Should I be getting this amount of crud at the bottom of the battery compartment?

[macinthekitchen]

Just picked up a Scott Genius eride , Been for a few rides to break it / my arse in. I’ve noticed that after cleaning (hose only, no pressure washer) there’s a bunch of mud/crap at the bottom of the battery compartment, right where there’s connector. Is that normal or something I need to sort? are the connectors well rated for waterproofeness?

 

[Mikerb]

Just picked up a Scott Genius eride , Been for a few rides to break it / my arse in. I’ve noticed that after cleaning (hose only, no pressure washer) there’s a bunch of mud/crap at the bottom of the battery compartment, right where there’s connector. Is that normal or something I need to sort? are the connectors well rated for waterproofeness?
View attachment 102547

usual story of open fronted downtubes! The battery cover is often more cosmetic than functional. A decent front mudguard will help to stop it getting plastered by water and mud off the front wheel and some additional sealing a round its edges will mostly prevent trail debris getting onto the connector area. You are also better off using a soft brush and damp cloth with a bucket of water, than using a hose (imho).

 

[Spangoolies]

Or get something like one of these:

Black E-Bike Battery Cover Bicycle Frame Cover Battery Protective Waterproof | eBay

At low temperatures, the battery life of lithium batteries will not be as long as usual. -The protective battery cover fits perfectly and won't slip while riding. 1 E-Bike Battery Cover. -It should be removed when charging to avoid overheating the battery!

www.ebay.co.uk

I got one just to help limit crap getting into the frame and electrics on wet muddy rides. Covers the battery cover and large opening on the key port on my mondraker and works pretty well for me

 

[mtb-steve]

Dielectric grease or vasoline on the contacts will help stop water damage to the terminals. I often take the battery out to make sure it's dry or to let it dry out.

 

[Ssscrudddy]

1 of those covers stops it, I use the Fahrer Akku cover tube in Medium on my Fathom (amazon linky).
As you can see from this pic, a mudguard's not gonna help

 

[Paulquattro]

1 of those covers stops it, I use the Fahrer Akku cover tube in Medium on my Fathom (amazon linky).
As you can see from this pic, a mudguard's not gonna help
View attachment 102589

Thats exactly what i use , The Fahrer cover and have been for years ironically i bought it for my 2018 scott e genius and still use it on my Trek rail today .
As you say a front mudguard does nothing to help .

 

[towzer]

*warning tight arsed uncool/untrendy/unaesthetic but works fine solution.

on my shimano engine Scott e spark battery front loader i got sick of the battery/battery lock etc getting caked so I got a piece of dpc(*other thick plastics etc available), cut it too correct width, gorilla taped it at top of fronttube(so can still get battery out ) and at bottom put a loop in dpc and used a small thin bungee to loop round the lower frame tube Holding dpc in place Under tension. Cheap as I already had all the bits and the battery area never got muddy again.

 

[macinthekitchen]

Thanks for all the tips here, I've just ordered a battery cover from Amazon FWIW - I asked Scott UK what they thought and they replied (very impressed with their service so far on this and other questions) ' The Bosch system is designed so that water can drain away. If water was to make contact with the connectors or terminals it will drain away and not cause issues. Due to the style of riding that is done with a Genius eRIDE the conditions might be muddier. If there is a build up of dirt it is recommended to clean as much away as you can to ensure water can drain away sufficiently. Once dry the mud should be able to brush off. Alternative a gentle wash can be carried out but not under pressure.'

 

[Mikerb]

Thanks for all the tips here, I've just ordered a battery cover from Amazon FWIW - I asked Scott UK what they thought and they replied (very impressed with their service so far on this and other questions) ' The Bosch system is designed so that water can drain away. If water was to make contact with the connectors or terminals it will drain away and not cause issues. Due to the style of riding that is done with a Genius eRIDE the conditions might be muddier. If there is a build up of dirt it is recommended to clean as much away as you can to ensure water can drain away sufficiently. Once dry the mud should be able to brush off. Alternative a gentle wash can be carried out but not under pressure.'

the main battery plus is unlikely to be badly affected but the electrical connector in front of it is more vulnerable. Short answer...........no mud/water should be able to get in there!!