This weekend, I started measuring and drawing up my battery box. The box will be nearly at floor level in my RV but it will rest on a 3/4" sheet of plywood sitting on 4, 1.5" square studs spaced about every 4-5" for support of the roughly 150 lb bank (16, 3.2v, 100ah lifepo4 CALB cells). The 'box' will be mounted to the wall that is shared with my refrigerator and will be screwed into the plywood flooring so it will not move. It will have a 2-piece wooden lid that can double as a shelf (or seat) and will be located within 2 feet of the bus bars that attach to the solar electrical system.
The box will be insulated with spray foam insulation. I will set the batteries inside a heavy 'leaf bag' and blow the insulation in around it. The batteries will rest on a thin layer of padding for minimal vibration absorption. The 2 piece lid will have push-to-release latches so no need to have handles protruding. The height will be about 20" high from floor level (give or take) accounting for 2.75" of base, 10" for battery, space for BMS and some dead space above the batteries and BMS for the heaving wires and necessary mini bus bars to connect the negative leads to/from the two BMS. The batteries will be secured with band clamps around the vertical sides (not on top) so they will all be fastened together not only with the bus bars on top but with good band clamps (3 or 4 around the perimeter of the cells). BMS, SCC and Inverter temperature sensors will be positioned according to manufacturer instructions. There will be padding above the battery bank also inside the two hinged doors.
The box will be strong enough to support a large person sitting on (or other heavy object) and will be vented on top and bottom to allow for some air flow. It will be OUT of all weather and since it will be in the house area, should require little to no heat other than the interior heat of the bus. The insulation should help with any spikes in heat from when the bus sits and soaks up the sun's rays. The location is immediately next to the wheelchair lift platform and was occupied by a single 12v SLA battery that was in use for the 12v house systems. So, I am reusing the former SLA battery space for the Lifepo4 batteries. I will be re-wiring the 12v house power source to draw from a fuse panel connected to the 24-to-12v converter that will be powered off of the 24v system.
Footprint is approx. 27-inch L x 14-inch W and 20-inch High.
I am refining the drawings and will post pictures when finished. Two week plan start-to-finish.
The box will be insulated with spray foam insulation. I will set the batteries inside a heavy 'leaf bag' and blow the insulation in around it. The batteries will rest on a thin layer of padding for minimal vibration absorption. The 2 piece lid will have push-to-release latches so no need to have handles protruding. The height will be about 20" high from floor level (give or take) accounting for 2.75" of base, 10" for battery, space for BMS and some dead space above the batteries and BMS for the heaving wires and necessary mini bus bars to connect the negative leads to/from the two BMS. The batteries will be secured with band clamps around the vertical sides (not on top) so they will all be fastened together not only with the bus bars on top but with good band clamps (3 or 4 around the perimeter of the cells). BMS, SCC and Inverter temperature sensors will be positioned according to manufacturer instructions. There will be padding above the battery bank also inside the two hinged doors.
The box will be strong enough to support a large person sitting on (or other heavy object) and will be vented on top and bottom to allow for some air flow. It will be OUT of all weather and since it will be in the house area, should require little to no heat other than the interior heat of the bus. The insulation should help with any spikes in heat from when the bus sits and soaks up the sun's rays. The location is immediately next to the wheelchair lift platform and was occupied by a single 12v SLA battery that was in use for the 12v house systems. So, I am reusing the former SLA battery space for the Lifepo4 batteries. I will be re-wiring the 12v house power source to draw from a fuse panel connected to the 24-to-12v converter that will be powered off of the 24v system.
Footprint is approx. 27-inch L x 14-inch W and 20-inch High.
I am refining the drawings and will post pictures when finished. Two week plan start-to-finish.
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