Another battery box

One of our members “pmmpete” was the inspiration for these battery boxes. When he posted an online photo of his battery box, mounted inside his Hobie Revolution 13 kayak, I instantly recognized the product as a GSI Outdoors (Polycarbonate) waterproof box. I have the exact same box I use for a first aid kit (shown in photos below) that I put together in the late 80’s. Very durable item; it has been banged around car camping and boating since its creation. Polycarbonate is the material used to create bullet proof windows in banks; it’s a pretty durable material; it is also know by the brand name Lexan.

The first step was to find the box. I happened to be in Wal-Mart looking for the waterproof connector I ultimately had to order online, but while there I spotted the box I wanted. This one was a match to the older one I have, but it was in a bright orange color and had the name Outdoor Products on its label.

After I got it home I did some research to find out GSI Outdoors and Outdoor Products are not the same company, however it sure looks like the Outdoor Products box and the GSI box both come from the same manufacturer in China; one brand out the backdoor and the other out the front door. If not that, it's another example of a copy-cat manufacturer... who knows?

The first battery box (orange) I made for my Kayak. I wanted a battery large enough to power the Lowrance Elite 4 HDI for several hours of continuous run time. The Fishfinder draws .75 amps. I visited Batteries Plus and picked up a Werker 9ah AGM non-spill deep cycle battery. Theoretically you can tell how long the battery may last by dividing the rating of the battery by the draw of the product i.e. 9ah divided by .75ah should equal 12 hours of continuous use. However for the sake of battery well-being, you should not draw the battery down below 50%. So, I try to recharge after 4 to 6 hours of use, or after a day on the water; so far it is working out just fine.

You don’t have to invent much of anything these days. Simply do a search for what you need and copy what has been done by others, possibly adding your own touches to make their good idea better and that was my intent.

I made a few changes: I sanded the back side of the battery and the bottom of the battery box and applied “Industrial Strength” Velcro to keep the battery in place during transport and use. You’ll see I added the foam around the sides of the battery, but I don’t think it was required. I also used the H.D. Velcro on the bottom of the outside of the box to mount the unit securely to the hull of the kayak; that’s been working out quite well. If you do this, be sure to put the fuzzy (loop) side of the Velcro on the outside of the box; it won’t get damaged, nor stick to cloth or pick up particles like the rough (hooked) side will.

The electrical connection (Wal-Mart Internet Order - no freight charges ship to store) is an item borrowed from my sailboat days: Seachoice 10121 Watertight Marine Electrical Connector. I used this connector to bring power from the cabin to the cockpit when the cabin was secured (bad weather). The connector is made of brass and chrome plated. I used these for several years sailing San Francisco Bay and vicinity and did not have any problems. Remembering them made it easy to make a watertight box stay watertight.

The Fishfinder came with 3amp fuses in a fine wire fuse holder. I didn’t care for the wire as it appeared a bit flimsy so I used marine fuse holders; they are heavier wire and more durable. I think most people use “goop” to secure their spade connectors at the battery; because of the upward pressure exerted by the wire placement, the Goop has not been required.

The external connectors are the same brand that I used in my sailing; however the cap to cover the outlet is nowhere near as secure as the older ones. I’m guessing the old style was a silicone rubber while these new ones are plastic. I mention this only because I’m not sure I can recommend them like I did in the past; I don’t like the white outlet covers; but I’m using them and so far no worries.

The second battery box (in green) I special ordered from ACK (Austin Canoe & Kayak) a dealer for GSI. When the box came in I swear the GSI box is the same as the Wally World cheaper version made by Outdoor Products. I’m wondering if there was any advantage to spend the extra on the special order; doesn’t look like it, unless like me you simply want the GSI brand.

The second box is for a smaller battery for use in my Pontoon Boat. This time I wanted just a few hours of intermittent use per day. The Duracell Ultra AGM is much lighter and rated at 5ah. I used Velcro under the battery but not on the outside of the case because this will reside inside of a side pocket and won’t need to be “attached” to anything. Both battery boxes have a handle strap I made from 1” wide webbing. If you’ve not heard of the Speedy Stitcher Sewing Awl you may wish to look into one. Mine is probably 30 years old and has been in-use to fix and make lots of different things including sailcloth repairs; it’s a great little tool. http://www.speedystitcher.com/speedy...-instructions/

In the photos you will see a small 3” long connector. On one end is the double pin to connect to the battery box, while on the other end is a connector dedicated to attach to the battery charger made by “Battery Tender”. One note on charging; the warning on the battery specifically tells you to never attempt to charge the battery in a closed container. It seems during charging these sealed batteries have a vent relief valve and there will be gasses expelled, sounds like good advice to open the case before charging.

If you need to create a small, waterproof battery box this project may give you some ideas.

Great write up and information.   I have one of those boxes under the "Outdoor Products" label but came blue in color from Walmart.  My intent was to stow water sensitive electronics "cell phones, Keyfobs ..." in it while on the water.  Not that I would ever doubt the quality of products bought at Wally World, but I put it to the test.  I filled  it half full of cold water, locked down the lid then turned it upside down to sit for several hours.  Figured it would create positive pressure within as the cold water warmed and expanded with time.   After several hours not a drop leaked out. 

A couple of us are testing many of the different battery options we have to see how long it takes to go from a full charge down to 10 and then 9 volts using a 7 watt bulb typically used in 12 volt landscape lighting. We are testing everything form the smaller "blue bricks" to high Ah lithium motorcycle batteries.   Would you be interested in giving us data from your 9Ah SLA if I send you the bulb with hardware to clip onto your battery terminals?

If you would just let me know where to buy the bulb (hopefully Loews or Home D) the brand and part number if applicable I can solder on a couple of leads with terminals to do the hook up. I imagine you would hook up a volt meter inline to watch the voltage drop to the 10 then 9 volt reading.
If there is a set procedure, let me know and I should be able to accommodate.
PM me with your specifications and I'll see if I can help out without you having to send me anything. Maybe when done I could help share the information by making a "Battery Test Page" on my Blog/Website, with your permission and you'd get credit for the procedures and information of course.

Interesting test; it could be very valuable to know which batteries are best.

The bulbs we are using are FELT Electric 7 Watt T5 Wedge Base package of 4.  I picked these up at a McKlendons which is a chain up here in WA for around $6.   I see from Home Depots website they carry the same brand bulb but in a 288 count package.  They also carry a similar 7 watt bulb under the Hampton Bay and Philips brand in a 2 and 4 pack.   Should be where they have their landscape lighting.  All should draw the same .584 amps at 12 volts.   Roger that on using a DMM to monitor the voltage from start to the 10 then 9 volt points.      I have tested a couple of different lithium batteries rated between 6800 to 14,000 mAH along with a 7AH SLA.  NoYaks is in the process of this test with the 20,000 mAH Anker which many have purchased   It is interesting to see the difference in how quickly the Lithium Ions go from 10 down to 9 vs. the SLA batteries.

I'll visit Home D this afternoon to see what I can find. Sounds easy enough.
I'll pull that same test on the 5AH Duracell. Batteries Plus was very positive about the battery.
I'll get back to you in a couple of days.
Bill

NoYaks is in the process of this test with the 20,000 mAH Anker which many have purchased...

I am testing the Anker.  I can send you my test rig to use on the Duracell when I get finished if you want to wait.

Thanks for the offer. I picked up the bulbs, I've got the leads, soldering gun and DVM.
I'm pretty much on the way; I should be fine.
Thanks again, Bill

Well, that was easy to figure out I am not as smart as I had hoped. I could not get solder to stick to the leads coming out of the bulb. Maybe they are of a metal that I cannot get hot enough. It's like trying to solder stainless steel, or maybe tungsten.

No worries, I have some 18g butt connectors which I cut down to work as needed; I now have the bulb leads crimped onto wires with spade connectors to hook to the battery.

I've fully charged both batteries and took a photo of the Volt reading of each after the charge. I have the bulb hooked up, but cannot spend the time to keep an eye on it right now.
This could take a while. After an hour, the voltage has dropped very little. Today may not be a good day for the test; we'll see.

Conversion says 7W (the bulb) is .5833 amp draw - I do not know how to calculate a rough idea of how long this will take. Both batteries are relatively new. Should I be looking at 3 hours or possibly 6 hours to draw down to 10V. Any rough ideas?

Another question: I have a digital volt meter; will it draw so much that the test will be off if I leave it connected to the battery? I'm guessing since it is digital I'm okay. I'd like to leave it connected to make it easier to check as I pass by doing other projects. Busy time of year for me.

Bill

Re the DVM question.....the impedance should be high enough so it draws less than 100 micro-amps......

Thanks for that; I'm leaving it hooked up. I asked because original full charge voltage was about 13.5V which went down to 12.6 in the first 30 minutes, thought it may possibly be the Volt meter, causing the sharp drop.

Ruled that out as here it is 4 hours later were at 12.4; this could take a while.

My tests on a  7 Ah SLA resulted in 10.5 hours for it to drop from 13.5 down to 10 volts, then another 2 hours to hit the 9 volt mark.   I bet you could start your test on that 9 Ah version late in the evening and not need to start looking at the readings until the next morning. 

The 14 Ah Shorai Lithium Motorcycle battery I tested came up very much a disappointment for Kayak use.  After topping off with the Shorai balance charger designed just for these batteries at 14.3 volts,  it only took 2 hours to drop to 13 volts.  I started this test late in the evening expecting it to be still going strong early the next morning.  Bulb not even glowing roughly 7 hours later.    Luckily the charger can perform a recovery mode bringing the batteries cells back to life to serve it's designed use.     



 
 

Is it OK to have the lead acid battery on its side?

Only if the manufacturer rates it's use as such.....SLA's or okay.

SLA = sealed lead acid , if the battery does not have any kind of caps on it it should be sealed. Then yes they can even be mounted upside down.

Perfect that was the answer I wanted to hear!