Storing Batteries

[sutor623]

Re: Storing Batteries

Trickle charger FTW. I am on 7 years with my autocraft deep cycles.

 

[wrench 3]

Re: Storing Batteries

Trickle charger FTW. I am on 7 years with my autocraft deep cycles.

I've seen an engine go 50,000 without an oil change and be OK. But I change mine at 5,000 anyway.
If there's a chance I can get an extra couple of years out of my 4Ds I'm going to charge them!

 

[gpfishingdude]

Re: Storing Batteries

I read that 12 volt batteries self discharge at a rate of 10% per month at 45 degrees and at a slower rate if they are kept colder. That means the batteries will have 70% charge left in them after 3 months if they were fully charged when they were stored. I just don't know how low a battery can go before they require special charging to desulfanate them. If I have the right term for it.

 

[wrench 3]

Re: Storing Batteries

I read that 12 volt batteries self discharge at a rate of 10% per month at 45 degrees and at a slower rate if they are kept colder. That means the batteries will have 70% charge left in them after 3 months if they were fully charged when they were stored. I just don't know how low a battery can go before they require special charging to desulfanate them. If I have the right term for it.

The purpose of charging once a month is to stop the sulfation from happening in the first place. There are procedures for repairing a sulfated battery, but I've never heard of one that really worked that well.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Storing Batteries

Keep them fully charged and you will keep the sulfation from happening. A battery will sulfate as a function of the amount that it is discharged along with the amount of time that it is discharged. Seems kind of silly to me not to keep it charged and reduce the chance of that happening but then again...

...common sense is not very common.

 

[gpfishingdude]

Re: Storing Batteries

Keep them fully charged and you will keep the sulfation from happening. A battery will sulfate as a function of the amount that it is discharged along with the amount of time that it is discharged. Seems kind of silly to me not to keep it charged and reduce the chance of that happening but then again...

...common sense is not very common.

Yes it would be very silly not to charge them if I were at home and that is why I am hoping that they will still be alright while we are away. Otherwise it will be cheaper to buy new batteries than the cost of going home to charge them once a month. AND like I said I think the starting batteries should be Ok because the ones in the cars sit all winter in the garage and start in the spring and they have been doing this for the last five years so being sulfated must not have been that rough on them. When we are at home I check and charge the boat batteries every two weeks at least.

 

[wrench 3]

Re: Storing Batteries

There are lots of battery maintainers on the market if you want to keep them charged next winter.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Storing Batteries

It really depends on how long you let them sit.

 

[TerryMSU]

Re: Storing Batteries

The purpose of charging once a month is to stop the sulfation from happening in the first place. There are procedures for repairing a sulfated battery, but I've never heard of one that really worked that well.

I have seen them work, but it took more than one attempt. A freind has an optima in a car and left the car all winter. Battery was stone dead and would not take a charge. He used the Black and decker charger sulfation setting twice and charged that battery fully with an old fashioned charger between the anti-sulfation runs if I recall correctly. The old fashioned charger was required because the B&D would not try to charge the "bad" battery. He may have had a second battery in parrallel to get the battery to take the charge, can't remember the exact details. Eventually the battery did recover, but he was very stubborn about getting it going. The nice thing was that optima sent him a replacement battery so he had two batteries at the end.

TerryMSU
TerryMSU

 

[wrench 3]

Re: Storing Batteries

I think what I should have asked is- I can't see why the starting batteries would die during the winter if the car batteries don't, do the deep cycle batteries run down quicker or freeze up in an unheated garage? I thought that fully charged batteries last a long time and I didn't want to risk leaving chargers on them all winter. Of course I will charge them before I try to use them this spring. Thanks

I think we got a little side tracked from your original concern. There is no reason that a marine starting battery or a deep cycle would loose charge at a faster rate than an automotive battery. It depends more on the original condition of the battery.