# Help and advice with leisure battery pleaseee



## 129285 (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi,

I am a new owner of a carioca 656 on a fiat chasis and have just recently upgraded the leisure battery from a 85ah to a 110ah.

The obvious problem was the 110ah was larger so wouldnt fit in the battery fixing bracket even though there is plenty of room for the battery.

What I have done is sat the battery in a plastic storage box hopefully this is ok but there is a small amount of room for the battery to move so I wanted some advice about what I could put into the box just to keep the battery still its only about 10mm of space.

Any help and advice about what material is safe to have near the battery would be great can you tell i know nothing about this....haha

Many Thanks in advance Roisin


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

A chunk of polyurethane packing foam. Or a newspaper stuffed down tight 

Dave


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## 129285 (Nov 5, 2009)

*re battery*

Hi Dave,

Thanks for your reply I wasnt sure if it was safe to put something like foam down the side but thats great will make it alot easier and stop the battery moving. Thanks once again Roisin


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## mike800966 (May 1, 2005)

*Battery fixings*

Hi Roisin,

If the battery is a traditional wet cell one You should not pack it with anything absorbent. If its a modern dry type then Dave is, of course, right. Polyurethane foam should be fine.

I thought I might just clarify that you have also made sure the battery and the box cannot move under heavy braking for example.

Bettre safe than sorry

Mike


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## GerryD (Sep 20, 2007)

Roisin,
If you have the normal CI under chassis cantilever battery tray it should accept a 110Ah battery. I have the same setup and all it requires is to turn the battery clamp to fit.
If, however you have another arrangement, or even are lucky enough to have an internal battery then I am wrong.
Gerry


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## 129285 (Nov 5, 2009)

*re battery*

Hi, Thanks for all your replys the battery is housed under the front passenger seat although the battery in the box will sit on the battery platform but the original fixing plate wont fit around the bigger newer battery.

the battery I purchased is a

NEW GENERATION LUCAS LX27MF 105 AH ULTRA DEEP CYCLE LEISURE BATTERY

Any ideas how I would find out if it is a wet one or dry one.

Many Thanks Roisin


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## chrisjrv (May 7, 2007)

Hi,
if the battery is mounted internally it must be vented to outside, if you have mounted it in a box ensure that gases produced are not allowed to collect in this box.
Chris


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## BJT (Oct 31, 2008)

Go to the Lucas web site for info on the battery. Check it for a gas vent in the casing and pipe this outside the van; or the battery box may have a vent built into it.
If the battery clamp cannot be moved to secure it properly you need to look at how it can be safely restrained so it does not slop around, and will be kept in place in the event of an accident. You can use plywood and long hook bolts or suchlike, just keep it clear of the terminals and make sure the box can still be fully closed and gas tight.


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## 129285 (Nov 5, 2009)

*re battery*

Hi, the exsisting battery was just held under the seat on a battery tray with a clamp there was no vent pipes or anything.

The new battery is of course a bit larger in dimension so I have placed it in a plastic box with no lid so plenty of ventilation it was just the box is a little larger than the battery so the battery could move approx 10mm so Im guessing I will go with just placing some packing foam down one side just to keep it nice and still. The box fits perfect with no room for movement.

I did try and find out about the battery on the lucas website but it has no mention of whether it is a wet or dry one. I believe the vent areas on the new battery are at the top on the side of the battery so they are kept well clear of any obstruction.

This is all new to me and just wanted to ask some suggestions from people with more knowledge about batterys than me didnt want to do something i would regret at a later date.

Thanks for all your replys Roisin


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

If you have vent holes run some clear pipe (air pipe from pet shop) from the vents to the outside below the vehicle. Wet or Dry (its probably wet) closed cell polyurethene or even polystyrene will be OK.


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## Spooky_b329 (Jan 24, 2009)

If the box is open topped and vented into the van you'll be OK. If sealed, or the open topped container is vented into a sealed cupboard, then as Sallytrafic says, use vented tube. The gas produced by the battery under fast charging is lighter than air, so no point installing the tube low down like a gas drop out. The tubing either needs to either be sealed over the battery vents, or the easiest way would be seal the lid onto the container, then just pass the tubing through the lid of the container. The gas will collect at the top, if you put the tube at the bottom the container could fill with gas.

Like I said though, if the battery is under a seat or in a cupboard that isn't air tight, I wouldn't worry. My works transit was supplied from Ford with two batterys under the drivers seat, they vent into the drivers cab, a much smaller area than the interior of a motorhome.


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Polystyrene is what I meant! Thanks Frank. It didn't feel right at the time but packing foam should have done it.

The wet or gel is irrelevant. From the physics (I'm free if anyone wants to talk physics!) it matters not a jot.

Windscreen washer tube pipe from Halfords is also a convenient source for venting tube. Just drill a hole and use a grommet or a dash of glue from a hot glue gun.

Dave


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