Battery Box Drain

I discovered during hurricane Irene that my battery was flat out, so I had to get a new one. Got a group 29, and of course it did not fit in the battery box. I purchased a new MTS battery box http://www.adventurerv.net/vented-ba...te-p-4084.html
which appears to be the same manufacturer as TM uses. The interesting part was when I removed the original battery box, it had a drain (same as the new one). The hole for the drain was half cut out and a screen installed over the hole. So why install a screen in a hole that does not go through to the outside? I assume it is just part of the very poor Quality Control at Trailmanor. Maybe they figure if the battery ever leaks, then the battery acid will make it's own hole. Maybe the dealer was supposed to finish cutting the hole when they installed the battery. All you guys that have changed your batteries - do you have a drain to the exterior? My vent on top is the same so there is no issue there.

BTW - I did look ro see if there was a Trojan battery dealer nearby, and the Trojan website listed a place in Russia as the closest.

I can't help with your specific request-I'm sure some one will-i am curious as to what problems you have had with your TM ?

[Bill]

So let's see. Your TM came with a battery box, and you bought another from the same box manufacturer. One box from this manufacturer had a complete cutout, and one did not. And you are blaming TM.

Just wanted to be sure I had that straight.

Bill

[commodor47]

Does the factory ship new units with a battery installed? I thought the battery installation was a dealer prep.

Dick

If the setup is like mine I think Like2Ride may be talking about the floor of the TM. Mine has about a 1” dia. screen covered hole through the TM floor that lines up with the hole in the bottom of the battery box. Have no idea who made the hole, TM or the dealer. Do know that the venting has caused some corrosion in the TM skin around the hole. Forgot about it until this post, now I have another project to take care of.

Sorry Bill - maybe I wasn't clear. The battery box that came with the new TM was for a group 24 battery. The dealer sold me a group 24 battery at the time of sale. I had another thread where I was digging for the meaning of the battery lights on the factory panel, since the battery that the dealer installed went bad. I know I did run it down to a point where the "good" light went out, and it must have killed the dealer installed battery. The (factory installed) battery box has a drain hole in the bottom, and TM had drilled (maybe a 1.5 inch hole saw) a hole in the floor (partially), put a screen and retainer in the hole that they drilled - it lines up with the hole in the bottom of the battery box, but the hole did not go through the bottom layer of the skin - only 3/4 of the way through the foam. I assume this is to protect the interior should the battery freeze and then thaw releasing acid. The fact that there were 6 screws holding it in place, and an insect screen on the drain hole, leads me to believe it was not a dealer installation.

It looks like my previous post, at least I think I posted it, did not make it. So I will post again, hoping it is not a duplicate.

It seems to me that the purpose of the battery box is to prevent battery acid from going anywhere else if the battery were to leak acid.

If this is true, then there should be no holes in the battery box.

My pair of battery boxes do no have any holes. so after I wash the TM there is some, but not much, water in the bottom of the box. This water evaporates in a few days, so it causes no concern.

My battery boxes are on the tongue, so leaking acid has very little that it could damage, except the frame.

If your battery is in the rear storage compartment it is even more important to make sure that any leaking battery acid does not touch the interior floor of the storage compartment.

So if there is a purpose for a hole in the bottom of a battery box I would like to know what it is?

[ShrimpBurrito]

In the slideout models, at least, I always thought the hole at the bottom of the battery box was an air intake. Since the batteries are in a closed compartment, there is a vent, but no air (or hydrogen) is going to vent unless there is air coming in to replace it.

Of course, this is all really an academic discussion because all the battery boxes I have seen are not air-tight. And since hydrogen is even smaller than diatomic oxygen or nitrogen, you need an even better "hydrogen-tight" seal to contain it. But I suppose it's better than nothing, at least in the peace of mind and liability-releasing departments.

Dave

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by Bill

So let's see. Your TM came with a battery box, and you bought another from the same box manufacturer. One box from this manufacturer had a complete cutout, and one did not. And you are blaming TM.

Since the OP talked about running a "drain to the exterior" and the battery box they bought is meant to be mounted inside, I am understanding this "half cut out hole" to be in the floor of the TM....but I'm not sure where the batteries are in the Trailmini. "Half cut" meaning they started to drill it, but did not drill all the way through the entire floor.

Dave

Yes the battery box is under the seat in the TrailMini (Dinette). The hole was cut to about the depth of a typical hole saw (1"). It makes sense that it was supposed to be the air intake, since it has a screen on it. The OEM MTS box has a hole/flange in both the top and bottom. Trailmanor cuts off the flange on the bottom and positions it over the hole that they drill. The top flange fits to a hose that is ducted to the outside.