Victron units in battery cupboard

[Fishinbrine]

Evening all!

After replacing my leisure battery and deciding to change my Sterling unit for a Victron DC-DC charger I have also decided to move them from above the battery cupboard in the driver's side rear, and put them in the compartment under the same cupboard that houses the battery and nearer the rear doors is the gas safe.
However, I have just been reading on Victrons instructions that they MPPT and DC-DC chargers should not be placed above the battery due to gassing? Is this a thing as I'm always seeing people mont these units under seats etc and assuming you have no issues surely there's more space in the rear battery compartment?

 

[Captain Quick]

The factory-fitted underseat auxiliary AGM batteries are sealed types. They do however have tubes that vent any battery gases to the open air underneath the van. Given that VW fit a non-airtight split charge relay just a few inches from the battery which must arc when it switches, I think it’s fair to conclude that the risk of explosion must be very minimal. A bigger space will hold a greater volume of gas but as long as your battery is a sealed type and has a vent tube connected to the outside air, there should be little actual risk.

 

[Fishinbrine]

Yeah ok, it's a AGM battery in the wheel arch area, no vent tubes though, I have just received the Victron Orion XS12/12-50 and it's a really small tidy unit, but is putting that and the MPPT controller going to cause too much heat under there?

 

[Captain Quick]

Yeah ok, it's a AGM battery in the wheel arch area, no vent tubes though, I have just received the Victron Orion XS12/12-50 and it's a really small tidy unit, but is putting that and the MPPT controller going to cause too much heat under there?

Are you planning to install the Orion and MPPT in a completely closed cupboard with no air circulation or in a wheel arch void where you have some air circulation? If you’ve got a gas locker then a battery vent tube could be fed along from the battery and passed out through that gas drop-out.

 

[Fishinbrine]

In the back right there's a day, wardrobe cupboard with a cut out to access the wheel arch area, in there is the AGM battery and about 16 inches further rearwards the gas locker that is accessed through the rear doors.
At the moment the MPPT is in the wardrobe cupboard along with the Sargent and the Sterling unit.
I have a Victron DC-DC charger now so remove Sterling unit and re-route the new wiring and repositioning both DC-DC charger and MPPT in the battery compartment. Airflow I am not really sure, it's by no means sealed down there and is room for both units maintaining a air gap above the units.
Pictures show what's there currently minus the gas box removed - you can see where the gas pipe ends - I have a board made for separating this from the gas cupboard with options to mount on there also albeit next to the gas pipe.
The idea behind this is to just have the Sargent unit in the wardrobe cupboard and make it much more usable or would I just be better off mounting the new DC-DC charger in place of the Sterling unit although this is mounted onto carpet.

 

[Fishinbrine]

So essentially something like this, but without the busbar there of course and everything wired tidy. I was thinking of moving the MPPT either above there or on the boarding where the busbar currently is fitted? Will it be too hot down there with the battery and gas pipe connection there also?
Surely I'm not the only one thinking it's a good space to mount everything in our the way?

 

[Captain Quick]

That looks fine.

BTW, you should be OK with that battery. I noticed that on the Yuasa website they state that their AGM leisure and marine batteries “…can also be used without venting, unlike conventional and EFB types which should be fitted in a vented locker or with a vent pipe.”

 

[Fishinbrine]

Perfect thanks for all your advice.

 

[Captain Quick]

Perfect thanks for all your advice.

No problem. I couldn’t tell from the pictures but make sure you have suitable fuses (60A Midi link most commonly) to protect the DC-DC charger input and output cable runs which are presumably 16mm².