Information is always helpful

[Napa Ed]

Came across this website: http://www.pcmarinesurveys.com/ and got lost for a few hours. I didn't realize 1. batteries not be vented into accomodation spaces and 2. don't mount battery chargers over the batteries. Two "impovements" I made that I was proud of was installing the batteries (under the sink) and placing the charger in the same space right over the batteries. Darn. http://www.pcmarinesurveys.com/stoopid boat tricks builders survey surveyor.htm

 

[Maine Sail]

Wallace..

Wallace or "Boatpoker" as he goes by on Sailnet is a good guy.

I would not loose sleep over your battery situation venting into the boat as I've yet to be on one with lead acid batts that did not in some way or anoteher. As for the charger that is a little more suspect but provided it is operating correctly and not gassing your batts you should be fine till you change it..

 

[sailingdog]

Most batteries on most boats do vent into the accommodation spaces, so I wouldn't worry about that too much. As for the information about not placing the charger near the batteries, this was more of a problem with the older chargers, as they had more of an explosion risk due to sparking than most of the newer, solid state chargers.

 

[Rich Stidger]

Be aware that CO detectors can alarm due to gassing of charging batteries. I was on the hard one Spring and in the middle of the night my CO detector went off. Nobody around using any engine at 2am, and no other source of CO that I could find.

A call to Kidde provided a list of common household chemicals and situations (like battery charging) that will cause an alarm. This list was in addition to the one that was included with the CO unit.

 

[Napa Ed]

Most batteries on most boats do vent into the accommodation spaces, so I wouldn't worry about that too much.

That's the axe the author likes to grind; "They all do that". His point is ABYC standards are what they are and for a reason, and most builders and owners do something else.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Be aware that CO detectors can alarm due to gassing of charging batteries.

Rich is right. We had a C34IA member who was being driven nuts by his detector going off. It took us a week to convince him it was his battery charging that was doing it.

 

[All U Get]

Rich is right. We had a C34IA member who was being driven nuts by his detector going off. It took us a week to convince him it was his battery charging that was doing it.

Hi guys,
Charging a battery puts, what I was told as a firefighter, hydrogen into the air. Folks charging their golf carts in their garage will routinely set off the CO detector. The detectors are cross sensitive to different gasses. I believe Florida has the most of this type of call for service, but the numbers may have changed since my research.
All U Get

 

[All U Get]

Hi guys,
Charging a battery puts, what I was told as a firefighter, hydrogen into the air. Folks charging their golf carts in their garage will routinely set off the CO detector. The detectors are cross sensitive to different gasses. I believe Florida has the most of this type of call for service, but the numbers may have changed since my research.
All U Get

I did some more research and the sealed batteries recombine hydrogen with oxygen to reduce the risk of explosion. I've only seen two truck batteries that had exploded, what a mess. They either ran dry or overcharged.
All U Get