[RE-wrenches] Ideal platform for flooded type batteries: opinions wanted

R Ray Walters ray at solarray.com
Fri Apr 30 09:50:26 PDT 2010


I haven't seen a problem with concrete, but wood definitely rots out when exposed to acid, including pressure treated.
(Saw a system with Battery shelving made from wood where the top shelf collapsed from acid rot......)
Acid also eats foam board, unsticks silicon seal, and gets under and dissolves the spray-on bed liner ( our last attempt at corrosion protection)

I worked on one system with a simple lining made of heavy plastic sheeting, that actually contained long term several gallons of acid from a set of cracked L16s.
The plastic options mentioned would probably be good, if they're not too expensive. I've had the plastic tubs crack from the battery weight though.
Since HUPS come in a powder coated heavy plate steel container that hold any spills if the inner liner is damaged, I  haven't tried to exceed the manufacturer's efforts.
(although, we recently had an inspector require us to ground all the cases, but there was no grounding point provided....)

R. Walters
ray at solarray.com
Solar Engineer




On Apr 30, 2010, at 9:21 AM, Mick Abraham wrote:

> Hi, Mechanix~
> 
> My "customer du monde" has a dirt floor in the battery space but he's willing to build something on which we could place his "wet" type batteries. 
> 
> Concrete is strong but it also tends to begin dissolving when battery acid gets on it. Been there, seen that, didn't like it.
> 
> Wood could be strong but what about the dissolving problem? Would pressure treated wood be better than white wood, redwood etc.?
> 
> OR: what else would the group advise for a support structure?
> 
> ************************************************************
> 
> The above questions assume that whatever we do will probably get wet, but that may be too pessimistic. Could someone give me a mini-review of plastic trays which would protect whatever goes beneath? 
> 
> I'm pretty sure polypropylene is the right type plastic but short of custom welding by a plastic fabricator...where can I find trays which fit OK with floor scrubber type battery case dimensions?
> 
> Thanks all around,
> 
> Mick Abraham, Proprietor
> www.abrahamsolar.com
> 
> Voice: 970-731-4675
> _______________________________________________
> List sponsored by Home Power magazine
> 
> List Address: RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
> 
> Options & settings:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
> 
> List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
> 
> List rules & etiquette:
> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
> 
> Check out participant bios:
> www.members.re-wrenches.org
> 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org/attachments/20100430/1b189738/attachment-0003.html>


More information about the RE-wrenches mailing list