Storing Batteries!

[tags11]

so its that time of the year, the sad time to tuck your boat away for the winter so my question is this, if your batteries are charged and disconnected, can they stay in the boat for the winter? Will the cold do anything to them? Thanks!

[BTH284]

Hook them up to a trickle charger (1-3 amp hour). You can do this with both terminals connected or take the battery out of the boat and hook it up somewhere. Just make sure the area you charge it in is well ventilated. Any extreme temp cold or hot is not good for the cell in your battery.

I leave mine connected to both terminals and my boat is under my carport. I do however use my boat all year round though.

[Fast Forward]

Charge them up, check the level, and disconnect them. The cold isn't the best for them. I think trickle chargers are not either because they slightly overcharge them. Whichever you choose to do I don't think you will never notice one way being better than the other. If you want to help your batteries, check the level throughout the season.

Bobby

[crabbeer]

If you do disconnect the batteries, keep them off of the concrete floor or they will discharge.

[captcl]

I run year round but keep the boat on a trailer here's what i do; keep my batteries hooked up to a solar charger when stored on the wheels,it is one of the best things i ever got for a boat! Replace the batteries every 3-4 years regardless of how good they may seem to be. Use the new technology "gel-cell" batteries. Actually they are absorbent glass mat and they are submergible! if your battery charge drops to low it will freeze then it's done so if you are going to experience extreme cold take them out and put them where the temp is fairly stablelike the garage. And yes, do not set them on a concrete floor. If you have got 3yrs or more on the batts they owe you nothing get some new ones!

[matey1]

If you do disconnect the batteries, keep them off of the concrete floor or they will discharge.

crabbeer i am not picking on you but that is an old wise tale


Battery Myth #2 Storing a battery on a concrete floor will discharge the battery.

There is not currently a strong reason for avoiding contact of a battery with a concrete floor. The battery's contact with the concrete should not create a problem with the material in today' s batteries. If the battery is not clean, but has a surface layer of acid or grime which is conductive, the battery can be expected to self-discharge more rapidly than if it was clean and dry. Many years ago, the batteries were constructed with a wooden case around a glass jar with the battery in it. Any moisture on the floor could cause the wood to swell and possibly fracture the glass, causing it to leak. Shortly after the introduction of "Hard Rubber" containers, which were somewhat porous and of a less than ideal design, there was a chance of current to be conducted through the container of a high carbon content if the moist concrete floor permitted the current to find an electrical ground. These are two of the older reasons for not storing batteries on a concrete floor. There is no reference to avoiding storage on concrete floors in the Battery Service Manual published by the BCI. Their suggestion is appropriate for the current state of the art batteries built by reputable battery manufacturers. For more information on storage, see the AutoTips Battery Storage Tips page.