Battery Boxes OR Trays?

[Tin Man]

I thought I had it all figured out, and then....I started thinking, which is not always a good thing (analysis-paralysis) !!!

What if my LiFePo4 batts started to leak (ex. crack or split in casing)?

I used battery boxes in all of my previous boats (all were LA batts).
This new Tracker came with a LA batt up front on a tray... under forward deck there is a compartment for batteries. First time I ever found a battery on a boat in a tray.

Now I'm installing two 12V LiFePo4 batts in the same location and thought of using trays....now I'm concerned about potential leakage and damaging/burning through the aluminum hull. LifePo batts can leak.

Also, securing batts to thin alum deck is also a concern. There is no access to underside for through bolting...only sheet metal screws can be used (as was done with OEM battery and tray).

I also have one group 24LA starting batt in rear of boat in a dedicated battery compartment. Compartment is too small to accommodate boxes...only trays. Boat came new with one 12V group 24 LA batt. My plan in to add a second group 24 LA as a house batt.

1. What are you doing for batts in your tin boats....boxes, trays, or something else?
2. Thoughts on potential acid spillage?
3. How are you securing to floor/deck?

Thanks!

 

[flatheadsteve]

My xpress came with trays and I don't plan to replace with boxes. If they leak a plastic battery box wouldn't contain it very long. If my batteries were out in the open like on my 1436 I'd put them in a box but 2 are In the center console and 1 is in the bilge tucked between a bulkhead and the fuel tank. They are all secured with self tapping screws.

 

[LDUBS]

I use boxes for both the starter and trolling motor batteries. I want the extra protection of containing a leak should that ever happen. As far as I know, battery acid won't eat through plastic. I have no idea if LiFePO4 electrolyte is more or less corrosive than lead acid batteries.

 

[airshot]

To my knowledge there is no liquid in a lithium battery. They appear to be a paste or clay type substance. I would not worry about leakage on a lithium battery. The boxes are for liquid cell batteries and the trays are a cheaper way to store, they save a couple bucks to the builder. My 1992 has all trays for all batteries, gonna just go with it, no signs of leakage....yet..

 

[Ray Clark]

I have a LA AGM battery for cranking, LiFePO4 for accessories and TM.

Both are secured to trays inside the center bench. The trays are secured to a plywood platform inside the bench. The plywood platform is secured to the bulkhead of the bench.

My LA AGM battery is sealed. I'm not concerned about leakage. Of course, a hard hit with something could crack it, I suppose, but it is in the center bench and protected from other stuff.

 

[flatheadsteve]

To my knowledge there is no liquid in a lithium battery. They appear to be a paste or clay type substance. I would not worry about leakage on a lithium battery. The boxes are for liquid cell batteries and the trays are a cheaper way to store, they save a couple bucks to the builder. My 1992 has all trays for all batteries, gonna just go with it, no signs of leakage....yet..

Lifepo4 in rare occurances can leak my understanding is it typically only happens in a overcharge situation. Can be toxic if it happens though.

 

[Still Afloat]

Lifepo4 in rare occurances can leak my understanding is it typically only happens in an overcharge situation. Can be toxic if it happens though.

It should never happen if you’re charging properly and it’s well designed battery. That Noco charger should be good as long as it's set for LiFePO and charge current is at or less than the battery rating.

Aside from charging the leading cause for a thermal event or leakage is physical damage from protrusions, dropping, etc. While the battery housing is quite durable each cell is in a foil pouch that could get punctured. Also, the cell pouches do swell over time and the housing must allow clearance for that swelling.

 

[flatheadsteve]

It should never happen if you’re charging properly and it’s well designed battery. That Noco charger should be good as long as it's set for LiFePO and charge current is at or less than the battery rating.

Aside from charging the leading cause for a thermal event or leakage is physical damage from protrusions, dropping, etc. While the battery housing is quite durable each cell is in a foil pouch that could get punctured. Also, the cell pouches do swell over time and the housing must allow clearance for that swelling.

I agree it should never happen with a good battery and charger but Murphy has been known to rear his ugly head where it's least expected. I'll be running a 36v lifepo4 this season and I'm not worried about it happening unless we're in some kind of violent accident and one gets punctured.

 

[MrGiggles]

Trays with a buckle strap is what I prefer. Easier to install/remove them, and they allow you to place the battery in places where you wouldn't be able to lift them out of a box.

Pop rivets will hold the trays down just fine.

 

[AlanT]

There are some youtube videos that tear apart LifePO4 batteries. Inside the battery case is the BMS (Battery Management System, aka circuit board) and 6 self contained cells 2.X Volts each. Even if the cells could leak, it would leak into the battery case. I'm not sure how it would leak outside the battery case unless there was some catastrophic physical damage to the battery case.

 

[Buster]

If your battery is exposed a case can help reduce effects of UV on the actual battery enclosure, etc. A case can help prevent accidental shorting. Neither issue is very likely but worth considering depending on your setup.

 

[jethro]

It's my understanding that if the battery is punctured a leak is the least of your worries. That said, what Buster said above is a good point, boxes keep the terminals covered and less likely to make contact with something they aren't supposed to.

 

[Still Afloat]

There are some youtube videos that tear apart LifePO4 batteries. Inside the battery case is the BMS (Battery Management System, aka circuit board) and 6 self contained cells 2.X Volts each. Even if the cells could leak, it would leak into the battery case. I'm not sure how it would leak outside the battery case unless there was some catastrophic physical damage to the battery case.

“I'm not sure how it would leak outside the battery case unless there was some catastrophic physical damage to the battery case.”

If the manufacturer has poor quality control and a loose screw or other flotsam was left inside one of the cell cases it could eventually puncture the cell pouch. This could create a thermal event. (Or the same thing if the cell case has a sharp edge on an internal surface.)

These lessons were learned early on. At the consumer level, I wouldn’t be too concerned about it these days.

 

[LDUBS]

If your battery is exposed a case can help reduce effects of UV on the actual battery enclosure, etc. A case can help prevent accidental shorting. Neither issue is very likely but worth considering depending on your setup.

It's my understanding that if the battery is punctured a leak is the least of your worries. That said, what Buster said above is a good point, boxes keep the terminals covered and less likely to make contact with something they aren't supposed to.

Good points. Most of the time we take a safety step it is for something that isn't likely to happen.

 

[thill]

The big thing is not getting water inside them. Lithium and water explode. Recently saw a YouTube video where they took a AA battery apart, and it was a coil of lithium metal tape. He dropped it in a bowl of water and it smoked, caught fire and then exploded! He said he was really lucky not to get hit by glass bowl shards.

Made my eyes open wide! That was from a little AA battery. Imagine what a 100AH could do, if it were to blow.

I know they are made for this, so I will now stop thinking about it.

 

[Still Afloat]

Ya, there’s some real knuckle heads on YouTube.

 

[Still Afloat]

Made my eyes open wide! That was from a little AA battery. Imagine what a 100AH could do, if it were to blow.

It brings a whole new definition to fishing with dynamite.

It fished from an electric yak with a 60 A/hr LiFePO between my legs for several years. Never had issue.

 

[flatheadsteve]

They make rubber and plastic covers that go over terminals so nothing can inadvertently hit them. Li time sends a set with their batteries.

 

[InSaneFisherMan]

I would go over ABYC E-10, specifically 10.7.2 and 10.7.4.

I am pretty sure that 10.7.4 is being updated for lifepo4 batteries to .5". Movement on these batteries is probally a bigger issue than leaks.

 

[mirrocraft16]

I put all my batteries in a box, regardless of the type of battery I don't care to risk getting any electrolyte on my aluminum hull.
My one boat came factory with a raised aluminum platform with two battery trays, each with plastic threaded rods to secure the batteries with. In theory it was fine, but it was wrong in several ways.
First was that it put two heavy group 27 batteries at the stern, right at the transom on the port side.
Second was the fact that the aluminum stand or platform had only two hull thickness stands 8" wide at each end to hold up roughly 150lbs of batteries. It was fine on the water but the weight of the batteries soon began to dent the hull when trailering.
Third, the terminals had no protection, and a tilted tiller handle could make contact with the positive terminal.
Fourth it did nothing to prevent batteries that could vent from leaking onto the hull.

To make it all worse, the boat came with both a bilge pump and livewell pump, both mounted on the transom, and one 6 gallon fuel tank which mounted to a slightly larger panel on the starboard side, all right behind a 10 gallon livewell in the rear bench seat.
They put every possible bit of weight at the back of the boat. With my 330 or so lbs driving the boat sitting on the rear bench, it would take water over the transom and sink. A boat rated for 1240lbs total was built with almost 270 lbs mounted at the stern plus the motor and the driver. With a 35hp motor that meant it had 400lbs with the livewell filled, and 730 lbs with me in the boat all within 28" of the transom. I'm not sure what they were thinking but that was never going to work.
I moved both batteries to the center bench seats, one on each side, and I never use the livewell for anything but light storage. And i moved the fuel tank in front of the last bench, with a spare tank carried in the bow. It leaves only me and the motor at the stern.
Putting the batteries each in a box which I can connect and slide into the compartments in the split middle bench was the only way to make it work. It also meant I could just slide each one out and leave it home when i wasn't going to run the trolling motor, such as when I'm in saltwater with it. Having both batteries onboard is like having the weight of another person onboard and can make a huge difference in how much fuel I use or how far out I can go.