How should a battery room be designed?

️Please click on the links below to hear the podcast episodes related to battery room design: Regarding ventilation requirements, the battery room should be well equipped with sufficient windows or exhaust fans to ensure proper ventilation and the removal of gases released during charging.

Can you smoke a battery in a room?

Suitable Rooms for Stationary Batteries. For safety reasons, no smoking or naked flames should be permitted in rooms containing Standby Power battery installations. Note: This article deals with wet sell installations, however many key points relate to sealed lead acid battery installation as well.

Where can I find information about battery rooms?

Fully detailed information can be found in International Standards such as BS EN 50272-2:2001. This article gives an overview only to the more important subjects. Battery rooms can be a hazardous place and all persons entering must be aware of the dangers. All too often, inexperienced people enter a room without receiving any safety information.

What should be discussed in a battery room?

Battery acid and lead compounds and the risk of explosion due to the build up of explosive gasses should be discussed. The hazards with nickel cadmium batteries, which contain highly corrosive potassium hydroxide and give off hydrogen, should be discussed. No persons should be allowed to enter a battery room without the correct clothing.

How should a battery room be ventilated?

The battery room should be sufficiently well ventilated to prevent the accumulation of hydrogen and oxygen given off during recharging. As hydrogen is lighter than air and is likely to concentrate near ceiling level, air bricks and vents should be sited high up on outside walls and unvented structural pockets in the ceiling should be avoided.

Do traction batteries need a dedicated battery room?

On the other hand, traction batteries are mainly used to power vehicles but are charged collectively in a specific location where all batteries return at the end of a shift for recharging. Thus, these batteries also require a dedicated battery room for charging purposes.