Dilemma - battery location

[Lincs Robert]

Hello all,

So, regarding the best, or least worst, place to keep my expanding collection of battery storage gubbins, et al.

At the moment, all the PV & battery stuff is located in the attic roof space of my kitchen. A number of SE inverters plus some Lux LXP3600 units, Pylontech US2000/US2000C batteries, plus an increasing number of Chinese stack cells - current EVE280 and 230 units.

My house is quite old, being a former pub, and essentially L shaped. The main house has a ground floor extension (the former pub kitchen) it’s that roof space that the gubbins is all in.

I’m toying with the idea of moving it from the roof space to the cellar, which is under the middle of the main house. There are a number of reasons for this, but mainly stability of temperature and ease of access. The cellar would give me both these, whereas although the roof isn’t too bad for access, it does mean a bit of a climb with cramped working conditions and quite an extreme in temperature throughout the year. The cellar would have better usable space for future expansion without weight concerns and has very little variation of temperature throughout the year.

Yes, there would be the hassle of moving it all, but I’m not worried about that.

My main thoughts are fire related. If it were to “go up” at the moment then it would damage the kitchen extension for sure, but the main house would be untouched. If the same were to happen when all installed in the cellar then the main house would be in jeopardy.

There’s lots of stuff talked about Lithium Ion cells, but my understanding is that the Pylons and EVEs are lifepo4, without Cobalt. But, they could still burn - I think?

Hopefully this is sufficient info to gather comments, opinions etc.

There is a third option- which would be to build a “lean to” extension at the gable end of the L extension- brick built & house it all there. There wouldn’t be as much temp stability or space as the cellar option - but it would be viable, with perhaps a challenge in terms of ensuring temperature stability.

Thanks - Rob

[Countrypaul]

Have a look at this old post: https://camelot-forum.co.uk/phpBB3/view ... =14&t=1372

[Stinsy]

Hello all,

So, regarding the best, or least worst, place to keep my expanding collection of battery storage gubbins, et al.

At the moment, all the PV & battery stuff is located in the attic roof space of my kitchen. A number of SE inverters plus some Lux LXP3600 units, Pylontech US2000/US2000C batteries, plus an increasing number of Chinese stack cells - current EVE280 and 230 units.

My house is quite old, being a former pub, and essentially L shaped. The main house has a ground floor extension (the former pub kitchen) it’s that roof space that the gubbins is all in.

I’m toying with the idea of moving it from the roof space to the cellar, which is under the middle of the main house. There are a number of reasons for this, but mainly stability of temperature and ease of access. The cellar would give me both these, whereas although the roof isn’t too bad for access, it does mean a bit of a climb with cramped working conditions and quite an extreme in temperature throughout the year. The cellar would have better usable space for future expansion without weight concerns and has very little variation of temperature throughout the year.

Yes, there would be the hassle of moving it all, but I’m not worried about that.

My main thoughts are fire related. If it were to “go up” at the moment then it would damage the kitchen extension for sure, but the main house would be untouched. If the same were to happen when all installed in the cellar then the main house would be in jeopardy.

There’s lots of stuff talked about Lithium Ion cells, but my understanding is that the Pylons and EVEs are lifepo4, without Cobalt. But, they could still burn - I think?

Hopefully this is sufficient info to gather comments, opinions etc.

There is a third option- which would be to build a “lean to” extension at the gable end of the L extension- brick built & house it all there. There wouldn’t be as much temp stability or space as the cellar option - but it would be viable, with perhaps a challenge in terms of ensuring temperature stability.

Thanks - Rob

I'd leave them where they are!

Sure the cellar might be "better" but enough of a difference to justify the considerable amount of hassle moving it all? In my opinion it isn;t enough of a difference to be worthwhile. Should be fit and forget anyway, not as if you need to do anything from one month to the next...

[Lincs Robert]

Have a look at this old post: https://camelot-forum.co.uk/phpBB3/view ... =14&t=1372

I’d seen that already thanks, & found it quite heartening

[AGT]

What happens when you can’t manage to get in the loft?

I was planning my install for under the floor in the hall, but now think maintenance/commissioning will be far easier in my detached garage, more hassle for install but easier to monitor / repair.

What about an insulated lean too, timber frame/kingspan insulated type construction?

[Lincs Robert]

What happens when you can’t manage to get in the loft?

I was planning my install for under the floor in the hall, but now think maintenance/commissioning will be far easier in my detached garage, more hassle for install but easier to monitor / repair.

What about an insulated lean too, timber frame/kingspan insulated type construction?

Fair point. I’m 66 now, so who knows ?

[Krill]

At the risk of disagreeing with everyone else here, have you thought about the fact that a fire starting anywhere else in the house is likely to spread to the roof space where you are already storing potentially flamable items (they are energy stores, after all). And it's above the kitchen, a high risk area anyway.

But fires go up, not down, so keeping the energy stores in a cellar means they are not as likely to provide additional risk in that, probably more likely scenario.

[Stinsy]

At the risk of disagreeing with everyone else here, have you thought about the fact that a fire starting anywhere else in the house is likely to spread to the roof space where you are already storing potentially flamable items (they are energy stores, after all). And it's above the kitchen, a high risk area anyway.

But fires go up, not down, so keeping the energy stores in a cellar means they are not as likely to provide additional risk in that, probably more likely scenario.

I think the risk is more about a fire from the kitchen weakening the structure and the heavy batteries falling through.

Solution to this is double-thickness plasterboard and fire-rated lights.

[Krill]

Plasterboard should not be load bearing. There should be a frame and appropriate load bearing structure. The batteries are damned heavy, as you said.

[AGT]

I don’t think Stinsy is meaning plasterboard to take weight, just to enclose a space to make it less likely to spread fire, keeping fire inside a compartment.