Battery Box Needed, underground, watertight

   / Battery Box Needed, underground, watertight
  • Thread Starter
#11  
Size?

About 3' x 3' square by 18" deep. Bigger is OK

Rich
 
   / Battery Box Needed, underground, watertight #12  
Just do a goggle search for NEMA boxes and pick a supplier. Most will have something in the size you are looking for. Lowes carries a 12x12x6 plastic but that probably isn't big enough.

You could vent it with flexible water tight conduit into a fitting through the side. This could be ran below the surface to a fence post. Come out of the ground next to the fence post and put a weather head on it.
 
   / Battery Box Needed, underground, watertight #13  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ...If it looks like this will not work then the batteries will have to be placed in the house and ...along with a very expensive wire to get the power at 48V/100Amps (and 250ft) from the PV panels to the inverter/batteries in the basement....)</font>

Won't you have this wire cost anyway? You'll need to get the power from the batteries to house somehow, and I doubt your going to be using 12/2 romex for that!!
 
   / Battery Box Needed, underground, watertight
  • Thread Starter
#14  
The inverter will be out with the batteries so the wire coming into the house will be carrying 240volts so a much smaller wire. I think 6 guage will do but have not done the calculation yet.

Rich
 
   / Battery Box Needed, underground, watertight #15  
Rich, would you mind sharing the make/models of the components you're using? I'm considering installing something like that myself. Thanks!
 
   / Battery Box Needed, underground, watertight #16  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The batteries need to be placed in a watertight box in the ground. )</font>

Hey Rich, could you tell me why the batteries need to be underground?

Those nice Concorde batteres could go anywhere. <trying to envision how they would fit under my bed>

If it were me, and I were forced to bury them, the first thing I would look at would be a light wood frame, sheeted with 1/4" marine ply and wrapped in fiberglass cloth/polyester resin. In other words, boat construction. Sealing would require a stainless or brass wing nut every few inches around the perimeter of the lid.

I have a very small but very effective solar outfit that powers everything in my tractor shed, which is off grid. Although I'm delighted with it, I will never venture into anything bigger.
 
   / Battery Box Needed, underground, watertight #17  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ...I have a very small but very effective solar outfit that powers everything in my tractor shed, which is off grid. Although I'm delighted with it, I will never venture into anything bigger. )</font>


How come? Cost, inconvenience, problems?
 
   / Battery Box Needed, underground, watertight #18  
Why does the box need to be watertight? If possible, I'd rather use an open bottomed box on a bed of drainage gravel, maybe even with a drain tile.

If the box is watertight, then you need to provide a way to get the water out. I assure you, water will get in. Murphy and all that.

Strongwell makes a line of precast utility vaults and handholes that are the standard of the industry.

http://www.strongwell.com/PolymerConcrete/QuaziteProducts.HTM

Or you could build a concrete masonry vault and put a cast iron cover on it.

http://www.nfco.com/

Try to locate the box where it will not be subject to wheel loads, and if necessary, protect it with bollards or boulders to keep errant garbage trucks and brother-in-law's Caddies off it. If the box must withstand wheel loads, pick a vault and/or cover that's designed for H-20 loadings.
 
   / Battery Box Needed, underground, watertight
  • Thread Starter
#19  
   / Battery Box Needed, underground, watertight #20  
Rich:

With what you are doing I would maybe think small under ground ROOM, rather than just a batterybox. you will need AIRSPACE to keep cool the ground alone will not helpmuch what you need is SURFACE AREA for cooling. I would think a 6x6x10 room out of block with a poured top coat and a small staircase leading into it would be great. and double as a nucular bomb shelter! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif or if the wifie finds any letters form back when a room to stay safe in! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif


You can buy Control Panels (Nema 4X) but they are pretty expensive to get size big enough. You COULD get them here cheaper than most anywhere else, ( http://www.automationdirect.com ) look at Nema 4X though for wash down, and maybe a double door, that was lay it FLAT and build a small shed over the top... this does not give you the surface area but you can run a small DC or AC fan through a filter to keep them clean cool and dry...

contact a few local builders and or concrete suppliers for local help.

/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Mark m
 

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