How important is battery ventilation?

[Dan_GTi8v]

I'm expecting to get a lot of 'duh' type responces, but basically I'm wanting to move my battery to the boot and have read a lot of guides where ther battery has no kind of ventilation, just a battery tray or box bolted to the boot floor and wires rerouted

How important is it to vent the battery with holes in the floor or whatever? Is it dangerous to not have any?

[nikkiy9]

Rally cars have them in the boot with no problems,

[Wayne]

How important is it to vent the battery with holes in the floor or whatever? Is it dangerous to not have any?

Very important, you need a sealed battery with a vent pipe to the outside.

[Leon27]

As above. BMW's and some Mini's have them in the boot and they always have a vent pipe. The ones which haven't got them fitted leak out some sort of sulphuric powder which is acidic, one car had a rotten boot floor because it was ignored.

Generally a battery in an enclosed space will have one, a standard Mk3 wont because there's enough air circulation around it.

[GolfGTI8v]

hi dan,

Did you relocate ur header tank?

[Dan_GTi8v]

no didnt bother in the end engine bay is pretty much as it was when I first got it running, but after some recent electrical problems I've decided to move the battery at the same time when I sort all the other bits and pieces

when you say a vent pipe, is it literraly just a hole in the floor with a pipe running to the battery? where does the pipe need to go to, just into the battery box?

[F17BAD]

no need to relocate the battery matey

here is my set up

[trog_nfs]

no didnt bother in the end engine bay is pretty much as it was when I first got it running, but after some recent electrical problems I've decided to move the battery at the same time when I sort all the other bits and pieces

when you say a vent pipe, is it literraly just a hole in the floor with a pipe running to the battery? where does the pipe need to go to, just into the battery box?

On most maintenance-free batteries there is a small breather hole on the side near a top. Usually have a little plastic elbow to stick in it, then just run a tube to outside so it can vent to atmosphere.

[GolfGTI8v]

F17BAD,  thats a very clean conversion

Heres mine,  not as clean but works well

[Dan_GTi8v]

Mines looks sililar to yours but as my boost piping is routed a little differently it looks a lot messier on the battery side, I need to move something but just cant decide what, battery seems easiest but I dont fancy drilling holes in my boot floor

Kells' your engine bay makes me jelous whenever I see it lol, what did you use to mount the water and coolant bottles too did you make something up?