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Siting batteries - cruiser stern


Kathymel

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9 hours ago, bizzard said:

Surely under the back steps can't be very much further away from the engine than where they are at the moment. Many older cars and trucks have  batteries a long way from the engine.. Old Jaguars, Rover's, Mini's ect in the boot. Not to mention aeroplanes.

And, as it happens, new Volvo V90s. Main battery in the back, small battery in the front for stop/start. Dedicated terminal in engine compartment for jump starting etc

Back to the OPs question. I have my batteries in a similar position to yours but offset to one side. Passed all BSS's since 1996 without question or mention. I did make sure the silencer was well lagged. On your proposal could you not move the battery immediatly under the silencer further forward. I know this would introduce the issue of connecting cable lengths but that's manageable.

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6 hours ago, blackrose said:

The whole idea of re-siting the batteries from their current position seems rather unnecessary to me if the main objective was simply to repaint the uxter plate/counter. Why not just reposition them temporally until the job is done? I did see your post about trying to reduce cable lengths but wasn't sure if moving to the exhaust side achieved this.

The main objective has evolved as it’s gone along. The original need was to rationalise and shorten the cable paths. The current set-up is messy and illogical and the cables from the two separate systems are constantly crossing one another. 

 

The battery box is also in need of enlarging/replacement and the area around it needs a lot of work.

 

Moving the leisure system to the other side puts it immediately below the fuse panel and neatens up a lot of wandering wires. The main battery fuse and isolator are currently situated at the rear of the bank, so moving them forward, even when on the other side will mean the cable run to the inverter is the same distance. 

 

All this remains true if I go with the under steps option. 

 

So, there is a lot more going on than just painting. ?

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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Appendix G states that you will need 3x 25mm diameter holes for each 100Ah battery 

 

Thanks. I have ‘sealed’ batteries. Are there ventilation specifications for them? Could you provide me with a link to the appendices, please? I can’t see them where I’m looking. 

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1 hour ago, Slim said:

And, as it happens, new Volvo V90s. Main battery in the back, small battery in the front for stop/start. Dedicated terminal in engine compartment for jump starting etc

Back to the OPs question. I have my batteries in a similar position to yours but offset to one side. Passed all BSS's since 1996 without question or mention. I did make sure the silencer was well lagged. On your proposal could you not move the battery immediatly under the silencer further forward. I know this would introduce the issue of connecting cable lengths but that's manageable.

Thanks for this, Slim. 

 

I would definitely need to split the bank as there isn’t sufficient height directly below the exhaust. I did think putting one forward of the exhaust would work, if I choose to go that route. 

 

I also wondered about increasing the lagging on the exhaust or installing a heat shield. 

 

Is there any any chance of a couple of photos of your set-up or perhaps some measurements to give me an idea of the clearances you have?

 

Thanks again. 

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I agree with the comments on ideal battery location but I would say 90% of the boats I have seen have the batteries located in a less than ideal place with no real alternative.   

 

FWIW my boat has just passed its BSE and the batteries are in exactly the same location as the OP's, right underneath the exhaust/silencer.   I would like to have them somewhere else but there just isn't an alternative.  

 

 

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As Wotever has said, batteries don't like heat.

 

They are chemical devices, so reactions are faster at elevated temperatures. Anything above 20°C shortens their life, especially the sealed types, where every 5°C above 20°C halves their life.

 

Personally, once you have rustproofed their original location, I would put them back there. Saves the cost of re-cabling too.

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51 minutes ago, Kathymel said:

 

Thanks. I have ‘sealed’ batteries. Are there ventilation specifications for them? Could you provide me with a link to the appendices, please? I can’t see them where I’m looking. 

I cannot attach the Pdf's as they are no longer allowed on this forum software.

 

If you go onto the BSS website and look for the BSS Guidelines / check list you should find it.

Here - I've done it for you :

https://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/media/268789/ecp-private-boats-ed3_rev2_apr2015_public_final.pdf

 

Batteries is section 3

 

As I said earlier - if SEALED batteries are being used (why would you - you cannot maintain them) then if they are going into a non-ventilated area (under the bed, steps etc) then unless you drill sufficient holes for ventilation ( 3x 25mm holes per battery) then you will need a certificate from the battery manufacturer saying they 'OK' their use in non-ventilated areas.

 

 

NOTE ‐ if batteries of a ‘sealed’ type are stored in a non‐ventilated space verify that storage in
unventilated spaces meets with the battery manufacturer’s recommendations by reference to presented
documentation from the manufacturer.

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12 hours ago, bizzard said:

I wouldn't have the batteries in the engine compartment at all, a horrid place especially on the swim tops, very awkward. I'd put them indoors, under the back step or something and away from all that engine and sun heat, this makes them easy to check and service and leaves more room around the engine to work on it. Mine are under my bed which is a icross bed which folds up in half and there are my batteries all lovely to get at.

I agree. My batteries were originally under the swim and the only way of checking electrolyte levels was to lie across the engine with a torch and mirror trying to peer in to each top up hole in turn. Horrible job.

Something that has not been mentioned yet is that moving the batteries from one side of the boat to the other will drastically change the trim. I did this on my boat deliberately. It used to be down on the port side, up on the starboard. Moving four house batteries at 25kg each from one swim to the other in the engine hole made the trim pretty much level port to starboard. If your boat is level now, it very much won't be after the move. The water level moved a couple of inches down and up on each side on my boat. Another good effect on my boat was that it was much easier to check and top up the batteries in their new position.

Jen

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9 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

I agree. My batteries were originally under the swim and the only way of checking electrolyte levels was to lie across the engine with a torch and mirror trying to peer in to each top up hole in turn. Horrible job.

Something that has not been mentioned yet is that moving the batteries from one side of the boat to the other will drastically change the trim. I did this on my boat deliberately. It used to be down on the port side, up on the starboard. Moving four house batteries at 25kg each from one swim to the other in the engine hole made the trim pretty much level port to starboard. If your boat is level now, it very much won't be after the move. The water level moved a couple of inches down and up on each side on my boat. Another good effect on my boat was that it was much easier to check and top up the batteries in their new position.

Jen

Thanks Jen,

 

I have a fair bit of moveable ballast  in the form of steel bars and a great deal of wood on the roof that I’m used to moving to adjust my trim. 

 

Kathy

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10 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

As I said earlier - if SEALED batteries are being used (why would you - you cannot maintain them) then if they are going into a non-ventilated area (under the bed, steps etc) then unless you drill sufficient holes for ventilation ( 3x 25mm holes per battery) then you will need a certificate from the battery manufacturer saying they 'OK' their use in non-ventilated areas.

Thanks for the link, Alan. 

 

The figures you’ve quoted from appendix G are for unsealed batteries. If I decide on an interior siting for my ‘sealed’ batteries, I won’t be keeping them in an unventilated space, as I mentioned earlier, they will be ventilated to the exterior. 

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On 20/10/2019 at 21:00, Kathymel said:

Their temporary (potentially permanent) home is going to be on the same side as the exhaust. Is there any legislation or are there any safety guides concerning how close batteries can be to an exhaust? 

For what it’s worth, mine are in exactly the same position, and will have been there for 15 years.  That’s three BSS passed.  Also surveyor did not raise an issue when we bought, a year ago.  I guess from our perspective, BSS bod would be churlish to fail us, knowing three before him hadn’t.  Yours might ask, “why did you move them”...

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9 minutes ago, The Dreamer said:

 I guess from our perspective, BSS bod would be churlish to fail us, knowing three before him hadn’t.

My 'this years BSS' examiner simply said "it passed OK last time, so as long as you have now got a Co monitor in each accommodation area, you have a pass".

 

He was there for a total of 15 minutes, (from arriving, walking down the pontoon, filling in the details on his computer to walking back to his car, to me undoing the marina gate for him.)

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5 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

My 'this years BSS' examiner simply said "it passed OK last time, so as long as you have now got a Co monitor in each accommodation area, you have a pass".

 

He was there for a total of 15 minutes, (from arriving, walking down the pontoon, filling in the details on his computer to walking back to his car, to me undoing the marina gate for him.)

Not far removed from mine apart from two things. 1) He  looked in my gas locker from about 4 feet away and 2) He said  "Thats £175"-

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