NWishome Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I just got my 1993 Toyota Dophin 2 days ago. I want to change the 12 V house battery to two 6 V which is what we had on our Hybrid TT and it worked great. Of course, on the TT the mounting was on the tongue so venting was not an issue which is what my question is about. I just read a post here about putting the two batteries under the rear dinette (which is where the original 12 V is located in a plastic box which opens to the outside with a vented door). There was a photo of the installation which was nicely done. However, I had read on some other battery sites that the vent had to be 6 inches above the top of the batteries (as Hydrogen is lighter than air) and in this application per the photo, the vent is at the top of the batteries. Is that sufficient? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanAatTheCape Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 I would be cautious as to putting batteries in the cabin unless a thorough job of making the external ventilated compartment air tight. You also might want to think about the additional weight - these campers are running near gross weight already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 On 3/12/2016 at 10:03 PM, NWishome said: I just got my 1993 Toyota Dophin 2 days ago. I want to change the 12 V house battery to two 6 V which is what we had on our Hybrid TT and it worked great. Of course, on the TT the mounting was on the tongue so venting was not an issue which is what my question is about. I just read a post here about putting the two batteries under the rear dinette (which is where the original 12 V is located in a plastic box which opens to the outside with a vented door). There was a photo of the installation which was nicely done. However, I had read on some other battery sites that the vent had to be 6 inches above the top of the batteries (as Hydrogen is lighter than air) and in this application per the photo, the vent is at the top of the batteries. Is that sufficient? I have thought about this a bit. On my Sea Breeze the vent is no where near 6" above the top of the battery, not even enough to check the level in it! I have noticed on some site's they get carried away some of their requirements, rumors become fact's. If 6" is needed for 2 battery how much is needed for a bank of 20? My generator is missing so I am considering putting 2 6V in that area. No idea how much vent is sufficient? Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 My 84 Sandtana Phoenix had one 12 volt starter battery and one 12 volt house battery, both under the hood in each corner. I replaced the house battery with two 6 volt batteries now occupying both corners and replaced the starter battery with a very small sealed 12 volt wheel chair battery I was able to squeeze into remaining space under the hood. No venting issues and plenty of cranking power with the wheel chair battery. I put beefy new torsion bars on the front before I did this. Good thing I did too, those 6 volt batteries weigh a ton! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 23 hours ago, jjrbus said: I have thought about this a bit. On my Sea Breeze the vent is no where near 6" above the top of the battery, not even enough to check the level in it! I have noticed on some site's they get carried away some of their requirements, rumors become fact's. If 6" is needed for 2 battery how much is needed for a bank of 20? My generator is missing so I am considering putting 2 6V in that area. No idea how much vent is sufficient? Jim Not something I'm concerned with. A plastic battery box with a vented lid and a 1/2" vent hose is plenty. I have two inside my Minicruiser - under the couch. I've got two 12s. It makes things easier then two 6s. Two 6s require a pretty heavy cable to join them in series unless they are close together because of the low voltage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I would think some thing like a boat scupper would be more than enough of a vent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 My thinking on it is the larger the area around the battery the more gas that could collect, Not saying I am right, just thinking. If the 6V can be kept close together they are a much bigger bang for the buck. Plus if living near a golf course people often are replacing complete sets when a couple of batteries are still good, which can be picked up cheap! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 When I think of all those years driving different air cooled beetles with the battery tucked under the rear seat, open to the cabin, I must have been pretty lucky not to succumb to acid fumes. ? . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 The thing is airflow, not the size of the box. The idea is to prevent the gas from reaching the correct explosion ratio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 4 hours ago, jjrbus said: My thinking on it is the larger the area around the battery the more gas that could collect, Not saying I am right, just thinking. If the 6V can be kept close together they are a much bigger bang for the buck. Plus if living near a golf course people often are replacing complete sets when a couple of batteries are still good, which can be picked up cheap! Jim Sam's Club has the Trojan T105 equivalents for $84 each which is a pretty good deal. I'm buying 8 of them next week (not for my RV though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 10 minutes ago, jdemaris said: Sam's Club has the Trojan T105 equivalents for $84 each which is a pretty good deal. I'm buying 8 of them next week (not for my RV though). They are the same price in FL. Hard to pass them up at that price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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