Abstract:
A battery spill containment system and method are provided for containing a hazardous spilled substance from at least one industrial battery in service as a back-up power supply. The system comprises a containment rail system to define a perimeter to accommodate the at least one industrial battery; a flexible liner for placement within the perimeter defined by the containment rail system, the flexible liner having a base and an edge, wherein the edge rises at least about four inches above the base, the flexible liner being resistant to damage from the spilled substance; and a material for placement within the perimeter defined by the containment rail system, the material to absorb and chemically neutralize the spilled substance from the at least one industrial battery so that the hazardous nature of the spilled substance to humans or material structures is reduced, wherein the containment rail system is mounted to the floor whereby battery lifting equipment can be used to access the at least one industrial battery for servicing or replacement.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/960,759, filed on Sep. 21, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,124,771 which is, in turn, a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/428,192, filed on Oct. 27, 1999, now issued under U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,728, which are fully incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The field of the invention is spill containment systems and methods, and more particularly, is systems and methods for containing, neutralizing and/or monitoring spills from batteries or other devices. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In our industrial society, devices often contain substances that may leak or spill undesirably onto other devices, personnel, or the environment. For example, batteries may be stored on battery racks where the batteries serve as a backup power supply for data communication centers and computers. These batteries may contain acid that may leak or spill onto other batteries, cables, equipment, and other devices as well as personnel, thereby posing a hazard to people and property. Sulfuric acid, commonly found in batteries, is an extremely hazardous material regulated by the federal, state and local governments. With respect to batteries, Article 64 of the Uniform Building Code requires a four-inch high containment barrier with an acid neutralization capability to a pH of 7-9. Similarly, other devices may need containment systems. Such devices include but are not limited to air conditioning units that may drip water from condensation or leak freon, or water heaters that may leak water. 
     Regardless of the device and the substance that may leak, it is desirable to contain leaks and spills. It is further desirable to neutralize and absorb the leaks and spills to prevent the leaks and spills from spreading. Finally, it is desirable to have a system that not only detects leaks, but also indicates whether a leak has occurred. 
     SUMMARY 
     A battery spill containment system and method are provided for containing a hazardous spilled substance from at least one industrial battery in service as a back-up power supply. The system comprises a containment rail system to define a perimeter to accommodate the at least one industrial battery; a flexible liner for placement within the perimeter defined by the containment rail system, the flexible liner having a base and an edge, wherein the edge rises at least about four inches above the base, the flexible liner being resistant to damage from the spilled substance; and a material for placement within the perimeter defined by the containment rail system, the material to absorb and chemically neutralize the spilled substance from the at least one industrial battery so that the hazardous nature of the spilled substance to humans or material structures is reduced, wherein the containment rail system is mounted to the floor whereby battery lifting equipment can be used to access the at least one industrial battery for servicing or replacement. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a spill containment system for stationary batteries. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the battery spill containment system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the battery spill containment system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded piece-part drawing of the major components of a battery spill containment system and a battery rack. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded piece-part drawing of a battery spill containment system. 
         FIG. 6  is a battery spill containment system formed in a rectangular shape. 
         FIG. 7  is a battery spill containment system formed in another rectangular shape. 
         FIG. 8  is a battery spill containment system formed in yet another rectangular shape. 
         FIG. 9  is a battery spill containment system formed in an L-shape. 
         FIG. 10  is a battery spill containment system formed in a U-shape. 
         FIG. 11  is a battery spill containment system formed in another shape. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a pillow. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a sock. 
         FIG. 14  is an exploded piece-part drawing of a battery spill containment system. 
         FIG. 15  is an exploded piece-part drawing of a battery spill containment system that uses a pad and grid which sits underneath batteries. 
         FIG. 16  is a drawing of a pad. 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view of a containment rail system. 
         FIG. 18  is a front edge view of the containment rail system of  FIG. 17 . 
         FIG. 19  is a top view of the containment rail system of  FIG. 17 . 
         FIG. 20  is a perspective view of a battery spill containment system with batteries. 
         FIG. 21  is an exploded piece-part view of a battery spill containment system, a leak detection device and a battery rack. 
         FIG. 22  is a perspective view of a containment rail. 
         FIG. 23  is a side edge view of the containment rail of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 24  is a front view of the containment rail of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 25  is a perspective view of an adjustable containment rail. 
         FIG. 26  is a side edge view of the containment rail of  FIG. 25 . 
         FIG. 27  is a front view of the containment rail of  FIG. 25 . 
         FIG. 28  is a perspective view of a corner containment rail. 
         FIG. 29  is a front view of the corner containment rail of  FIG. 28 . 
         FIG. 30  is a top view of the corner containment rail of  FIG. 28 . 
         FIG. 31  is a perspective view of a containment rail. 
         FIG. 32  is a front view of the containment rail of  FIG. 31 . 
         FIG. 33  is a side view of the containment rail of  FIG. 31 . 
         FIG. 34  is a top view of the containment rail of  FIG. 31 . 
         FIG. 35  is a perspective view of a containment rail having a different dimension than the containment rail of  FIG. 31 . 
         FIG. 36  is a front view of the containment rail of  FIG. 35 . 
         FIG. 37  is a side view of the containment rail of  FIG. 35 . 
         FIG. 38  is a top view of the containment rail of  FIG. 35 . 
         FIG. 39  is a perspective view of a containment rail having a different dimension than the containment rails of  FIGS. 31 and 35 . 
         FIG. 40  is a front view of the containment rail of  FIG. 39 . 
         FIG. 41  is a side view of the containment rail of  FIG. 39 . 
         FIG. 42  is a top view of the containment rail of  FIG. 39 . 
         FIG. 43  is a perspective view of a containment rail having one flange. 
         FIG. 44  is a front view of the containment rail of  FIG. 43 . 
         FIG. 45  is a side view of the containment rail of  FIG. 43 . 
         FIG. 46  is a top view of the containment rail of  FIG. 43 . 
         FIG. 47  is a perspective view of a containment rail having a notch. 
         FIG. 48  is a front view of the containment rail of  FIG. 47 . 
         FIG. 49  is a side view of the containment rail of  FIG. 47 . 
         FIG. 50  is a top view of the containment rail of  FIG. 47 . 
         FIG. 51  is a perspective view of a containment rail with components to mount the rail to the floor. 
         FIG. 52  is a perspective view of a containment rail having slots. 
         FIG. 53  is a front view of the containment rail of  FIG. 52 . 
         FIG. 54  is a side view of the containment rail of  FIG. 52 . 
         FIG. 55  is a top view of the containment rail of  FIG. 52 . 
         FIG. 56  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a containment rail having slots. 
         FIG. 57  is a front view of the containment rail of  FIG. 56 . 
         FIG. 58  is a side view of the containment rail of  FIG. 56 . 
         FIG. 59  is a top view of the containment rail of  FIG. 56 . 
         FIG. 60  is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of containment rail having slots. 
         FIG. 61  is a front view of the containment rail of  FIG. 60 . 
         FIG. 62  is a side view of the containment rail of  FIG. 60 . 
         FIG. 63  is a top view of the containment rail of  FIG. 60 . 
         FIG. 64  is a perspective view of a containment system for batteries which illustrates the use of a liner and pillows. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The subject invention is a spill containment system and method. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a spill containment system and battery rack for stationary batteries. The spill containment system  10  is mounted below a battery rack  12  that supports a plurality of batteries  14 . The spill containment system  10  includes containment barriers  16  that are mounted to each other and to the floor with concrete floor anchors. Contained within the perimeter of the containment rails  16  are pillows  18 . The pillows absorb spills and/or neutralize the spilled material. For example, in this particular embodiment of a containment system directed to battery spills, the pillows  18  absorb and neutralize the acid spilled from batteries  14  so that the acid does not leak onto the floor. The system prevents the acid from leaking onto the floor in order to prevent a hazardous situation for employees who may slip and fall, or burn themselves on the acid, as well as to prevent the acid from damaging nearby property and devices such as computers. Often the batteries serve as a backup energy source for computers, telecommunications and data management systems, so it is important that spilled battery acid does not damage nearby cables and computers. 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  are the front and side views of the battery spill containment system of  FIG. 1  respectively. 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded piece-part drawing of the major components of a battery spill containment system  10  and a battery rack  12 . A containment rail system  20  is anchored to the floor. In this particular embodiment in  FIG. 4 , the containment rail system  20  comprises a plurality of containment rails  16  that are mounted to each other and to the floor. In a preferred embodiment, the containment rails  16  are constructed out of 16 gauge sheet metal and coated with a material to make them resistant to and less likely to be damaged by the spilled material. For example, the containment rails  16  may be preferably coated with a layer of polyvinylchloride (“PVC”) to a thickness of 10-15 millimeters or epoxy paint. It is further preferable that all surfaces of the containment rails  16  be coated by PVC or epoxy paint. For instance, even the holes in the containment rails  16  may be coated by PVC. Alternatively, the containment rails may be epoxy painted instead of PVC coated. Also alternatively, the components of each embodiment described in this patent specification may be fabricated out of metal, plastic, polypropylene, or other suitable materials. The containment rail system may be a bright safety yellow per OSHA standards. 
     An optional corrosion resistant liner  24  may be inserted into the containment rail system  20 . In particular, the corrosion resistant liner  24  is preferably fabricated of PVC with dielectric welded or thermal welded seams. For example, the material of the liner  24  may be coated with PVC on one side over a polyester web. As another example, the liner  24  may be fabricated out of a PVC thermoplastic material available as model C3000 (or C3 membrane) sold by Cooley Roofing Systems, Inc. (http://www.dupont.com/industrialpolymers/roofing/cooley.html) Model C3000 has been used in the roofing industry, but not in spill containment systems. As yet another example, the liner  24  may be fabricated out of a composite material such as a PVC-copolymer alloy composite. An example of a PVC-copolymer alloy is available from IB Roof Systems (http://www.Ibroof.com). Another example is a thirty-two ounce polyurethane available from FOSS Environmental and Infrastructure Inc. in Seattle, Wash. (http://www.fossenv.com). An embodiment of the liner  24  may have a thickness, for example, of 50 to 80 millimeters. Certainly, other thicknesses are permissible. 
     Alternatively, the liner  24  may be fabricated out of vinyl or any other material that is resistant to damage from the spilled substance. The liner  24  is cut and welded at its seams to form a liner of a desired shape. The liner  24  can be heat welded, or more preferably, dielectrically welded. Preferably, the liner  24  has an edge which rises about four inches to create a containment perimeter. The corrosion resistant liner  24  is preferably placed within the perimeter formed by the containment rail system  20 , although the liner  24  could be mounted to the containment rail system  20  or be formed integral with the containment rail system  20 . The battery rack  12  is then placed in the liner  24 , mounted through the liner  24  to the containment rail system  20 , or mounted through the liner  24  to the floor directly. Pillows  18  and socks  22  are optionally placed in the liner  24 . If a liner  24  is not used, the optional pillows  18  and socks  22  may be placed within the perimeter formed by the containment rail system  20 . Batteries may then be stored on the battery rack  12 . 
       FIG. 64  illustrates a battery spill containment system which includes a battery rack  12  having multiple shelves to hold the batteries  14 . The system further includes a liner  24  placed within the perimeter formed by the containment rails  16 . Spill neutralizing and absorbing pillows  18  are placed in the liner  24 . 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded piece-part drawing of a battery spill containment system that illustrates that the system may be configured to have any desired shape or size. As can be seen in  FIG. 5 , the containment rail system  20  comprises a variety of containment rails  16 . Containment rails  16  themselves may have different sizes, shapes and configurations and are described in greater detail later in this patent specification. The corners and edges of each containment rail may be rounded if desired. As with any of the embodiments of any of the components or systems described in this patent specification, the dimensions, size, shape and/or configuration of each particular component or the entire system may be changed as desired for the particular application. For example,  FIG. 5  illustrates long containment rails  26 , short containment rails  28 , corner containment rails  30 , and adjustable containment rails  32 . The adjustable containment rails  32  have a plurality of mounting holes  34  that allow the installer to adjust the size, shape and configuration of the containment rail system  20  by selecting the mounting hole to use. In the particular embodiment of  FIG. 5 , both pillows  18  and socks  22  are used. However, any of the systems described in this patent specification may use only pillows, only socks, neither pillows nor socks, or both. 
       FIG. 6  is a battery spill containment system that is attached to a wall  36 . The system is formed in a rectangular shape. In the particular example of  FIG. 6 , the containment rail system  20  comprises long containment rails  26 , short containment rails  28  and notched containment rails  38 . The purpose of the notch  110  is described below with respect to  FIG. 8 . 
       FIG. 7  is a battery spill containment system formed in another rectangular shape. In the particular example of  FIG. 7 , the containment rail system  20  comprises long containment rails  26 , short containment rails  28  and notched containment rails  38 . The purpose of the notch  110  is described below with respect to  FIG. 8 . Further, this example embodiment uses pillows  18  only. 
       FIG. 8  is a battery spill containment system formed in yet another rectangular shape. This system is inverted such that the flanges protrude inward toward the rack. As a result, the inverted system has smooth outer surfaces which increases the aisle width and does not interfere with surrounding equipment or personnel. By contrast, for example, the system of  FIG. 7  has flanges  40  that jut outwardly. The notch  110  permits the building of an inverted containment rail system shown in  FIG. 8  where the exterior surfaces of the containment rail system are smooth. Smooth exterior surfaces may be desirable to reduce the hazard of tripping personnel who walk by the system. As illustrated, pillows  18  and socks  22  may be selected to fill the containment rail system  20  as desired. 
     Advantageously, the spill containment system  10  may be configured to have any desired shape or size.  FIG. 9  is a battery spill containment system formed in an L-shape.  FIG. 10  is a battery spill containment system formed in a U-shape.  FIG. 11  is a battery spill containment system formed in yet another shape. Again, any configuration of pillows  18  and socks  22  may optionally be used to suit the size, shape and configuration of the containment rail system  20 . 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a pillow  18 . The pillow  18  is preferably made from spunbound polypropylene material. When exposed to a flame, the pillow  18  also preferably melts instead of ignites. In this particular embodiment, the pillow  18  is fabricated out of a fabric and filled with a neutralizing material such as soda ash blended with an absorbent material such as vermiculite. In the alternative, any caustic base solution may be used. Thus, the pillow absorbs and retains moisture and also neutralizes acids. Optionally, a coloring agent may be added to the pillow  18  so that when acid contacts the pillow  18 , the coloring agent soaks through the polypropylene fabric to alert personnel that an acid spill has occurred. The sock  22 , illustrated in  FIG. 13 , may be fabricated the same as a pillow  18 . Each pillow and sock may optionally be marked with an unique serial number for tracking purposes. The weight of a pillow  18 , for example, may be 2.8 to 5 ounces, although other weights are certainly allowable. 
       FIG. 14  is an exploded piece-part drawing of a small-sized battery spill containment system. The system comprises a containment rail system  20  formed by containment rails, an optional corrosion resistant liner  24 , and an optional pillow  18  and/or sock  22 . 
       FIG. 15  is an exploded piece-part drawing of a battery spill containment system that uses a pad  44  and optional grid  46 . The system comprises a containment rail system  20  formed by containment rails, a corrosion resistant liner  24 , a pad  44  and a grid  46 . Containment rails are mounted together to form the containment rail system  20 . A corrosion resistant liner  24  is optionally inserted into the containment rail system  20 . A pad  44 , also shown in  FIG. 16 , is placed into the corrosion resistant liner  24 . The pad  44  is made of the same material and serves the same purpose as pillow  18  and sock  22 . The pad  44  is essentially a thin pillow  18 . The pad  44  is particularly suited for containing spills from valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries because VRLA batteries do not leak as much as some other batteries and thus, the pads do not need to be as thick as the pillows. VRLA batteries do not leak as much because they are typically sealed batteries and contain a gel instead of liquid acid. An optional grid  46  is then placed on top of the pad  44  in order to protect the pad  44  from the battery. The grid  46  may be made of a metal which may be corrugated for strength to hold heavy objects such as a battery. The metal grid also may be PVC coated to make it resistant to the spilled material. Alternatively, the grid  46  may be a perforated PVC sheet where the perforations allow the spilled substance to drip through and onto the pillows. 
     In this particular embodiment, the containment rail system  20  may have a height of three inches; the liner  24  may have a height of four inches; the pad  44  may have a thickness of a quarter inch; and the grid may be one-sixteenth of an inch thick. Of course, as with any of the embodiments and examples described in this patent specification, the dimensions, size, shape and/or configuration of the spill containment system and any of its components may be changed as desired for the particular application. 
       FIG. 17  is a perspective closeup view of a containment rail system for a battery. The containment rail system  20  shown in  FIG. 17  is an integrally formed structure having compartments such as a compartment  50  to hold a battery or batteries and an optional compartment  52  to hold additional batteries. Compartments  50  and  52  are separated by an optional ridge  56  which creates structural support so that the containment rail system can maintain its shape despite holding heavy batteries. Additional compartments may be added. Flanges  54  allow the containment rail system  20  to be mounted to other structures such as a battery rack.  FIGS. 18 and 19  are a front edge view and a top view of the containment rail system of  FIG. 17 . 
       FIG. 20  is a perspective view of a battery spill containment system  10  that is holding batteries  14 . As shown, the batteries rest on and are surrounded by socks  22 . Alternatively, the socks  22  could be placed in any manner adjacent to the batteries  14 . 
     Additional features are possible. For example, a leak detection device  60  may detect and indicate whether a leak or spill from a device has occurred.  FIG. 21  is an exploded piece-part view of a battery spill containment system  10 , a leak detection device  60  and a battery rack  12 . The containment rail system  20  may be any of the containment rail systems described in this patent specification. Preferably, the containment rail system  20  is mounted to the floor. A corrosion resistant membrane or liner  24  is inserted into the containment rail system  20 . A leak detection device  60  comprises a leak detector  62 , a lead  64  and a leak indicator  66 . The leak detector  62  may use any of a variety of known methods to detect the presence of a leak or spill of any substance including water and acids. For example, one embodiment of the leak detector  62  is now described. In this example embodiment, the leak detector  62  may be a cotton sleeve that holds two conductor strands in close proximity to each other. Each of the conductor strands is wrapped by a braided fiberglass material so that the two conductor strands are not shorted together. One end of the two-conductor sleeve system is split so that one conductor connects to one end of a 3.9M ohm resistor while the other conductor connects to the other end of the resistor. The other end of the two-conductor sleeve system is also split where one conductor goes to a first lug inside the leak indicator  66  and the other conductor goes to a second lug inside the leak detector  66 . Specifically, one embodiment of conductors uses seven conductors, 728 stranded, 20 aug. A current flows through the circuit formed by the two conductors and the resistor to the leak indicator  66 . The cotton sleeve acts as a wick to draw fluids and liquids to the two conductors. Fluids that reach the conductors pass through the fiberglass material and contact the conductors, causing the conductors to short together. The shorting of the conductors decreases the effective resistance and increases the current flow. When the leak indicator  66  detects an increase in current or a decrease in resistance across the first and second lugs, the leak indicator  66  determines that a leak or spill has occurred. The leak detector  62  preferably is able to detect leaks or spills that fall anywhere on liner  24 . For example, the leak detector  62  may be in a coil or zigzag shape to cover a large area of the liner  24 . Other configurations are possible and included within the scope of this invention. The leak detector  62  may be embedded into the liner  24  or simply rest on its surface. The leak detector  62  passes information about the presence or absence of a spill through a lead  64  to leak indicator  66 . The leak indicator  66  indicates to personnel whether a spill or leak has occurred, through for example, an audible or visual alarm, or any other known mechanism for indicating the presence or absence of a condition. The leak detector  66  may optionally have a plurality of states that indicate the amount of spillage. For instance, if the leak detector  66  is based on an audible or visual alarm, the leak detector  66  may increase its audible alarm or flash more lights as the amount of spillage increases. Still further, the leak detector  66  may not only serve monitoring and indication functions, but also communication functions. For example, the leak detector  66  may communicate by radio frequency signals, infrared light, data over a fax/modem line, data over a telephone or other data line, or a direct connection to a fire alarm, security guard station, or other alarming/monitoring systems. The leak detector  66  may have an electrical connection that permits (e.g., a dry “C” contact) customer communication with the site. Still alternatively, when the leak detector  66  detects a spill, or alternatively a severe enough spill, the leak detector  66  may cause certain events to occur, including but not limited to the issuance of an alarm to the proper personnel, the shutting off of equipment, or the diversion of power resources to other non-leaking batteries. The leak detection device  60  may be powered by AC current, its own battery source, or one of the batteries in the battery rack. 
     We now turn to the components that form a containment rail system  20 .  FIGS. 22-24  are a perspective view, a side edge view and a front view of a containment rail respectively. The containment rail  76  has a mounting flange  80  that has at least one hole  78 . The hole  78  allows a screw, nail, or any other mounting device to mount the containment rail  76  to the floor or other structure. Of course, any of the dimension, size, shape and configuration of the containment rail may be changed to suit the particular application. The number of holes may be increased or decreased. If the mounting procedure relies on adhesive, the containment rail  76  may require no holes. 
     The containment rail  76  may be an adjustable containment rail  82 , as shown in  FIGS. 25-27 . The adjustable containment rail  82  has a mounting flange  80  that has a plurality of holes  78 . Each of the plurality of holes  78  is spaced from its neighboring hole by either a uniform amount or a non-uniform amount. Preferably, the plurality of holes  78  are spaced apart by a uniform amount so that the adjustable containment rails may be used to form a containment rail system of predetermined dimensions. 
     A corner containment rail is illustrated in  FIGS. 28-30 . The corner containment rail  88  may be used to form the corner of a containment rail system  20 . The corner containment rail  88  has a mounting flange  80  and mounting holes  78 . The corner containment rail may be a ninety degree corner, a sixty degree corner, a forty-five degree corner, or any other corner as desired. Again, as with any of the embodiments of any of the components or systems described in this patent specification, the dimensions, size, shape and/or configuration of the particular corner containment rail may be changed as desired for the particular application. 
       FIG. 31  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a containment rail  100 . FIGS.  32 - 34  depict the front view, side view and top view of the containment rail of  FIG. 31  respectively. The rail  100  has flanges and holes  78 . The dimensions, size, shape and/or configuration of the containment rail may be changed as desired for the particular application. Examples of such different embodiments are provided in  FIGS. 35-38  and  FIGS. 39-42 . Other variations of the components of the containment rail system  20  are possible. For example, the containment rail  100  may have no flanges, one flange, two flanges, or more than two flanges. Often the number of flanges depends on the mounting requirements of the system.  FIGS. 43-46  illustrate a containment rail  100  that has one flange, while  FIGS. 31-42  depict containment rails having two flanges. As another example of a variation to the containment rail,  FIGS. 47-50  illustrate a containment rail  100  having a notch  110 . As discussed above, the notch  110  permits the building of an inverted containment rail system as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
       FIGS. 52-55 ,  56 - 59  and  60 - 63  are views of a containment rail having slots. The slots allow the rail to be slidably mounted to the floor or other components to form a containment rail system of variable dimensions. The number, shape and dimensions of the slots may be changed as desired. 
       FIG. 51  is a perspective view of a containment rail with components to mount the wall to the floor. A concrete floor is prepared according to the specification set forth by the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM). Specifically, the installer follows the ASTM specification for coating a concrete floor with epoxy to make the floor watertight. The proposed spill containment system preferably does not use adhesive to glue a spill containment system to the floor. Preferably instead, after the epoxy has dried, holes are drilled into the floor so that the spill containment system can be bolted to the floor. Bolting the system to the floor instead of gluing the system to the floor allows users to use battery lifting equipment. It is important to allow the normal use of battery lifting equipment because batteries in a battery rack must be serviced regularly and replaced as needed. Bolting rather than gluing the system to the floor also avoids the labor intensive nature of using an adhesive and waiting one to two days for the adhesive to cure. 
     While any mounting components may be used to secure the spill containment system to the floor,  FIG. 51  illustrates an example that uses a screw  120 , optional washer  122 , and optional floor anchor  124 . An anchor punch tool  126  with its punching surface  128  may be used to create an appropriately sized hole in the floor so that the floor anchor  124  may be then inserted into the floor. The floor anchor  124  is inserted into the hole in the floor. The screw  120  is inserted into the washer  122 , through the hole  78  and into the floor anchor  124 . The purpose of the floor anchor  124  is to increase the degree to which the screw  120  is secured to the floor. Thus, the floor anchor  124  also increases the integrity of the system if the system must hold the spilled substance during an emergency. Containment rails are bolted to one another to form a containment rail system. A sealant such as butyl rubber may be applied to all seams and holes to further create a watertight seal. This procedure for building a spill containment system can be used regardless if the system is for containing spills from a new or existing battery rack. 
     While the spill containment system has been proposed for containing acid spills from batteries, it can be used to contain spills from any device such as air conditioning units (which may leak water or freon), water heaters (which may leak water), or any other device. Moreover, it is not limited to containing and/or neutralizing acid spills as it can be used to contain and/or neutralize any kind of spill including a non-acidic spill. 
     While embodiments and implementations of the subject invention have been shown and described, it should be apparent that many more embodiments and implementations are within the scope of the subject invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted, except in light of the claims and their equivalents.