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Old 07-15-2012, 04:59 PM   #1
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Water in Battery Box

We just bought our first TT this spring. Last week, before our second trip out, my husband opened the battery box to check the levels. The battery was literally floating in the box. I know there are little vents in the box, but could that much rainwater get in through those vents? Should there be drainage holes in the bottom of it? Is it dangerous to leave it like that?
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Old 07-15-2012, 05:45 PM   #2
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I drilled 4 little holes in the bottom my box. Very small, and now I have no problems with water.
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Old 07-15-2012, 05:51 PM   #3
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It's actually pretty common, drill some hole in the bottom and it will take care of itself.....
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Old 07-15-2012, 07:09 PM   #4
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Be sure to go ahead and check fluid levels in the battery. Water may have come from the battery boiling over ???
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Old 07-16-2012, 04:23 AM   #5
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The battery box should be sealed at the bottom. One of the intents of the box is to retain the acid should the battery leak or boil over. By drilling holes in the bottom you may well be setting yourself up for acid damage to the trailer. Small chance but is it worth it?

Find how the water is getting in and fix that.
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Old 07-16-2012, 05:22 AM   #6
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I had the same thing happen. drilled a couple holes in the hight points of the bottom of the box to darin the water out. water was pretty close to the top to short out the terminal/connectors.
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Old 07-16-2012, 10:27 AM   #7
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Same thing happened with our 2010 24RKS. After a few months, I wanted to install a battery disconnect. The battery box had never been opened and we had never towed in the rain, yet the box was full of water.
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Old 07-16-2012, 02:14 PM   #8
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To Roy:
The battery was full besides the water surrounding it.
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Old 07-16-2012, 02:16 PM   #9
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To tnchuck:

Hmmmm- good point!
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Old 07-16-2012, 09:25 PM   #10
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While I realize there is the risk of acid spilling out wherever I am - I did the same thing and drilled holes in the bottom of the battery box. I've seen trailers where the batteries are not in boxes and figure the risk is worth not having to dump the battery boxes periodically...

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Old 07-16-2012, 09:31 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tnchuck100 View Post
The battery box should be sealed at the bottom. One of the intents of the box is to retain the acid should the battery leak or boil over. By drilling holes in the bottom you may well be setting yourself up for acid damage to the trailer. Small chance but is it worth it?

Find how the water is getting in and fix that.
I agree, but you are in a no win situation. The top of the box is vented for obvious reasons so it is going to get water in it if stored outside. I drilled holes in the bottom too. Maybe a partial solution is to drill the holes 1/2 way up the box. It would partially sit in water at times, but I don't think that would harm it....although if it froze in the winter....not good!



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Old 07-16-2012, 09:55 PM   #12
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Yup ... same/same. Holes drilled in the bottom of the box...
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Old 07-17-2012, 05:16 AM   #13
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Very true, I think if we can't stop it from getting in, we'll definitely drill a hole or two. Thanks everyone!
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Old 07-17-2012, 06:37 AM   #14
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I have four battery boxes on the front of my POPUP deck and I drilled holes in the bottom of the boxes for draining. They do however drain straight to the ground. I am planning to install a larger diamond plate lock box for my batteries and will probably not drill holes in the bottom to drain off water since no water will be able to get inside from the closed lid or battery fume vents. I also use smart-mode charging and haven't seen any boil-over now for a few years. My batteries will probably be sitting in the bottom plastic holder when I re-install them in the metal lock box.
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Old 07-17-2012, 11:30 AM   #15
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I am also a driller. Boats and the trailer.
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Old 07-17-2012, 11:23 PM   #16
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Old 07-18-2012, 01:34 AM   #17
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drilled holes in mine, after all, very few cars have battery boxes,I would guess the chances of an acid spill are remote, and if you did have a spill, I doubt a plastic box would be of much help.....happy camping!
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