Dummies guide to replacing a leisure battery......

[BetsyBongo]

Massive Thanks to Chris (& Mrs M, sorry I spoiled your dinner ) - Hurrah! I have my new leisure battery fitted & working & I learned a few things along the way
Love being part of the fabulous Bongo community.
Thankyou again! x

[Bob]

[cmm303]

A little safety question.

The old battery was old school with screw caps over each cell. The battery tray incorporates a rectangular cover which seals over all the caps. This cover has a small bore rubber pipe attached which vents to outside.

The new battery is sealed with a small vent hole at each end and so the original vent cover is useless. The original vent pipe is too narrow (IMHO) to provide any significant ventilation to the whole battery compartment. The battery compartment is in the Mazda Cube kitchen, i.e. completely internal within the van.

Is this arrangement safe with a modern sealed battery or should venting be improved?

If something does need doing, I wondered if there would be anything wrong with plugging the existing rubber vent pipe into the small battery vent holes using some hose connectors/adaptors/reducers.

[g8dhe]

Sealed batteries are sealed from the point of view of being able refill them, as you would have done with the older types.
However placing a totally sealed container which can under the wrong circumstances generate gas internally is not a good idea, its called a bomb
So sealed is only in one sense, it has seals that will allow the gases to escape these do need to be vented ideally externally which one would hope that the existing piping in the unit would allow, so just connect the piping to the new vents on the battery, you need to make sure that both vents are coupled up as well - some simple fish tank plastic tubing and connectors would be sufficient.

[cmm303]

Thanks.

[BetsyBongo]

Have just ordered a vent kit from Tayna Batteries, which comprises of an L shape elbow vent attached to a tube. They advised only 1 vent needs to be vented, so are sending me a transit plug to bung up the side I'm not venting. Hopefully the tube attached to the L vent will then either fit into my existing original vent tube, or I can get a connector......

BIG thanks to all for advices & especially Chris for your hands on help & text messages

[cmm303]

Perfect job and useful info for anybody with an inside battery.
Its also good you only have to vent one side, because the left side might have been a bit tight.

Disappointed you didn't elect to go down the fish tank piping route, Nimo in the sink ... non-stop entertainment whilst camping. Bet the pet shop is disappointed

[BetsyBongo]

Perfect job and useful info for anybody with an inside battery.
Its also good you only have to vent one side, because the left side might have been a bit tight.

Disappointed you didn't elect to go down the fish tank piping route, Nimo in the sink ... non-stop entertainment whilst camping. Bet the pet shop is disappointed

Well I don't use my sink, so could turn it into an onboard aquarium!

Waiting 'patiently' for the Tayna vent tube to arrive, hopefully tomorrow, tho may well still need the help of our local pet store for a connector & jubilee clip to attach it to the original vent to external tube - will update you on progress when vent arrives....

For information:- when speaking to Tayna I asked to buy 2 vent 'elbows & tubes' to connect via a T or Y connector to the original vent to external tube, but they informed me only 1 side required venting.......if I go **BOOM** hopefully the call was recorded for training purposes!?!!

[BetsyBongo]

Perfect job and useful info for anybody with an inside battery.
Its also good you only have to vent one side, because the left side might have been a bit tight.

Disappointed you didn't elect to go down the fish tank piping route, Nimo in the sink ... non-stop entertainment whilst camping. Bet the pet shop is disappointed

Well I don't use my sink, so could turn it into an onboard aquarium!

Waiting 'patiently' for the Tayna vent tube to arrive, hopefully tomorrow, tho may well still need the help of our local pet store for a connector & jubilee clip to attach it to the original vent to external tube - will update you on progress when vent arrives....

For information:- when speaking to Tayna I asked to buy 2 vent 'elbows & tubes' to connect via a T or Y connector to the original vent to external tube, but they informed me only 1 side required venting.......if I go **BOOM** hopefully the call was recorded for training purposes!?!!

'L' vent arrived today, fortunately it fitted directly into my original vent to outside pipe & pipe long enough to fit directly into the vent hole in the battery so no connector needed - Result!
Thanks all again for your help

[Bob]

Great result.