2012 Rinker 310 upgrades

oscar1

i would like to show you some of the upgrades i did to my boat for the last couples year. new batteries plus bracket.

LaRea

Nice work.  You have been busy!

raybo3

Not to be a jerk but is that rack made of stainless steel? IMO not a good idea to put batteries on a metal rack or shelve. The battery holder should be non-conductive or batteries should be in plastic battery box......... Just say'n

Ian

I agree with @LaRea, in fact I thought non-conductive was a requirement. I’d be concerned pulling out the bottom one and see that terminal hook up against the frame.

RiverRat232

raybo3 said:

Not to be a jerk but is that rack made of stainless steel? IMO not a good idea to put batteries on a metal rack or shelve. The battery holder should be non-conductive or batteries should be in plastic battery box......... Just say'n

What if the metal was covered in bed liner or plastic coating? I guess you would still have to worry about it wearing off but it wouldn't be just a thin coat of paint.

raybo3

I still think the batteries would drain. Maybe not short out but not a good idea. They should be on wood, fiberglass, plastic. 

RiverRat232

raybo3 said:

I still think the batteries would drain. Maybe not short out but not a good idea. They should be on wood, fiberglass, plastic. 

You are probably right. Just thinking of ways to save the project.

TonyG13

I like the concept, but also wonder about the amount of strain being put on the fasteners at the base. When you have 70 pounds of lead rocking back and forth a foot in the air it's eventually going to pull something loose or stress the frame.

oscar1

The bottom has a wood insolation and its made of aluminum so weight it's not a issue. plus  another support to the top of the engineer compartment to prevent any movement.

LaRea

There's nothing inherently wrong with metal as the rack material.  Metal battery racks are used in yachts with big inverter banks.  The metal has to be protected from corrosive gasses produced by the batteries.  

How is the rack attached to the deck?  If you pull sideways on the top of the rack with a force of 70 pounds for one minute, what would happen?  (That's the ABYC spec -- twice the weight of the battery for one minute.)  

raybo3

I would never use a rack made out of metal. The racks should be non conductive. 

Aqua_Aura

There is so many certifications for everything. Twice the battery weight for 1 minute, who comes up with this. I'm familiar with aircraft but never even thought about boats having all these test and checks, makes sense just didn't occur to me. 

LaRea

ABYC creates standards, not regulations.  A standard is just a list of best practices.  Boat builders can choose to follow them, or not.  The battery load test is an easy way for a builder to demonstrate that their battery installation is safe.  I don't have a copy of the standard for batteries, but as far as I can tell, there's nothing that prohibits using metal for the rack. 

For examples of metal battery racks, do this web search (include the quote marks):

"yacht" "battery rack"

YYZRC

I've been pondering the stacked battery idea for a while now.  Four group 31s, 2 up and two down.  Two would make for a more stable base. 

Why bother with a frame around the upper battery?  Why not just have the angle iron lip and make a base out of 3/4" starboard with a marine battery tray secured to it?

raybo3

@LaRea You do realize that batteries stored on anything conductive could short them or drain them. It has nothing to do with the boat. The battery trays on the trains I repair are non-conductive materials. 

LaRea

This link quotes ABYC E-10.7 ... I'm not sure if the quote is complete or current:

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/003372.html

It recommends:
* making sure the mount won't be damaged by electrolyte
* providing a tray to capture spilled electrolyte
* using a non-conductive material to shield the terminals (i.e. terminal boots).   

But it does not specify using non-conductive materials for the rack.  I'll quote from that link here, but again - it might not be current or complete.

-------quote from the other link--------------
E-10.7 INSTALLATION

E-10.7.1 If the mounting surfaces of components of the boat in the immediate vicinity of the battery are of a material attacked by the electrolyte, a mounting means shall be provided that is made of material that is not damaged by electrolyte.

E-10.7.2 Provision shall be made to contain leakage and spillage of electrolyte.

E-10.7.3 Fasteners for the attachment of battery boxes or trays shall be isolated from areas intended to collect spilled electrolyte.

E-10.7.4 Each installed battery shall not move more than one inch (25mm) in any direction when a pulling force of 90 pounds (41kg) or twice the battery weight, whichever is less, is applied through the center of gravity of the battery as follows;

E-10.7.4.1 vertically for a duration of one minute, and

E-10.7.4.2 horizontally and parallel to the boat's centerline, for a duration of one minute fore and one minute aft, and

E-10.7.4.3 horizontally and perpendicular to the boat's centerline for a duration of one minute to starboard and one minute to port.

E-10.7.5 No battery shall be installed directly above or below a fuel tank, fuel filter, or fitting in a fuel line.

NOTE: This does not prohibit a battery from being installed directly above or below an uninterrupted fuel line. However, if a metallic fuel line is within the 12 inch (305mm) envelope of the surface of the battery, it shall be shielded dielectrically as required in E-10.7.8.

E-10.7.6 Batteries shall not be installed directly below battery chargers or inverters.

E-10.7.7 To prevent accidental contact of the ungrounded battery connection to ground, each battery shall be protected so that metallic objects cannot come into contact with the ungrounded battery terminal and uninsulated cell straps. This may be accomplished by means such as;

E-10.7.7.1 covering the ungrounded battery terminal with a boot or non-conductive shield, or

E-10.7.7.2 installing the battery in a covered battery box, or

E-10.7.7.3 installing the battery in a compartment specially designed only for the battery(s).

E-10.7.8 Top Terminal Battery - Each metallic fuel line and fuel system component within 12 inches (305mm) of a battery terminal, and above the horizontal plane of the battery top surface, as installed, shall be shielded with dielectric material to protect against accidental short-circuiting. See Figure 1.

E-10.7.9 Side Terminal Battery - Each metallic fuel line and fuel system component within 12 inches (305mm) of the terminal side of a side terminal battery shall be shielded with a dielectric material to protect against accidental short circuiting. If the battery has side terminals, the horizontal plane shall be considered to begin below the side terminals. See Figure 1.

NOTES:

1. Terminal insulation or battery covers do not comply with this requirement since, during installation or removal of a battery, these protective devices are usually removed in order to connect the cables.

2. Any non-conductive material may be used for shielding as long as it is durable enough to withstand accidental contact by a tool or the battery terminals during servicing, installation or removal.

E-10.7.10 A vent system or other means shall be provided to permit the discharge from the boat of hydrogen gas released by the battery. See ABYC H-2, Ventilation Of Boats Using Gasoline.

E-10.7.11 Battery boxes, whose cover forms a pocket over the battery, shall be vented at the uppermost portion of the cover.

NOTE TO E-10.7.10 and E-10.7.11: These requirements also apply to installations of all batteries whether they employ removable vent caps, non-removable caps, are "sealed" or "maintenance free" batteries, or have pressure regulated valve vent systems with immobilized electrolyte (gel batteries).

E-10.7.12 Batteries shall be charged by means of an automatically controlled device, that is capable of supplying the current and voltage appropriate to the type of battery being charged. See ABYC A-20, Battery Chargers, and ABYC A-25, Power Inverters.

-------end quote from the other link--------------

LaRea

So @oscar1 as I read it, you should add trays to catch spilled electrolyte.  Even if you are using sealed batteries, it would be best to have trays because a future owner might install different batteries.  

And you should definitely make sure the rack is securely bolted down to the deck. ABYC actually recommends a side force of 90 pounds, not 70.  

oscar1

 The bracket is bolt down to the floor, plus to the ceiling of the engineer compartment it doesn't move a single inches, also the bracket was fabricate to perfect fit for the battery with a 1/2 inches plywood under every battery and powder coating to prevent corrosion.   I will keep in mid for the future when i remove the bracket to make an aluminum trays in both batteries bottom. but the most important i was able to install two group 31 for my house bank, so i don't have to bee running my generator every couple hour to keep with demand.

oscar1

Look the left corner to see the ceiling support bracket, plus i just install this new devices to my a/c for a better startup of the a/c compressor. it work..

oscar1

i also install 2 solar flexible panel to maintain my house batteries at anchor. best project ever. Power from the sun.

YYZRC

Nice, I have the exact same solar setup with Victron.  Great stuff.  In the spring I will switch to around 400w worth of panels as 200w is not enough with the panels flat on the bimini (not ideal angle to the sun).  I think the best I will get with 200w panels flat on the bimini is around 120w.

oscar1

You are right, i am going to increase my panel to higher output next year. Do you know  what brand are you going to use for your upgrade?

YYZRC

I’m planning on going with the ETFE China panels in all black since my bimini is blue. The white panels look ugly on the blue. I’ve found some 175w on Alibaba that are about the right size 60”x28”

Let me know if you find a good option. These would look good on your hardtop if they fit:

https://www.renogy.com/175-watt-12-volt-flexible-monocrystalline-solar-panel/