m.i-man 0 Posted October 27, 2006 (edited) I have searched on this forum and many others and have not yet found a satisfactory answer to this question: Are standard road batteries which have been moved into either the boot or cabin, in need of venting? Some people say they have run them without issues, yet some say they're dangerous due to the gasses emitted. If it does require venting, how does one go about this? (Specification of hole diameters and quantities, pipng etc please). Ta. Edited October 27, 2006 by m.i-man Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonmurgie 2 Posted October 27, 2006 Yes, standard car batterys should be in a vented box if fitted inside the cabin... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allanallen 528 2 Cars Posted October 27, 2006 Yes, standard car batterys should be in a vented box if fitted inside the cabin... bugger, didn't realise this. I've been running mine unvented in the boot for a while am i likely to die then??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ryan 99 Posted October 27, 2006 Some battieries (like mine) have a little vent on one side, that you can just attatch a length of washer hose to and route it outside through the nearest hole. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crogthomas 0 Posted October 27, 2006 Charging a car battery produces Hydrogen gas. As you may well remember from school (if you're not old enough to remember the Hindenburg), hydrogen gas is quite flamable. With the battery under the bonnet there is plenty of fresh air to dilute the hydrogen and therefore little risk of it igniting. In the confines of a car boot there is significantly less fresh air (unless you have the sort of rust holes you can fit your head through). You may well get away with it, and many people do. But its not very sensible. Take a look in the boot of a MX-5 or a BMW with the battery in the boot to see how it should be done (if they have the original battery that is). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m.i-man 0 Posted October 27, 2006 Cheers for the input guys. On the strength of finding out the gas that is emitted, I searched for more information. Primarily to see whether it was heavier than air, as I was hoping I could just vent the battery with some holes in the floor (not as crudely as it sounded though!). But basically Hydrogen is the lightest element. More detailed info on the gas for those that may be interested: Hydrogen; Latin: 'hydrogenium', from Ancient Greek: hydro: "water" and genes: "forming" is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol H and atomic number 1. At standard temperature and pressure it is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, univalent, tasteless, highly flammable diatomic gas (H2). With an atomic mass of 1.00794 g/mol, hydrogen is the lightest element. It is also the most abundant, constituting roughly 75% of the universe's elemental matter.[1] Stars in their main sequence are overwhelmingly composed of hydrogen in its plasma state. Elemental hydrogen is relatively rare on Earth, and is industrially produced from hydrocarbons, after which most free hydrogen is used "captively" (meaning locally at the production site), with the largest markets about equally divided between fossil fuel upgrading (e.g. hydrocracking) and in ammonia production (mostly for the fertilizer market). The most common naturally occurring isotope of hydrogen contains one electron and an atomic nucleus of one proton. In ionic compounds it can take on either a positive charge (becoming a cation, a bare proton) or a negative charge (becoming an anion known as a hydride). Hydrogen can form compounds with most elements and is present in water and all organic compounds. It plays a particularly important role in acid-base chemistry, in which many reactions involve the exchange of protons between soluble molecules. As the only element for which the Schrödinger equation can be solved analytically, study of the energetics and bonding of the hydrogen atom has played a key role in the development of quantum mechanics. Combustion Hydrogen gas is highly flammable and will burn at concentrations as low as 4% H2 in air. The enthalpy of combustion for hydrogen is 286 kJ/mol; it combusts according to the following balanced equation. 2 H2(g) + O2(g) → 2 H2O(l) + 572 kJ When mixed with oxygen across a wide range of proportions, hydrogen explodes upon ignition. Hydrogen-oxygen flames are nearly invisible to the naked eye, as illustrated by the faintness of flame from the main Space Shuttle engines (as opposed to the easily visible flames from the shuttle boosters). Thus it is difficult to visually detect if a hydrogen leak is burning. Hopefully this will be of use for others in the future. But I think I will be boxing my battery in after reading the information found! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest rick03054 Posted October 27, 2006 A summary of the above... Hydrogen in your boot = Bang Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
