venting batteries?

[tc112969]

I just bought 2 Trojan t105's&nbsp;and I'm in the process of figuring out how to wire everything up. Along the way I've been coming across varying opinions on venting, from extremely important to completely unnecessary. My concern is with the batteries, propane stove and heater all inside the van that I could, potentially, blow myself up. I'm not real keen on cutting a hole in the side of the van for venting, but I do want to be safe. I know many of you have these types of set ups so I guess I'm looking for some&nbsp;good advice as well as&nbsp;peace of mind.&nbsp; Thanks.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Tom

 

[bee]

If you charge slow and discharge slow then venting isn't a big concern which is where the "venting is unnecessary" comes from. &nbsp;So examples of this would be using a small to medium solar array as your main charge source, and you are just powering lights, cellphone, laptop, fan and other small items.<br><br>If you have a large 120v battery charger, and are powering a coffee maker, power tools, air conditioning etc then you will need to vent.<br><br>I made a wooden box to hold my 2 golf cart batteries. &nbsp;I sealed it with paint, bolted it down and made it strong enough so that it wouldn't disintegrate in an accident. &nbsp;I sealed the top with some weather stripping and cut a vent hole in the side. &nbsp; Make sure that nothing that sparks is inside the box (chargers, inverters, etc outside of the box) and I would recommend making the lid easily removable otherwise you will be less likely to do proper maintenance.&nbsp;

 

[psytechguy]

good info on venting hydrogen:

http://www.bdbatteries.com/hydrogenventing.php

 

[tc112969]

Thanks, I'm starting to feel better about doing it safely, still have a lot of work to do.