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Bus Discussion => Bus Topics ( click here for quick start! ) => Topic started by: Zephod on August 31, 2017, 04:59:18 PM

Title: Mounting house batteries
Post by: Zephod on August 31, 2017, 04:59:18 PM
I've just bought a 30A resetting breaker which I'll put on my 35AH Harbor Freight battery. That battery I decided will go underneath the bus.

I'll weld together an open cage for it. It'll be protected from spray from the front wheel by the driving battery compartment and from the rear wheel by the drivers side grey tank.

It's just going to be angle iron welded together with two pieces along the top, bolted to the C section beams using 16 x 5/16 bolts.

Rather than spending time and effort putting a box around an already waterproof battery, I'll just spray the terminals with spray on electrical tape. I'll also fit a self resetting 30A breaker. I might also add a 50A fuse.

From the side, the battery will be protected by the bus skirt, from the top by the bus body. The only thing I might add is a flat sheet of steel over the whole lot as a fire shield.


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Title: Re: Mounting house batteries
Post by: richard5933 on September 01, 2017, 04:19:03 AM
How big is this battery?

1964 PD4106-2412
Title: Re: Mounting house batteries
Post by: bevans6 on September 01, 2017, 05:38:07 AM
It's a quite small battery, kind of like a small lawn tractor or motorcycle battery.  35AH is a very small capacity, maximum safe discharge would be 1/10th that rate, so 3.5 amps per hour for 10 hours.  The usual way of rating these batteries is the 20 hour discharge rate, 35 amps drawn over 20 hours, or 1.75 amps per hour.  I used to use a similar battery in some of my race cars, I installed them with an 1" wide 16 Ga. aluminium strap held down with two 10-32 or 1/4" bolts into riv-nuts or nut plates.  I think it's an AGM battery, which means it can really be placed anywhere. 

Brian
Title: Re: Mounting house batteries
Post by: muldoonman on September 01, 2017, 05:56:49 AM
Quote from: richard5933 on September 01, 2017, 04:19:03 AM
How big is this battery?

1964 PD4106-2412

About the same size as i have on my 500 cc granddaughter Polaris 4 wheeler.
Title: Re: Mounting house batteries
Post by: Zephod on September 01, 2017, 07:09:14 AM
Yeah, it's a small battery.

I'll be using it for brief periods. 10 mins or so every hour to ventilate my bus. I have a 2.5A 12v bilge blower for extraction and might add another for induction. Total 5A for 10mins every hour.

At 8"L, 7.25"H and 5.125"W it's a bizarre size.

I'll make my mount big enough to accommodate a group 31


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