Very helpful replies, all~<br><br>Bill wrote: "<font face="Lucida Sans"> I assume
"duct seal" around the cables heading towards the inverter is some high
quality
caulking?"<br><br>Mick replies: Duct seal is a gray putty which comes in a 1 pound brick or "pug" from the electrical supply. Gardner Bender is one mfr and I'm sure there are others. <br><br>This material is quite stiff when purchased but can be kneaded and worked to soften it up a bit. It's still a challenge to get that stuffed into a conduit around the wires tightly enough to seal against all gasses. It probably makes a better rodent deterrent... <br>
<br>Jolliness,<br><br clear="all"></font>Mick Abraham, Proprietor<br><a href="http://www.abrahamsolar.com">www.abrahamsolar.com</a><br><br>Voice: 970-731-4675<br>
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, May 2, 2010 at 7:47 AM, frenergy <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:frenergy@psln.com">frenergy@psln.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff">
<div><font face="Lucida Sans">Alan,</font></div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans"> Thanks for
sharing all that, pretty similiar to my take on offgrid batt pack install.
Though I really like the idea of sloping the top to keep folks from putting
stuff on it and thus avoiding that maintenance we all love to do. I know
I've been caught a couple times with my pants down whilst (sp?) the
electrolyte a bit too low (how did that happen so fast??)</font></div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans"> I haven't
had nearly as much luck getting batteries in kitchens, but have talked a few
folks into building a battery "closet" to an exterior (uninsualted where the
closet is) wall of a house...the other walls and it's exterior door of the
closet being very well insualted. Despite Bill Miller's thoughts about
insulating a batt box, then venting being "pointless", well I don't agree.
The time when you need the batteries the warmest (winter) is when the powered
vent would be on the least. The vent is simply not venting that much in
the winter, which of course will be determined somewhat by batt voltage settings
to your powered vent, cross-sectional area of (adjustable?)vents and if you
are relying on a non-powered venting system. Personally, I've never set
batts on concrete, that 2" rigid foam with plywood works like a
champ.</font></div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans"> My
most common favorite is the Wellhouse/battery/inverter/ with genny under the
overhang (or also inside) shed.</font></div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans"> Also,
clearly posting the requirements for maintianing the battery is critical with
its partner - a calendar to document it, esp for those times when the customer,
dumbfounded, fries their first pack and wants to blame anybody but
themseves. "and when was the last time you watered, bulked, EQ'ed your
batteries? I see, 2007"</font></div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans"> I assume
"duct seal" around the cables heading towards the inverter is some high quality
caulking?</font></div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans">Bill</font></div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans">Feather River Solar Electric<br>4291 Nelson
St.<br>Taylorsville, CA 95983<br>530-284-7849/6544 fax</font></div>
<div><font face="Lucida Sans"></font> </div>
<blockquote style="padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px; border-left: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 0px;"><div class="im">
<div style="font: 10pt arial;">----- Original Message ----- </div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(228, 228, 228); font: 10pt arial;"><b>From:</b>
<a title="allan@positiveenergysolar.com" href="mailto:allan@positiveenergysolar.com" target="_blank">Allan Sindelar</a> </div>
<div style="font: 10pt arial;"><b>To:</b> <a title="re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" target="_blank">RE-wrenches</a> </div>
<div style="font: 10pt arial;"><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, May 01, 2010 9:42
PM</div>
<div style="font: 10pt arial;"><b>Subject:</b> Re: [RE-wrenches] Ideal platform
for flooded type batteries:opinions wanted</div>
<div><br></div>Each of us has developed our own solutions. I like to keep
batteries in a tempered space, to maintain reasonable winter temperatures.
Tempered doesn't mean thermostatic heat, but an insulated space with a trombe
wall that holds 50F or more in winter is sweet. I often put batteries indoors
in the living space and have never had a problem with either a homeowner or an
inspector.<br><br>We have cultivated a woodworker to build boxes for us. He
knows what we want. I like plywood, because it's familiar, attractive,
versatile, dimensionally stable, and strong. At my suggestion, our woodworker
uses 1/2" "Baltic Birch" plywood from a woodworker's supply or better
lumberyard. It has 9 thin plies, so is very stable, and it comes in 60" X 60"
sheets, so it fits many battery sets without the waste created by 4' X 8'
sheets. It's commonly used to make cabinet drawer carcases.<br><br>The primary
problem is that plywood rots in contact with acid, so the boxes are primered
on all the inside surfaces to form an acid barrier, and a liner of 40 mil EPDM
rubber, pond liner, or shower pan liner is placed in the bottom and about 7"
up the sides with folded corners. Above this level we put inlet ventilation
holes, typically 3 1-1/4" holes across the front. The exterior is painted or
given a clear finish, or left for the homeowner.<br><br>The box is caulked and
carefully weatherstripped, using RCI neoprene. The lid is sloped, partly to
draw vapors up toward the vent but mostly to discourage the owners from
storing things on the box and forgetting maintenance. We build the carcase on
a 3-1/2" high toe kick, like a kitchen base cabinet, so it's easy to lean over
to add water. We use a piano hinge for the hinged top, with a level top rear
portion as a surface to drill for the vent stack. If there are kids or
grandkids, a lockable hasp is easy to add.<br><br>With this approach we always
include a 12V Power Vent inline in a 2" white PVC vent pipe to the outside. A
shower drain hair screen gets trimmed down and used as an insect screen. The
Power Vent runs off of a charge controller's auxiliary circuit.<br><br>I use
two concentric hole saws from opposite sides to create a 1/4" thick flange to
fit a lock ring around a 1-1/2" or 2" battery conduit, with duct seal around
the cables to keep gases out of the electrical equipment.<br><br>I teach
people (and post an instruction sheet inside the box lid) battery care,
including where to fill cells to to avoid spillage or splattering.<br><br>To
each his own; this has worked well for us and our customers.<br>Allan<br>.<br>
</div><div>
<![endif]-->
<div><div></div><div class="h5">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><b>Allan</b></span><b> Sindelar</b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br><a href="mailto:Allan@positiveenergysolar.com" target="_blank"><span>Allan</span>@positiveenergysolar.com</a><br>NABCEP Certified
Photovoltaic Installer<br>EE98J Journeyman Electrician<br><b>Positive Energy,
Inc.</b><br>3201 Calle Marie<br>Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507<br><b>505
424-1112</b><br><a href="http://www.positiveenergysolar.com/" target="_blank">www.positiveenergysolar.com</a></span></p></div></div></div></div><div><div></div><div class="h5"><br><br>Mick
Abraham wrote:
<blockquote type="cite">Hi, Mechanix~<br><br>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. <br><br>Concrete is strong but it also tends
to begin dissolving when battery acid gets on it. Been there, seen that,
didn't like it.<br><br>Wood could be strong but what about the dissolving
problem? Would pressure treated wood be better than white wood, redwood
etc.?<br><br>OR: what else would the group advise for a support
structure?<br><br>************************************************************<br><br>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? <br><br>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?<br><br>Thanks all around,<br><br clear="all">Mick Abraham, Proprietor<br><a href="http://www.abrahamsolar.com" target="_blank">www.abrahamsolar.com</a><br><br>Voice:
970-731-4675<br><pre><hr size="4" width="90%">
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