simple (and CHEAP!) battery box design

[wilcofan]

I took these pictures a couple months ago, because I thought that they'd be helpful for someone who wants to do an auxillary battery/solar setup, but maybe doesn't have the skill or cash to build or buy a battery box.  Here is my battery  box (though i've changed my configuration to 12 volt because of my solar panel, and I also added a 12v power point outlet to it). I took an old Igloo 32 can cooler that someone was throwing away, drilled two holes for the positive and negative terminal connectors and a hole for a short length of fuel line which I used as a vent tube. I put the batteries inside and sealed the holes with RTV silicon. I store the box under my bed, and run the vent tube out of one of the original bolt holes from the seats I took out.

 

[Journeyman]

Your wiring on this is confusing me. Did you connect the neg. on the left battery to the positive on the right battery? Why? and what kind of batteries are these and what did they cost, if you don't mind?<br /><br />

 

[wilcofan]

Originally, this was wired that way to provide 24volt power. When I added solar, however, I only had one 12 volt panel, so I changed it to make it a 12 volt system.

 

[romani10]

Nice job, wilcofan...but, your vent tube should be larger, and towards the top of the container, considering the weight of the gases is lighter than air. Also, for a convection vent system, you will need an influx hole the same size as the vent towards the bottom of the container on the opposite side of the container.

 

[Seraphim]

Cool solution - no pun intended...