Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Warning; this post is heavy on photos.


I thought I would share a home made cabinet I constructed to store lithium batteries for my e-bike (yet to be built) and my garden tools. I was walking through my garage one day and investigated a flashing light to find a battery sitting on the shelf, self-discharging and hot. It was replaced under warranty, but it shook me a bit, so hence the storage idea.

I investigated a commercial cabinet:




But, at $2500, it was well above what I could afford!

So, I bought a used metal shaving cabinet for $10. I broke the mirror on the front (lots of bad luck for me), and converted the 2 shelves into 1 long one, with the cabinet turned sideways.





I bought some ceramic blanket (used for forges and pizza ovens), and popped it where the mirror sat, then slid a piece of galvanised steel over the top. This meant double layer of steel plus insulation for the front:






I didn't want to lose any volume inside the cabinet insulating the back, as it was quite narrow to start with, so I hammered out a second layer of steel to hold 2 layers of ceramic blanket. The back of the cabinet will be mounted against the wall of my garage, so I felt the insulation here needed to be heavier.







When lithium batteries go up, they can out gas a lot, so I made a large mesh vent in the top:





I then made up insulation and second walls for the top, bottom and sides. I mostly used ceramic board for this;







I perforated the board where the vent hole was, and made inner walls out of my trusty galvanised sheeting;





A few coats of high temperature paint, and I was done. I still have to mount the cabinet, and I need to reinforce the door latch, but here it is now;







All up, materials probably cost me $100; the ceramic board was the most expensive, and I would probably just use the blanket if I were to do it again.
I have no idea how effective it would be, and hope I never have to report back to you guys about it!

Edited to add; I'm not sure why all the photos aren't coming through, but if you click on the "image" word, it should take you to the image host.

Another option could be a used fireproof wall or floor safe - they go cheaply on Gumtree/Marketplace

Retrobyte wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 30, 2024 1:17 pm

Another option could be a used fireproof wall or floor safe - they go cheaply on Gumtree/Marketplace

Yes, I've seen them, as well as a fireproof filing cabinet. Nothing came up when I was looking, and I wanted something small.

Along the same lines, I went to the local army disposal store and bought a couple of used “ammo tins”. All the Lithium batteries are stored in those when not in use.