Is a car battery safe to store and use in an attic?
Marcus asked:
I’d like to install a 12v car battery as a backup in my attic for my garage door opener and driveway flood lights. What safety issues should I be concerned about? is there a better battery option to use? I’m guessing hydrogen leaking into my attic is dangerous and possible, is this a problem or would it disperse enough to be harmless?
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I’d like to install a 12v car battery as a backup in my attic for my garage door opener and driveway flood lights. What safety issues should I be concerned about? is there a better battery option to use? I’m guessing hydrogen leaking into my attic is dangerous and possible, is this a problem or would it disperse enough to be harmless?
September 21st, 2009 at 10:31 pm
overnightdeejaygo with a sealed gel cell or similar…
you wont have the issues of watering and gassing that you would with a typical lead acid battery, and with the proper charger you should easily get a few years service life out of it.
I have an optima deep cycle battery on a Schumacher 12 Amp automatic charger, in my office powering several scanners and two way radios for ham radio use, and I’ve never had an issue with it…
just make sure the battery is placed on a stable and secure surface where it will not be jostled about, and off the floor so that if anything does leak, you are not seeping battery acids onto the wood framing.
September 23rd, 2009 at 12:23 am
ChrisIt’s probably fine, but you will need to keep it charged properly. You will need an inverter to change the voltage from 12 volts DC to 120 volts AC. You are going to need a very good battery and inverter to run a garage door opener and flood lights. The inverter itself will draw a lot of current from the battery. Inverters are best used on vehicles that are running so the alternator is charging the battery.
I don’t think putting one in your attic will be a safety hazard because it’s a big enough space that the gasses will disperse and not explode.
By the time you buy this battery, inverter, charger, and all of the wiring and connectors you could have bought yourself a small generator that will work much better and can come in handy for a lot of purposes.
September 25th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
mikeamadison@sbcglobal.netYou can use a large, deep plastic pan to set the battery in. They sell them cheap at Home Depot. They are made to set water heaters in to preserve the floor. It is deep enough to contain battery spills, even if the whole battery leaks out. Use a trickle charger made to be run constantly.