Had a panel blow out at a church install in Phoenix last August

I was wiring up a new DSC system at a church in Phoenix last August. Got the panel mounted in a storage closet like I always do, no AC vent nearby. Came back next day to finish programming and the whole board was fried. Smoke smell and everything. Turns out the closet hit 130 degrees overnight and the backup battery swelled up until it shorted the terminals. Now I always put a small vent fan in any enclosed space where I mount a panel. Has anyone else lost a panel to heat like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma_patel1910h ago

So you're telling me you actually saw the battery swell up that much. Was there any sign of it bulging the day before when you mounted it, or did it just go from flat to cracked plastic overnight? I've had batteries go bad in the cold here in Colorado, but never seen one balloon that fast in heat. The vent fan idea is smart, but did you try putting the battery outside the panel enclosure altogether? That's what I started doing after my Phoenix mess, just run wires to a separate plastic box mounted on the wall a couple feet away. Seems like it keeps the battery way cooler even if the closet bakes.

shah.evan13h agoMost Upvoted

Lost a panel in a garage once because the homeowner stacked crap right against it, no airflow at all. Battery swelled up like a balloon and cracked the whole plastic case, lesson learned the hard way.

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