Oh, I don't know the answers to those questions.  I just pointed out the situation, and that VW had addressed it in the battery box design.  Like most of us, I assume that the engineers knew what they were doing -- but if they did know, that expertise is obviated now, since the gaskets no longer fit tightly on most of the vans -- their being 20+ years old.

DMc

---- Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
> how much hydrogen is actually produced from battery during use?
>
> would the hydrogen actually go down that vent?
>
> and is the seal on the lid gas tight? never mind hydrogen gas tight.
>
>
> Answer me those questions three ere the other side you see.
>
> alistair
>
>
>
> On 30-Sep-10, at 5:47 PM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
>
> ---- B Feddish <uprightbassghost@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> > How about moving it under the drivers seat?
> >
> > Seriously, what is wrong with the current battery location?   You
> > could put it under the passenger seat but that is where most of us
> > keep their aux batteries.
>
>
> But, with regard to " .... what is wrong with the current battery
> location?":  One thing is the outgassing of hydrogen from the
> battery.  Hydrogen is explosive when mixed with oxygen.  VW addressed
> the problem by small vents in the battery box, and a gasket on the
> lid (to keep the gas out of the van).  But for most of the vans, the
> lid no longer fits tightly, so the gasket is not functional.  The
> other thing is, what happens when the van rolls, and the battery case
> fails to contain the battery acid?  Such failure is not likely, but
> it only takes one time to be a tragedy.
>
> I, too, have thought about the battery location.  Some compound the
> concern by adding an auxiliary battery under the driver's seat, or
> under the rear passenger seat.
>
> I think Scott Daniel has frequently commented on this, or at least
> has commented on it, if not frequently.  His solution is to use space
> in the engine compartment, in front of the right tail light, for the
> battery.  I don't know if he has actually put one there.  It would
> mean a much smaller run of cable to the alternator, for sure.
>
> BTW, prior to the 1950s, it was common for American built sedans and
> pickups to have a battery box under the floor of the passenger
> compartment.  Only in the early fifties were batteries moved to the
> engine compartment in nearly all cars.
>
> David McNeely
>

--
David McNeely