question

kensea avatar image
kensea asked

Smart Shunt mounting location

I am considering adding a Victron Smart Shunt to my boat's battery system. Can the Smart Shunt be located inside the battery box? It will not be exposed to water (it is in the interior of the boat), or excess moisture, but it will be exposed to battery gasses.

When I recently installed a new battery charger, the charger manual specifically said NOT to mount it in a battery box as gasses from battery charging can damage the internal components. The Smart Shunt download does not offer such a warning. Is this something I should be concerned about? The battery box is small, and it would be difficult to fit a sealed case around the shunt.

Thanks.

SmartShunt
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1 Answer
Ulrich avatar image
Ulrich answered ·

When charging lead-gel batteries, hydrogen is produced. Together with oxygen, the result is oxyhydrogen and that can explode.

Any electrical device with a relay generates sparks and can therefore cause an oxyhydrogen explosion.

A charger can contain relays to turn the flow of electricity on and off. The SmartShunt does not contain a relay. But even shaky contacts can generate sparks.

The official statement will be: Do not install near batteries.

In this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUllQlvZzGw) Victron Energy shows how all components are installed in a water-protected way on a boat. That is of course the best.

greetings

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