I have a mobile ham radio I am wanting to use upstairs in my house.
Would it be acceptable to take my deep cycle marine batteyr up there to
use and hook it up to one of those trickle chargers? Will the batter if
it is in a battery box ruin the carpet?

wrote:

I have a mobile ham radio I am wanting to use upstairs in my house.
Would it be acceptable to take my deep cycle marine batteyr up there to
use and hook it up to one of those trickle chargers? Will the batter if
it is in a battery box ruin the carpet?

Buy a plastic dishpan. Put the battery + battery box inside for an extra
layer of protection. Battery acid is nasty stuff.

Be sure to put a fuse in the circuit!

Roby

Put the battery in a plastic type of pan, in case there is any acid
spillage. You can then put the rest of the battery in a wooden box if you
like. Tack care that it can vent, because all these lead acid batteries give
off some hydrogen, along with acid fumes.

For safety sake, I am not keen on using auto and boat type batteries in the
house. I prefer to have them in the garage, or where they can vent to the
outdoors.

For in the home, I am using gel cells when I want a close performance to
lead acid batteries. These have to be vented for safety issues, but they
will not give off any acid fumes. They are extremely clean running compared
to the type of lead acid battery that is used on boats, and automobiles.

For my radio setup, I am using a 12 Volt,12 A/Hr gel cell. Connected to it,
I have a high quality auto charger that is always keeping it topped up. The
battery lasts about 3 to 4 years on the average. I am on the third battery
now.

--

Jerry G.
======


wrote in message
ups.com...
I have a mobile ham radio I am wanting to use upstairs in my house.
Would it be acceptable to take my deep cycle marine batteyr up there to
use and hook it up to one of those trickle chargers? Will the batter if
it is in a battery box ruin the carpet?

Pep Boys is having a sale on those emergency car jump starters. The one
I bought (bought 3, actually) contains a 9 amp-hour sealed AGM battery,
and includes a wall-wart AC charger. For $20 each, it is hard to go wrong.

By the way, I concur with the suggestion to put the battery in a plastic
dishpan, and I would also sprinkle a box of baking soda into the pan.
Not only will it neutralize any small amount of acid that leaks, but the
fizzing will alert you to the leak.

Bill Jeffrey
-------------------------

Jerry G. wrote:
Put the battery in a plastic type of pan, in case there is any acid
spillage. You can then put the rest of the battery in a wooden box if you
like. Tack care that it can vent, because all these lead acid batteries give
off some hydrogen, along with acid fumes.

For safety sake, I am not keen on using auto and boat type batteries in the
house. I prefer to have them in the garage, or where they can vent to the
outdoors.

For in the home, I am using gel cells when I want a close performance to
lead acid batteries. These have to be vented for safety issues, but they
will not give off any acid fumes. They are extremely clean running compared
to the type of lead acid battery that is used on boats, and automobiles.

For my radio setup, I am using a 12 Volt,12 A/Hr gel cell. Connected to it,
I have a high quality auto charger that is always keeping it topped up. The
battery lasts about 3 to 4 years on the average. I am on the third battery
now.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I have a mobile ham radio I am wanting to use upstairs in my house.
Would it be acceptable to take my deep cycle marine batteyr up there to
use and hook it up to one of those trickle chargers? Will the batter if
it is in a battery box ruin the carpet?


It'll work fine, just put it in one of those plastic battery boxes. I've
used a deep cycle battery to run a power inverter when the power was out,
works great, cheap at Costco.

On 18 Jan 2005 08:54:09 -0800, wrote:

I have a mobile ham radio I am wanting to use upstairs in my house.
Would it be acceptable to take my deep cycle marine batteyr up there to
use and hook it up to one of those trickle chargers? Will the batter if
it is in a battery box ruin the carpet?

Might be better to use a sealed battery instead. You could use one
that's made for use in four wheeler's or for marine apps.(I used a
sealed lead acid in one of my old swamp runners that I'd routinely run
rivers and backwaters in)
Both yasua and US battery make a line of sealed lead acids for indoor
use.(I have a 12Ah US battery hooked up to a trickle charger that runs
a CB radio that I've got setup for home use and it works fine.)
If you insist on using a vented wet cell best to seal it up in a
plastic battery box with a vent tube going to an outdoor source.(much
like the way they're vented on motorcycles etc.. A small plastic tube,
in your case at least a 1/4 inch, ran from a barbed fitting mounted on
the sealed plastic case to a vent source. Say a 2x2 the length of a
window sill with a small hole drilled in it to run the plastic tubing
through. You can lift the window just enough to insert the 2x2 and
drop the window back down on it for a tight fit. Use corrosive grade
tygon tubing and nylon or uhmw plastic barb fittings, available at
your local hardware store.)
I can tell you that running a vented wet cell in a closed enviroment
will lead to problems if you don't vent it to the outdoors.
Virtually all fabrics in the enclosed space will develop acid rot and
it can cause serious health issues with your respiratory tract if you
let it vent inside.(Had a friend who built a small battery backup
system in a backroom of his house years back who went through this.
He'd not bothered to vent all those auto 12v's he had in series and it
rotted out most all the cotton fabric in the house as well as the wall
paper throughout. He developed severe bronchitis over the space of a
couple of years as well. His lung problem cleared up when we moved his
"home brew" backup system to an outdoor shed off of the house.)

The wet cells DO offer a more durable, longer lasting power solution
but do require a bit more consideration in planning though.
If you can afford it go with the sealed lead acids, they're low in
cost and give 2 to 5 years use with proper charging.( i usually pay
around 19 bucks for a 10-12 ah dry cell at my local industrial batery
outlet and the sealed one's made for four wheelers and such can be had
at motorcycle shops or your local Wal-Mart for as little as 30 bucks.
They tend to last a bit longer and can take a higher charge rate as
well.)

wrote:
I have a mobile ham radio I am wanting to use upstairs in my house.
Would it be acceptable to take my deep cycle marine batteyr up there to
use and hook it up to one of those trickle chargers? Will the batter if
it is in a battery box ruin the carpet?


I'd seal the battery up in a plastic container. Run a plastic vent pipe
through whatever means you're using to get your coax thru the wall.
Depending on your usage patterns, I wouldn't leave it on charge all the
time. I'd use a bigger charger and run it less frequently...depending
on your usage patterns. Doesn't do any good to just boil the
electrolyte out continuously.
mike

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"mike" wrote in message
...

| I'd seal the battery up in a plastic container. Run a plastic vent pipe
| through whatever means you're using to get your coax thru the wall. ...

Invite the police to check it out. Beats having your crotch sniffed by a
drug raid dog with a bad attitude.

N

wrote:
: I have a mobile ham radio I am wanting to use upstairs in my house.
: Would it be acceptable to take my deep cycle marine batteyr up there to
: use and hook it up to one of those trickle chargers? Will the batter if
: it is in a battery box ruin the carpet?


It'd work. Walmart or a marine store would have a plastic battery box that
would work. Note that when the battery charges, it produces very explosive
hydrogen gas so charging it unventilated could produce an explosion danger.

I'd opt for simply buying a DC power supply to cut down on the risks.

Do a google.com search for "12 volt battery eliminator" for sources.

b.

wrote in message
...
wrote:
: I have a mobile ham radio I am wanting to use upstairs in my house.
: Would it be acceptable to take my deep cycle marine batteyr up there to
: use and hook it up to one of those trickle chargers? Will the batter if
: it is in a battery box ruin the carpet?


It'd work. Walmart or a marine store would have a plastic battery box
that
would work. Note that when the battery charges, it produces very
explosive
hydrogen gas so charging it unventilated could produce an explosion
danger.

I'd opt for simply buying a DC power supply to cut down on the risks.

Do a google.com search for "12 volt battery eliminator" for sources.

b.


You can get sealed batteries so the hydrogen is not an issue, though I've
used normal deep cycle marine batteries without problems, heck they're used
on boats, often not sealed off from the passenger cabin, some ventilation is
good but it's not like they produce a ton of hydrogen.