question about sleeping with wet batteries :-)

[rastaman]

Thinking of using my Tacoma truck for a solo trip to Arizona and then to Mexico for dental. I plan on sleeping in the bed of the truck on a platform, would take my Whynter 12 volt fridge which I would like to run off 2 6 volt golf cart batteries (I already have) and keep them charged from the truck.

So do these 6 volt batteries give off fumes even when they are NOT being charged?
as I would like to have them stored in the bed of the truck, where I plan on sleeping.

Thanks

 

[ccbreder]

the only time wet batteries give off any appreciable fumes is when they are receiving a heavy charge or when being overly discharged. More important is to secure them from moving. Also to contain any spills.

 

[Reducto]

I've been sleeping with my head 2 feet from wet batteries without issue for the last few years. Definitely keep them secure and make sure nothing metal can hit the terminals. Otherwise I wouldn't worry too much unless you start getting headaches or something.

 

[gypsychic]

I was just reading a post from Bob last night and in part of the post he addresses this very thing. Here's the relevant part:

Where Will I Carry It? If you are living in a car, then you don’t have much room for a battery bank. Whatever you drive, you must also be aware of weight since the more weight you carry, the harder your engine works, and the less mpg you get. If you have a gel or AGM battery, you can put it anywhere it will fit, even on its side since it can’t leak. Maybe you can fit it on its side underneath the driver’s seat, or if you are alone, you can put them on the floorboards in front of the passenger seat. It’s a different story with regular flooded wet cells. They must be maintained regularly by keeping them full of water and cleaned off. They also vent hydrogen gas which is very corrosive, toxic, and explosive. Ideally they will not be in your living area. So where can you put 60-120 lbs. of battery? To be honest with you, I lived in a box van for 6 years with an 8D under my bed without any problem. Was it dangerous? Everyone tells me it was, but I never had any problem. I can’t recommend you do it, I can only report my experience. You can always buy or build a battery box and vent it to the outside if you are concerned about them venting. For my current camper, I bought something called Hydrocaps. They replace the battery cap that came on my battery and virtually eliminate water and hydrogen from escaping. Then I went to WalMart and found a plastic storage box that will hold my battery and keep it in there. That should contain the little hydrogen that does escape. So now I just keep it in the camper with me.

Here's the post.

I was wondering the same thing. I'm going to be looking into the Hydrocaps he references.

GypsyChic

 

[ccbreder]

When a charger causes a wet battery to bubble, hydrogen and oxygen are being off gassed. This can be an explosion hazard in the battery cell itself. Once out of the confined space of the cell, the gasses disperse. Holding any ignition source over the battery will ignite the gasses. I witnessed one when a cigar set it off. Another when someone used a match as it was dark. Hydrogen is not corrosive by itself. While the battery is bubbling a mist of sulfuric acid is also being produced at the top of the battery. This is highly corrosive and will damage everything. Cleaning this mess is part of wet cell battery maintenance.