Lithium Battery: Box Needed?

[mvweebles]

Quick Question: Are full enclosure battery boxes required for LiFePo4 batteries (Battle Born 100A)? I am placing them in an aft lazarette so out of the engine room. I realize they need to be well secured, but do they need a full enclosure with a top as old FLA batteries are? Best would be to put them on a shelf. What about AGMs?

Thanks in advance

Peter

[tkeithlu]

I can't put my hands on my copy of the ABYC standards at the moment, so I can't give you the "legal." I've certainly seen plenty of boats, including commercial, with batteries out of boxes.

Think it through. Black plastic battery boxes don't restrain batteries; you need to do that with straps or fiberglas/wood compartments. If straps, you need to make sure that spilled acid won't corrode them. Box lids preveent dropped wrenches from becoming fireworks displays. Shifting batteries are a common fire source, and the temperature generated is plenty to ignite fiberglas resin, which burns like oiled paper.

So will your design prevent all this? I used open boxes, with bicarbonate of soda in the bottom of each to neutralize any loose acid (flooded batteries) and a screw-in-place restraining board over the top to keep the bank in place. It's topped with a plywood cabin sole, so being bounced won't cause a fire. Not having lids made it easier to join a bank of six batteries. Come up with a design that will hold those suckers firmly in place and insulated during a knock down, and move on the the next problem.

Good luck with it.

[Cire Edhor]

Lithium batteries don't have acid. No boxes needed but they do need to be secure use whatever method you want you don't want them banging around if your boat turns over strapping and eyelets screwed into the floor or bulkheads is sufficient. Also make sure that the terminals are covered to prevent against accidental shorts. Lithium batteries behave much more energetically when you short the terminals. You don't want that ever and if you can possibly prevent against it you should.

[S/V Illusion]

In the US, if a CG inspection reveals the battery tops aren’t protected, they can issue a citation. What type battery chemistry is irrelevant.

[Ballsnall]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Quick Question: Are full enclosure battery boxes required for LiFePo4 batteries (Battle Born 100A)?

Only your insurance company can answer this.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Quick Question: Are full enclosure battery boxes required for LiFePo4 batteries (Battle Born 100A)? I am placing them in an aft lazarette so out of the engine room. I realize they need to be well secured, but do they need a full enclosure with a top as old FLA batteries are? Best would be to put them on a shelf. What about AGMs?

Thanks in advance

Peter

Boxes are only practically required if the battery can leak. LFP and AGM batteries don’t leak anything, so no need for boxes. Like any other battery, they do need to be secure from movement and the top terminals should be protected from dropped tools or anything else that could cause short circuits.

But as others have posted, you may have local regulations or insurance requirements for boxes. Check with them!