Battery on I/O

[Timothyk86g]

So i have a 1996 Four Winns Horizon 200 with an I/O and dual battery set up. The batteries are inside under a cover that lifts up. However, the cover is not really sealed. It locks into place with two suction type rubber fittings. When the kids come in from the back of the boat dripping wet, the water definitely gets through and drips down into the battery compartment. Is there anyway to prevent this? Or is there any type of special casing that can be put around or over top of the battery to prevent water from dripping onto it?

Thank you

 

[Alumarine]

Does the water not drain out of that compartment?
A bit or even a lot of water shouldn't bother the batteries.

You could use the cover from one of those generic plastic battery boxes to cover the top.

 

[Commander_47]

make sure there is a drain hole in your battery box and your bilge pump works.

 

[roscoe]

water will not harm a 12 volt battery system

 

[GA_Boater]

make sure there is a drain hole in your battery box and your bilge pump works.

water will not harm a 12 volt battery system

Water won't but acid will damage a lot of things. That's why battery boxes don't have holes - To keep acid inside in case of boil-over.

 

[mike_i]

Post a few pictures of what you have sounds like an easy fix.

 

[Commander_47]

Water won't but acid will damage a lot of things. That's why battery boxes don't have holes - To keep acid inside in case of boil-over.

I agree if you are using non-sealed batteries. That would be the kind that you add water to and have screw, or pop, off tops on the cells.

While not totally impossible, it is improbable that a sealed battery will boil over.

A more likely, and more dangerous, situation is if the sealed battery in a boat is overcharging. SLA batteries are designed with either gel, or lower acid levels to account for possible boil over.

They can, however, in rare cases of over charging, cause the acid to change into a gas and escape via the vent built into SLA batteries. If that happens you have a much bigger issue than leaking battery acid.

The gas is highly flammable and is the main reason boats have vent fans in the engine compartment. It is also a main reason it is recommended you run your vent fan for a few minutes before starting your engine.

I have to lift my engine cover to turn on the electronics in my boat, I usually just leave the cover open while I start the motor for the first time of the day to allow for ventilation.

My batteries are SLA, the boxes have drain holes, and no tops to allow for venting.