and vent up hill. It still looks like you have ample opportunity to trap hydrogen under your cover.

[WaltP]

On my BF17 the two batteries are mounted under the front cowling in front of the propane tanks. Not certain but I think that was a mod by the PO.
Anyway it means I have a lot more storage under the benches and no venting issues.

Walt

[Franswa]

but there is no free lunch....you're PO opted for more storage inside, more tounge weight.....mine didn't think/do anything about the venting (I had to do that) but opted for less weight forward and found/created new outside storage (forward section of propane locker)

I'm thinking that doubling the battery weight and moving it back 4 feet probably didn't increase tounge weight too much if at all in my example...

anyway that's what I like about this site (and why I post mods of my own)...being able to see and consider other peoples "solutions" is very helpful when thinking of making changes...cheers and happy motoring, F

[WaltP]

Granted I have more tongue weight, but it's still well within the usual recommendation of under 15% total, and I love the added storage.
As they say, different strokes.....

Walt

[wbullivant]

This fairly simple design from Zomeworks is interesting:

Example 5 | Zomeworks Corporation

I do think it would be hazardous not to have the exhaust vent at the very top of your enclosure and routed continuously upward from there. I've seen commercial vented batteries and they use quite a small tube (around 1/4") so I imagine your's is of adequate size if properly located. I'm a little concerned about your battery hold down arrangement and think a mechanical clamp would be more effective in preventing movement when going down that bumpy road. When I've used a rope in that manner it seems to loosen up over time.