2 batterys and 2propane tanks together stored in tongue box

[yogavnture]

FIRST I had to endure the hell of putting an old duo therm heater in my camper and now i have to endure the hell of putting two 6 volt batterys together with two small 11 lb propane tanks together in an enclosed tongue trailer box. i cant take this anymore. i just want to stay warm!!! . so my idea is to put two 6 volt batterys which are connected together to make one 12 volt battery . these two batterys will be together in one of those plastic battery boxes. then i put that plastic battery box into a metal tongue box and squeeze in to that metal tongue box two 11 lb propane tanks i will have only one propane tank hooked up and when it goes dry i will manually switch it out to other tank. someone says I'm crazy to do this idea. as one spark from battery will cause explosion. i know this is an enclosed space and every thing will be very tight proximity. i saw on you tube a video of a guy that cut a 10 x 7 inch square cut out on back of metal box and put a vent on it. would that suffice to keep things safe. I mean how often would a spark or gas come off battery and how often would a leak be on propane tank to cause an explosion..................

[Joe MacDonald]

a spark could come from anywhere, batteries typically off gas when charging, open the bottom of the box, and a vent on the rear or side, and that might be adequate. you can always carry a 20 lb tank and connect it to the regulator outside the box sitting on the ground.
Joe

[yogavnture]

Originally Posted by Joe MacDonald

a spark could come from anywhere, batteries typically off gas when charging, open the bottom of the box, and a vent on the rear or side, and that might be adequate. you can always carry a 20 lb tank and connect it to the regulator outside the box sitting on the ground.
Joe

yea i never thought about setting up the tank outside on the ground idea. so what I'm doing right now is 2 6 volt batterys. in a plastic big battery box it fits both batterys together. wouldn't that alone stop half the danger? then next to battery box in big tongue box is two propane tanks 11 lb each. my plan is to get propane set up in the box. on one tank and when it runs out i will manually switch over tank. but it would all occur in the tongue box the batterys and the propane set up. now what i could do is when i use propane , i could just open the top of the box a bit. to further vent. when i travel down the road i would always have the tanks shut off. no way for explosion in that case? only if a propane leak in the system somewhere.

[Eric Frye]

Vent the box at the bottom as propane is heavier than air and drops. Lead acid batteries do off gas when charging with hydrogen gas which is lighter than air so you need a vent at the top of the box as well. Usually batteries explode when they are not properly maintained (low water) and short out internally while being charged. If you keep your batteries maintained and your propane lines tight and you shouldn't have any issues.

[yogavnture]

Originally Posted by Eric Frye

Vent the box at the bottom as propane is heavier than air and drops. Lead acid batteries do off gas when charging with hydrogen gas which is lighter than air so you need a vent at the top of the box as well. Usually batteries explode when they are not properly maintained (low water) and short out internally while being charged. If you keep your batteries maintained and your propane lines tight and you shouldn't have any issues.

thanks their is a you tube video of someone that did this idea. i had it installed yesterday. on my camper. two 11 lb propane in front and in back two 6 volt battery in a battery box. all of this in a metal tongue box. ............now the installer wants to put the regulator for the propane ( i plan on only having single reg, when the tank runs dry i will just manually switch it out to other tank). on the inside of the metal tongue box . but he could put the reg also inside the box. this is all a very very tight fit. I'm tempted to put reg on inside of box. i already have two holes at bottom of tongue box that tanks fit into. and also a 11 x 8inch hole in back of tongue box with a louvered heat vent attached. i think that will be enuf? venting. now i am gonna also have to put two holes in tongue box for battery wiring and also the propane hose i think i will just leave the battery wiring hole a bit larger than needed and put it in back of tongue box., and it will be another vent.
BOTTOM LINE IS WHEN I TRAVEL I WILL HAVE PROPANE TANKS TURNED OFF ONLY TURN THEM ON WHEN I USING THEM

[k0wtz]

joe exactly what i do! i fill my tank at flying j have never needed the extra!

[yogavnture]

Originally Posted by k0wtz

joe exactly what i do! i fill my tank at flying j have never needed the extra!

i fillmy tank at flying j as well. instead of one 20 lb tank i carry two ll lb tanks................then if one goes out i just switch over and then fill the other one. no way to runout that way

[yogavnture]

Originally Posted by Eric Frye

Vent the box at the bottom as propane is heavier than air and drops. Lead acid batteries do off gas when charging with hydrogen gas which is lighter than air so you need a vent at the top of the box as well. Usually batteries explode when they are not properly maintained (low water) and short out internally while being charged. If you keep your batteries maintained and your propane lines tight and you shouldn't have any issues.

some people say putting battery and propane too close together is a bomb explosion waiting to happen

[wilyoung]

There may some regulations about storage of batteries and propane bottles separately and proper ventilation for each, etc. Your insurance company may have something to say about it, also. Mixing the two doesn't sound like a real good idea. Do you have room to mount two smaller boxes on the tongue? The usual arrangement is to have the batteries in a battery box and the propane tanks mounted on an open platform, with maybe an open bottomed cover. Be safe, be legal, and be in compliance with your insurance.


What year, model is your Wolf Pup?

[Mike_L]

My unit has two boxes on the tongue. One holds two 20lb propane bottles and is ventilated through the bottom. The other box holds two deep cycle batteries and is ventilated through the top.

[yogavnture]

Originally Posted by wilyoung

There may some regulations about storage of batteries and propane bottles separately and proper ventilation for each, etc. Your insurance company may have something to say about it, also. Mixing the two doesn't sound like a real good idea. Do you have room to mount two smaller boxes on the tongue? The usual arrangement is to have the batteries in a battery box and the propane tanks mounted on an open platform, with maybe an open bottomed cover. Be safe, be legal, and be in compliance with your insurance.


What year, model is your Wolf Pup?

i don't have insurance. my wolf pup is a 17rp but imnot doing this on that camper i just bought a outbound extreme camper from hastings Nebraska . that is the one I'm doing this on.
i will have the batteries in a plastic box inside the bigger box. will that give it some protection from the propane. also i have not mounted the regulator for the propane yet . i could mount the reg. outside the metal box. but i don't want to . would mounting that outside the big box be any safer??

[wilyoung]

That's a pretty small unit. How big a heater did you put in it? Seems like one 12v battery and one propane bottle should last a long time. Sounds like you may be trying to cram too much stuff on that tongue. Whatever, I would not put the battery(ies) and propane in the same enclosed space. In fact I wouldn't put the propane in any fully enclosed space. Both need lots of ventilation.

[yogavnture]

Originally Posted by wilyoung

That's a pretty small unit. How big a heater did you put in it? Seems like one 12v battery and one propane bottle should last a long time. Sounds like you may be trying to cram too much stuff on that tongue. Whatever, I would not put the battery(ies) and propane in the same enclosed space. In fact I wouldn't put the propane in any fully enclosed space. Both need lots of ventilation.

i have ventilation. i heard that 2 6 volt batterys have a lot more juice than one 12 v..................my only concern is the tongue weight as the 6 volt batterys are heavy very heavy. i would say at least 65 lbs each.............propane would be turned off unless using them . wouldn't that be more safe? also i can still put regulator for propane outside the box as i getting installed next week. would having reg outside of box any benefit? finally i have a small heater but the tanks are 11lb tanks not the barbeque style size. so they are smaller so if one goes out . i just switch over and then fill the other one

[yogavnture]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

My unit has two boxes on the tongue. One holds two 20lb propane bottles and is ventilated through the bottom. The other box holds two deep cycle batteries and is ventilated through the top.

i think I'm doing same as you but in a big tongue box all together. the propane tanks are vented on bottom of box. the batterys are in an additional battery box vented. i actually have three vents on the big tongue box everything is in.
one big vent on back. one on bottom and one towards the top. do u think i will blow up

[Glenn Baglo]

Seems you will keep posting this question until you get the answer you want.

[yogavnture]

Originally Posted by glenn baglo

seems you will keep posting this question until you get the answer you want.

safety first...do u have any constructive advise.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by yogavnture

safety first...do u have any constructive advise.

See posts #2, #4 and #10.

[David Tilston]

I use an aluminum forklift propane tank. No box required.

[Mike_L]

Propane is a very flammable gas, that's why it makes a good fuel. Combustion under containment is an explosion. Propane tanks can leak but it's usually the hoses and fitting that are the problem. Even a small leak, over time can cause sufficient accumulation for an explosion to occur. That's why propane fixtures have to be ventilated. That's why propane must be stored outside or inside with appropriate ventilation. That's why many parking garages don't allow propane fueled vehicles entry.
A battery, or the electrical sparks they can produce, is an excellent ignition source. Consider a butane lighter. Sparks produced by a flint are used to ignite a stream of gas. Without the sparks the gas won't ignite. Without the gas, there is no fuel to burn. In either situation, no combustion so no problem.
The same works in this situation. Even the best gas installation can leak and those who use gas need to address this potential. Even the bast electrical installation can spark and this potential also needs to be addressed. In a situation where there is a potential for flammable gas leaks and an ignition source, the only effective way to address this hazard is to ensure the two potentials are physically separated to prevent the gas from accumulating to explosive levels in areas where sparking may occur. This is why propane tanks should never be stored in the same containment as a battery. Separate containments will allow any leaked gas to dissipate into the air and prevent its accumulation to explosive levels in areas where sparks may be produced.
Consider this perspective, if you store a propane bottle in the same containment as a battery, you are effectively building a home made bomb. It isn't a question of CAN this explode or WILL this explode but, rather WHEN will it explode and at what consequence?

[k0wtz]

you have it right mike l i would not want a battery inside my camper!