Battery compartment corrosion - Options?

[Cougguy]

A couple of years back, I had a battery crack and drain fluid into the (integrated) battery compartment of my FR Sunseeker 3210. The battery compartment is located below the steps into the RV. The floor (and part of the sides) of the compartment have significant corrosion/wall thickness thinning to the point where I’m concerned a hole will appear soon.

What are my options for repair here? Was thinking I would have to take to a metal shop and have them weld in a new compartment. Is there anything simpler that would solve this issue?

[Duckogram]

Besides full replacement, the only other option I can think of is to build a frame that can be bolted in and attach new sheet metal to that.

[rsdata]

have you tried to neutralize any of that area with baking soda/water solution then flood it with water, dry and paint? Maybe drop in a metal or wood plate for some additional support?

[PhilG]

I did as rsdata described, painted with Flex-Seal and then bought a couple battery trays at the local boat dealer.

Phil

[PenJoe]

There are a number of rust neutralizers that can be brushed on, allowed to sit for 24 hrs, and the rusted area will turn black. Ospho is one example. If there is a lot of scale, it needs to be scraped or sanded off before applying the chemical. The walls/floor on the battery compartment is relatively thick. Once this is done, I would suggest spraying the floor and walls of the compartment with Rustoleum Bed liner material.

Ace Hardware has a good line of rust neutralizers in liquid form. The spray on Rustomeum bed liner material is available at Ace or the automotive section of WalMart.

In the early 1990s, I helped our son restore a 69 Mustang. He wanted to do all of it on his own money, so we neutralized some of the rusted body parts rather than new panels. He still has the Mustang and the rust has not come through. We used Ospho.

I currently am working on a 2000 model boat trailer. The trailer is in excellent conditions except for some of the welds that are starting to rust the paint away. I power washed those areas, wire brushed, and applied Ospho. Those areas have now turned black. They have not shown signs of rust after recent rains.