OptimaJim wrote:Tim, although our batteries are sealed, it is important that any lead-acid battery has proper ventilation. ALL lead-acid batteries can vent gas. Traditional wet batteries do this immediately when recharged, since they are not sealed. Sealed lead-acid batteries like Optimas and all other “dry cell” AGM batteries have safety release valves that should only vent if they are seriously overcharged.
Under normal operating conditions, an AGM battery will not vent gas. Since alternators or chargers can fail, the safest and correct mounting method for trunks and passenger compartments is to make sure that any possible gas venting will escape to the outside of the vehicle. All vehicles with original equipment battery locations in trunks or passenger compartments will have a vent provision that should be used. Since it sounds like your battery would be custom-mounted in the passenger compartment, we recommend venting the battery to the outside of your vehicle as well. Optima group 27, 51, 78, 34C, and 31 batteries all have ports for connecting a vent hose.
Although people do it anyway, we would never recommend installing an unvented battery in any enclosed space, because there’s a legitimate, albeit unlikely, safety risk involved.
For example, IF there is a voltage regulator failure, and IF the battery is severely overcharged, and IF this goes unnoticed, and IF the battery vents because the internal pressure exceeds the release pressure of the vents, the gasses are both flammable and toxic. This may sound like a lot of “ifs,” but attorneys and engineers get paid to plan for every worst-case scenario. If you have any other battery-related questions, I’ll do my best to answer them.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
http://www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
Okay then how should I go about venting to the outside?? there are a couple vents on the outer cab wall taht could prolly be used, I was just wondering how to vent the battery to the vent in the cab wall??
Tim
