Banner Leisure Battery & vent kit

Hi all.... 

Just replaced our leisure battery, the one fitted a Lucas was working ok but wanted to replace it for a Banner but could only get a 100AH in the Broadway's battery tray / box sadly, the 100AH Banner is a lot bigger in height and length than the Lucas previously fitted.

My question is regarding the Banner battery which I got from Tayna batteries who I found very helpful and delivery was very good, delivered in less than 24hrs from ordering! When I got the battery I removed the caps to check the water levels and was surprised to find the water was barely covering some of the plates? I topped at least three of the sections up with say around half an egg cup full of water. 

I contacted Tayna Batteries querying this and they reassured me this is fine, they say the battery won't have come to any harm as the turn around from manufacture to them delivering is just 3-4 weeks so I don't need to be concerned? 
What do others think is this correct or are they pulling my chain? 



Also I purchased a vent kit which is fitted but I've not taken it through the floor yet, as I'm concerned if I drill through from the inside that I'll go into the chassis and if I go through from beneath I'll go through a water pipe  if anyone has a vent kit on the Broadway End Lounge can you advise where your vent pipe exits the floor? Our Nuevo had the pipe exiting to the left of the battery tray but the Broadway's battery tray is right up against the wardrobe wall, going to get underneath in a short while and see if I can find a good point to bring it through, can't believe vent kits aren't fitted as standard by converters like Auto-Sleepers.... Our battery box has a round duct hole cut in the wall through the battery box into the bottom of wardrobe and another cut out at the right side big enough to get your hand through the wall, on the other side is the combi heater! I thought batteries gave off explosive gas while in a gassing stage yet inches away in an unsealed battery box you have a gas device igniting  might be my ignorance but seems a tad risky to me so didn't hesitate to buy the additional vent kit when ordering.


CC

Should be OK CC as presume you checked before charging. The initial factory charge should be OK
Tayna are a good outfit and would not offer duff info. As a matter of interest they supply quite a few dealers

When I fitted a larger battery in the Windsor I fabricated a new cage to fit the larger battery

Good choice by the way Banner are supposed to be the best

I would consider taking the vent into the wardrobe base and then down if that is easier to place the floor hole.

Both my leisure batteries are factory fitted. One has a vent the other doesn't.

At one time my boss was American previously a power engineer with AT&T (very large US communications company). They did some tests and even with a heavily gassing battery you had to get the flame to the top of the plates (inside the case) to cause explosion.

A post on the forum a few years ago was a battery explosion caused by a welder getting flame into the battery via the vent tube under the van - wouldn't have happened if no vent.

Pause for thought!

Thanks all... Managed to get the vent through! As the photo shows it goes along the back of the battery, out via the side of the battery box and exits through the floor to the right side of the box, would like to have taken it out of the left side but too fiddly having to remove the already weakened bottom wardrobe panel.

The battery box is a rather pathetic affair, two pieces of wood with a lid, have fitted some small corner braces but it's still not much better, the fit from new is very poor. Anyway job done and one less thing to worry about. Understand what you say Peter, obviously not essential as the NCC would no doubt insist upon it, personally it just reassures my mind. 

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CC