Battery boxes

[mike farrants]

thinking of winter coming - my battery is in the cabin, under a bench, nestled in a wooden crate to spot it moving, but has very little protection from the damp & cold - i've seen plastic battery boxes, and think this would offer some protection - but i've seen them for £15 and £80 - what's the difference, how important are they? can you get insulated ones? my car battery has an insulation sleeve around it.  

any recommendations?

 

thanks in advance!

[Andy135]

I have these for my batteries. They came with the boat. My batteries are in the bilge locker - I don't think the boxes are necessarily needed for keeping the batteries insulated or away from water, rather they're a good way to secure the battery and stop it moving (the boxes are screwed to the locker floor). As long as your battery isn't in danger of being dripped on from above (which reminds me, did you get that water ingress sorted in the end?) then what you have sounds already sounds fine.

https://www.mylorchandlery.co.uk/electric-accessories/motorhone-or-caravan-yellow-110amp-leisure-battery-holding-box-large/

As for keeping a battery from freezing... has anyone every had actual experience of a frozen battery? I haven't. I'd say the fact that your battery is in your cabin will probably be enough - it's not as if it's up on deck exposed to frost after all.

[Saintly Fish]

Mike I have two of the boxes andy shows going spare if your interested. 

[mike farrants]

oh ok - if they just stop it from moving around or getting splashed on then it should be fine as it is - my last battery died over the winter so I wanted to avoid it happening again thinking it could have been exposure to the elements, 

thanks @Saintly fish - might be keen - if you are at the poole meet i might take you up on 1 if thats ok?

 

[mike farrants]

2 hours ago, Andy135 said:

(which reminds me, did you get that water ingress sorted in the end?)

not sure yet - amazingly it hasn't rained enough yet to see if what i've done has helped!

But I did do a number of things -

I tasted the bilge water and then the marina to compare saltyness - and amazingly lived to tell the tale - not worried about my bilge but Weymouth marina tasted awful - bilge no where near as salty.

while its been dry for a few weeks I have used the boat - but had no more water in the bilge so can rule out it coming in from below.

So to combat the rain:

I stuck the hatch seal back in with silicone sealant, and re-sealed the glass - is now a bugger to close single handed as the seal is now proud!

I sealed all round where the wheelhouse joins the deck 

I scraped off the flakey varnish and re-varnished the wheelhouse sides and front

i put the cover on more taut than before and have enquired about a better fitting new PVC cover.

I still plan to put a strip across the wheelhouse roof to divert any rain flowing back under the cover into the cockpit

i'll await a rainy saturday and go sit in it and hunt for drips!

[Saintly Fish]

4 minutes ago, mike farrants said:

and hunt for drips!

You'll meet enough drips on the 24th !  

[suzook12]

2 hours ago, Andy135 said:

As for keeping a battery from freezing... has anyone every had actual experience of a frozen battery? I haven't.

I haven't personally, but my Grandad used to suffer this, can't remember where he lived at the time but was a northern state of the USA or maybe even Canada.....

 

More importantly, if a battery is at 0C it has lost about 20% of its performance. If it is subjected to -30, it loses around 50%. The lower the temp, the more the drag etc increases on your engine requiring more power to turn it over fast enough to start. So yes there is a case for keeping your battery nice and warm as well as not getting wet, especially if your setup is marginal to start with.

Another important thing to consider when using a battery box is adequate venting. Hydrogen can make quite a bang......

[suzook12]

54 minutes ago, Saintly Fish said:

You'll meet enough drips on the 24th !  

Just as well we're bringing our very own plumber then!!! 🤣