Lithium battery installation questions

[bogen2]

I am upgrading my old lead acid 6v batteries to lithium and have a couple of questions for our resident experts:

1. I was going to put the 2 new batteries in the same plastic box that the old ones were in, but the new batteries are too long to fit. So now I need to find a way to secure them in the front bay. Do I need a box for them or can they be somehow mounted directly to the floor? And if they are exposed, how can I protect the terminals from accidental shorts?

2. I am installing a new lithium compatible converter. I am going to mount it next to the batteries to reduce voltage drop from the existing long cables. Where should I attach the ground wire in the front bay?

Bob

[Country Campers]

Here is how I did mine Replacing Lead Acid Battery with Lithium - Grand Design Owners Forums (gdrvowners.com) Note that I did not cover the tops of the batteries with this setup because the "wall" to the left kept anything from the storage side from getting to the battery terminals.
When I went "full blown" system, seen here Victron Multiplus II 2x120v 3kva install Reflection 29RS - Grand Design Owners Forums (gdrvowners.com) I did end up covering the batteries because I needed a little storage space on top. In the first thread I think I called out how to or where to attach to the chassis ground, simply mount a ground buss near the factory chassis ground and move all or most of the factory grounds to the new buss bar and then a ground wire back to the chassis ground lug.

Brian

PS: No expert here, I just learned from others and made this how I wanted the set up to be.

[bogen2]

Thanks for the link Brian. I like the simple frame to hold the batteries in place. Did you use a ratchet strap to hold them down?

Bob

[Country Campers]

Thanks for the link Brian. I like the simple frame to hold the batteries in place. Did you use a ratchet strap to hold them down?

Bob

I used a short piece of nylon strap from something, maybe a duffle bag, and used screws to hole it down, nothing fancy.

Brian

[Jomani]

Some of the lower cost lithium batteries are susceptible to shock and might benefit from a little cushion underneath. When I did my upgrade to lithium, I added a rubber liner under the battery (something you would put on the floor in front of a workbench) and picked up a couple of universal battery clamps from an auto parts store. I covered the original hole with a piece of heavy duty sheet metal pop riveted to the metal floor.

[Jlawles2]

If you have a local fabricator you could have them fabricate a metal box for your batteries out of 16-18 gauge steel or aluminum. I'd avoid plastic with lithium batteries as they are a bit heavy.

For short protection you can buy Kydex or some other form of sheeting and bend it to shape as needed. https://www.amazon.com/Plastics-2000...%2C126&sr=1-14 available in various sizes and thicknesses. You can form with heat gun or oven. It does stretch a bit and you can make corners inside and out.

[bogen2]

Got my batteries installed and it turned out pretty good. Made a simple frame out of 2x2 lumber and used an old cinch strap I had laying around to fasten them down. I found some battery stud covers on Amazon to protect the positive terminals from any accidental shorts. And mounted the new converter right next to the batteries to reduce voltage drop. In the original location the wires back to the batteries were almost 20 feet long - no wonder I never got to 14v.

Bob

[howson]

bogen2 -- nice install! Really like how you protected the positive terminals. A simple, inexpensive way to alleviate the risk of an accidental catastrophic short circuit.