Battery without vent tube hole

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Richard Bjerke, Jan 30, 2019.

Tags:
  1. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2019
    16
    0
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    When I started having 12 volt battery problems with my 2009 Prius, I came here looking for help. As a result I decided to replace the Toyota battery with a Ritar RA12-55 battery. But I could not find one for sale in the US. So I ordered a replacement, a Sigmas Tek RA12-55_B12-55 battery. I received it yesterday and it does not have a vent hole. At least not one that I can find.

    Has anyone here used a battery without a vent hole in their Prius II? Or does anyone know where the vent hole is on this Sigmas Tek battery? Thanks for your help.
     
    #1 Richard Bjerke, Jan 30, 2019
  2. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2019
    16
    0
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I received this from the seller of the battery when I ask about the vent.


    "The vent holes of the battery are under the top cover. This is a sealed battery so the cover should not be removed."

    Is this battery safe to use in my Prius?
     
    #2 Richard Bjerke, Jan 30, 2019
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    111,600
    50,820
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    not in an accident or overcharge situation. it depends on your risk tolerance
     
    #3 bisco, Jan 30, 2019
  4. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2012
    8,113
    4,129
    0
    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    The venting plumbing is mitigation for a catastrophic failure of the battery or charging system.

    Under normal circumstances it is not used.

    If the battery does not have a vent port as part of its design, then I would not mess with it.

    Mobility batteries are designed for installation below where the rider sits and the mobility scooter is designed and approved for indoor use, including charging indoors.

    I have a similar mobility battery installed in my Gen 2 and I have the vent hose just lying by the battery uninstalled, as the battery does not have a vent port. It has been in use for coming up 5 years (fitted Apr 2014) and have had no issues. It gets externally charged regularly to keep it healthy and never had any issue with it off gassing.

    Add that information to your research. Ultimately you need to decide whether it is safe or not for your situation.
     
    #4 dolj, Jan 30, 2019
  5. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2019
    16
    0
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Thanks for your help, bisco & dolj.

    Dolj, what do you mean by this statement.

    "It gets externally charged regularly to keep it healthy and never had any issue with it off gassing."

    Do you remove the battery from the car? How long is "regularly"?
     
    #5 Richard Bjerke, Jan 31, 2019
  6. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2012
    8,113
    4,129
    0
    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    No, I have a quick connect pigtail connected to the battery posts and is fed up to sit on top of the floor right above where the battery is located inside the trunk. It takes 2 seconds to connect the charger to the car. By externally I mean, I use an external stand alone battery charger. It is not being charged internally by the car's systems.
    Every two weeks (what we call a fortnight), unless the car has been driven a lot in the days leading up. I usually check the voltage and if it is 12.7 V or above, I consider it charged enough for that fortnight.
     
    #6 dolj, Jan 31, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2019
  7. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2019
    16
    0
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    How do you test the battery, using the pigtails or with the dash display?
     
    #7 Richard Bjerke, Feb 2, 2019
  8. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2012
    8,113
    4,129
    0
    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I find it easier (and the voltage is what the battery is) at the pigtail. I have a small digital multimeter I use. It takes me 15 seconds to take the voltage at the pigtail.

    The thing to bear in mind with using the MFD, is that you are running the car in accessory mode (at the minimum) so the voltage will be lower that reading the battery directly with everything off. There again. it depends for what you're looking.
     
    #8 dolj, Feb 3, 2019
    benagi likes this.
  9. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2014
    652
    1,055
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Odds are you will never have an issue using a non-vented battery.

    And odds are my house will never burn down. But, I do use the properly designed vented Toyota battery and I do have home fire insurance.

    If you drive like a "normal driver, you don't need to worry about charging the battery.
     
    #9 Stevewoods, Feb 3, 2019
    2k1Toaster and Raytheeagle like this.
  10. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2018
    2,912
    1,501
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I just bought a brand new battery from the Toyota dealer Saturday. It had the vent hole. Has to buy a new vent tube as someone had changed it to fit the yellow top battery that was in there.
     
    #10 Skibob, Feb 4, 2019
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  11. Richard Bjerke

    Richard Bjerke Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2019
    16
    0
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    OK, I need more help! I got the battery installed and it was a problem. The battery I bought was wider, taller, longer, with larger posts on the wrong side. I ordered it off the net. The battery I received was not the battery picture shown on the site. But it cost too much to return it. So after buying a few parts and drilling the mount base, I got it installed.

    Now while test driving my Prius, the red triangle comes off now and then. What is wrong? Perhaps the battery was not fully charged? How do I charge it in the car? Leave it connected or disconnect it?
     
    #11 Richard Bjerke, Apr 3, 2019
  12. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2014
    652
    1,055
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Don't know if this applies in this situation, as I do not know what you paid for the battery you purchased, or why you purchased it in the first place, but, I usually find it behooves one to purchase things such as batteries (which are a pain and an expense to ship back if you have issues) locally and to use a well-respected replacement. Personally, I go for Toyota TrueStart, but any of the properly sized Exides, Interstates, etc. would also be O.K.

    The issue with charging your battery is that batteries WILL (rarely) off-gas while charging.

    Personally, I would not want that battery in the car and would remove it to charge it. Maybe I am being stupid, but better safe....

    As Tom and Ray of CarTalk fame used to say, “It's the stingy man who pays the most.”
    https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/garages/batteries.html
     
    #12 Stevewoods, Apr 3, 2019
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)