Is rubber really an insulator? Prior to switching to lithium, my lead acid house battery tie down straps started giving me problems. What I didn't know was that one Trojan T-105 was outgassing. The manufacturer had webbing with D-rings to tie them down. The rings rapidly dissolved and parachute snaps, both metal and plastic, didn't survive either. In a matter of months, they had to be replaced. I suspected that the damp webbing was conducting current to the snaps and rings. The same D-ring method over the sealed engine batteriesvhad no problems. I tried EPDM straps from Harbor Freight. I determined with a multimeter that the straps conducted. At their ends a metal S-hooks. They dissolved, too, but not as quickly. I made sure that the straps didn't cross over any battery posts.
Is rubber really an insulator? Prior to switching to lithium, my lead acid house battery tie down straps started giving me problems. What I didn't know was that one Trojan T-105 was outgassing. The manufacturer had webbing with D-rings to tie them down. The rings rapidly dissolved and parachute snaps, both metal and plastic, didn't survive either. In a matter of months, they had to be replaced. I suspected that the damp webbing was conducting current to the snaps and rings. The same D-ring method over the sealed engine batteriesvhad no problems. I tried EPDM straps from Harbor Freight. I determined with a multimeter that the straps conducted. At their ends a metal S-hooks. They dissolved, too, but not as quickly. I made sure that the straps didn't cross over any battery posts.