Why use a POWER VENT?
- Positive venting of hydrogen gas.
- Stops back drafting.
- Puts the smell outside.
- Keeps batteries warmer in cold climates.
- Keeps the battery tops and terminals cleaner.
- Uses very little power.
- Excellent results for over nine years.
The POWER VENT
was designed for use in remote home power systems. The concept
arose from field experience of systems with enclosed battery
boxes. Quite often the NEC required venting was found back drafting,
thus cooling the battery bank and lowering its' capacity as well
as venting hydrogen gas into the structure.
The POWER VENT alleviates this condition by keeping a
gravity operated damper closed within the vent pipe except at
times when the batteries are being charged and producing hydrogen
gas. During these times the battery box is force vented with
a low power, sparkless fan which overcomes the damper sending
the gas outdoors. The "fan on" mode is determined by
the battery voltage. When the batteries are "gassing"
during charge periods the battery voltage will read above normal.
A voltage sensitive switch is required in the system to make
the on/off determination. Some inverters and charge controllers
have a programmable auxiliary relay which can control the POWER
VENT. Other systems may require the addition of a voltage controlled
switch.
The POWER VENT is designed around typical home power
systems with battery banks under 2,200 amp hours and charge rates
under 150 dc amperes. Systems larger than this can produce more
hydrogen gas than the expel rate of the POWER VENT which
operates in the 5 to 8 cubic foot per minute range. Two vents
may be used for higher volume.
Additionally hydrogen will set off a carbon monoxide detector.
The PowerVent has been successfully used to prevent nuisance
tripping of this sort when there is a crbon monoxide detector
near the battery box.
