Ventless Batteries

[Jeremy]

Hi Everyone, been lurking for a while so finally decided to register and post!

I'm setting up my Grand Caravan and am trying to figure out how to get my batteries set up. I'm wanting to get a blue top optimum battery but am having a hard time sourcing one up here in Canada.

I'm a bit confused, it seems that some sealed batteries don't require venting yet other do. The Optimum is the only one I seem to be able to get a straight answer on. Does anyone know if the Kirkland maintenance free batteries at Costco are okay to use without venting? I was going to mount it in the in floor storage for the stow n' go seats and would prefer not to drill.

Thanks!

 

[MikaB]

Most batteries labeled as "maintenance free" are of the lead acid type which do require not only venting but also isolation from the living area. They will still out-gas when charged or used. You do not want hydrogen in the living compartment (an extremely explosive gas). What you want to look for are the AGM type of batteries. They are also "maintenance free" and are fully sealed so they will not out-gas when charged or used. They can safely be used in the living area. Keep in mind that AGM batteries are a great way to go, but they are not cheap.

 

[MrNoodly]

However, AGM type batteries cost about twice what other batteries do. I got them anyway, because I wanted them in the living area and didn't want to vent them.

 

[hippiechk]

@Jeremy...I had a hard time sourcing batteries in Canada too. I was getting all kinds of bull about the ONLY batteries worth having being very expensive brands. I too had no room for venting and needed the aforementioned AGMs. I ended up getting a nice pair at a decent price from a place called saskbattery...obviously in Saskatchewan. They shipped them to me in BC free, got them in 3 days and I'm very happy with them.

Good luck.

 

[accrete]

i'm running two blue top optimas in our fiberglass egg. Though the trailer came with the BTs in an unvented box this error on the manufacturer's part has now been corrected on all future units. Even though the Optimas are AGMs you must still allow for the possibility that they will vent under catastrophic conditions (this was arrived at after a lengthy discussion with an optima tech).

Also, digging deeper on the Optima line, there are two models in the BT lineup that actually have a small ~1/4" vent that one can plug a simple vinyl tube into and then vent to the outside of the coach/rig. BUT, under extreme conditions any battery can end its life in a big boom! . . that said? I vented my battery box inside our trailer and don't think anything of it.

OH, one more thing, you must properly maintain the batteries and never let them get run down to the point that a charger is going to have to go to extremes to bring it back to life.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/members/34081-albums922-picture4755.jpg

 

[SternWake]

Many of the maintenance free Batteries are just flooded batteries which do not require watering as often or at all, and might not even have removable caps for doing so. If they are nearly the same frice as non maintenance free batteries, then there is nothing special about them but that they are marketed toward those for whom lifting the hood causes anxiety levels to soar.

AGM batteries will only offgass in a severe overcharging situation. For this reason they are much safer in the living space than a flooded battery.

However , technically, they should still be vented in the event they are overcharged. Feces happen.

Now for house batteries, you generally want more capacity.

The six pack/ orbital cell design limits the actual amount of lead Optima batteries can house, and the amount of lead is pretty much directly related to capacity.

Optima blue/yellowtop batteries can of course be used as deep cycle house batteries, but for the same money, one can get a rectangular AGM battery which has 20 to 33% more overall capacity. The orbital structure/ case design excels in high vibration, high physical stress on the battery casing itself. If not used in such applications, well it is just crafty marketing, and even if OptimaJim sees this post and tries to say otherwise. Johnson controls aquired Optima batteries a while back, and shifted production to Mexico and their reputation among those who actually use batteries has since taken a big hit yet they are still mostly enjoying a good reputation by the uninformed, bolstered by their high price and clever marketing.

Do note that Die hard Platinum are rebranded Odyssey batteries for a bit less $$$.

Also note that these Odyssey batteries, in a deep cycle application, want very high recharge rates. A hundred amp hour battery wants to be fed 40 amps until 14.7v is reached, then held at 14.7 for 4 hours!!!

This expensive high quality battery will not perform to the best of its ability in a deep cycle application unless recharged in the above method. Getting 40 amps out of solar is unlikely. Most alternators would not reach 14.7v nor hold it for 4 hours, even if one were to drive that much inbetween discharges. Most alternators are not wired to deliver a continuous 40 amps on top of the electrical loads of the vehicle.

Other AGM batteries to consider are Full River. USbattery, Deka, Trojan. Sears Die hard gold AGM( Same as Deka intimidator series) Lifeline, among several others.

Do not Confuse Gel batteries with AGM, despite many people calling AGM batteries Gelcell.

They are different, and actual GEL batteries have very special recharging requirements making them unsuitable for vehicular use

 

[masterplumber]

I used an Odyssey AGM battery under the seat of my old Four Wheel popup camper for years with no problems. If I recall it had a much higher amp hr rating than Optima which is why I bought it. It was expensive though - I believe in the $250 range. I didn't have a charger, just recharged off the truck via a relay so it was disconnected automatically from the starting battery when you shut off the ignition. My fridge ran on propane so it didn't draw any electric, but I could run the rest of the camper for more than a week with no discernible drop in power (didn't have a volt meter to check). This included running an inverter every morning so my wife could curl her hair and running the lights for several hours every evening.

 

[SternWake]

Odyssey are excellent batteries which will tolerate imperfect charging, but they will not live up to their claimed cycle life of 400 discharges to 80% depth of discharge unless the 40% charge rate is met.

A smaller capacity Odyssey might have the 40% charge rate met easier by the alternator than the 100 amp hour group 31.

My point is more that they are not a good battery for a primarily solar recharged system, and if the vehicle is incapable of approaching 14.7V at 40% of capacity rate and not driven long enough to quench a depleted regularly deep cycled Odyssey, then that Odyssey will not perform nor last as long as claimed and hoped for by those who spent a premium on a premium lead acid battery.

Other AGMs have a 20% charge rate, some claiming do not exceed 20%.

Lifeline says to feed them as much as you possibly can.

 

[Simran]

I opted for AGM batteries IN my van by the back doors and have never looked back. I love them. I do, however, charge them on a battery charger once in awhile.

 

[Zil]

I took a walk around sears and then wall mart. there are batteries labeled maintenance free that are flooded lead acid starter batteries. they need to be vented but also are not suitable for house banks. If the battery is specifically marked AGM or SLA they can be used without venting. The battery's suitability for house banks is if they are specified Deep Cycle. All different types of lead acid require differing charging routines. Many cruisers use SLA for house banks. Many are changing to LiFePo.

 

[Simran]

Sears is where I bought mine. I bought 3 90 AH AGM batteries. I bough them there because, in the mid west, Sears is always easy to find in case of problems. Mine are going on two years old about March or so.