Winter Battery Storage

[Francis]

I have heard and have been told to remove the batteries from the boat and put them in the garage on wooden blocks for the winter. But I kind of hate to pull my 2 batteries out if I don't have to. My question is, is that I have them both in plastic battery boxes, and I don't think it gets any colder in my boat than it does in the garage. So If I left them in the battery boxes, and maybe put some sort of insulation around the boxes and put a battery charger on them throughout the winter do you think that would be good enough? Also I do hook them up to a solor panel when not in use.

Thanks

[Paul S]

Charge them fully, disconnect the batteries. Clean them well..let them be. You do not have to remove them. A charged battery will not freeze. You CAN remove them, but there is no need to. btw, if you did remove then, the battery doesnt care if it is on concrete, asphalt, wood, carpet, brick, or plastic.

Clean - charge - disconnect Thats it

[Retcoastie]

I don't know how cold it gets in NM but a fully charged battery is very difficult to freeze. You didn't say what type batteries so for discussion we'll say wet cell, which would be the most delicate. What you would need to watch is the fluid levels. Keeping a charger on them would tend to boil the water out. As long as you checked every so often and made sure the batteries had the proper water level you should be alright. Some of the higher quailty chargers have different levels of charge. A three stage charger would probably take you through the winter without a boil away problem.

Stay warm.

Ken

[Paul S]

had good luck (7 years) with our powerboat battery leaving it as-is (no charge) over the winter in place.

I doubt a high quality charger would hurt anything, if power is available, go for it.

I did assume wet cell. Not sure about gell or AGM, but I would assume they would be able to take the cold, if charged, as well.

[Francis]

Ok that sounds good!!! Yes they are wet cell batteries.
I will do as you all suggest.
Thanks for your advise

[ronacarme]

From 1990 or so till I sold it in 2000, I kept my D's battery connected to a 5 watt solar plate continuously, summer and winter ( in SW Michigan). Battery stayed in like new condition. Battery only used for lighting....OB was manual start.

On my 2001 X, I used a nonweatherpruf 2 watt solar plate inside the cabin, by a window, in winter the first couple of years , then replaced that with a 5 watt, exterior, tilt mount, solar plate 2 or 3 years ago, continuously connected to the battery. Battery is like new and is used for OB starting ( OB has an alternator to replenish starting draw from battery) and lighting. The tilt mount enables tilting the solar plate toward the mid-day sun, summer or winter.

The 5 watt plate is diode-equipped, is small enuf that it needs no regulator, and maintains a trickle charge on the battery at least enuf to overcome the inherent self discharge of a lead acid battery. The battery stays permanently on the boat ( on the D and X both) with no winter battery freeze up in view of the maintenence of full battery charge by the solar plate. If battery was allowed to self discharge for several months, I would be concerned with possible freeze up in a late winter severe cold snap.

[Andy26M]

Perhaps I am just a clutz with big, heavy, awkward loads - but I know I am much more likely to damage the battery moving it off and on to the boat than having it damaged by just leaving it in place People leave automobiles parked outside in all kinds of winter conditions and don't have to worry about freezing, etc. - and I bet most of us have far better quality batteries in our boats than we have in our cars!

I have also always been told to NEVER, EVER leave a battery sitting on concrete. Is this an old admiral's tale, or was it based on previous primitive technology in the battery casings?

- Andy

[tangentair]

I think it was because of the heat loss through the case, dampness that would seep into the rubber material, and discharge through contamination on the case hence the ability of older batteries to hold their charge. Battery acid freezes somewhere around 25 below (F) zero but with out a charge the acid changes back to salts and plates out leaving mostly water that will freeze at much higher temps. And of course the freezing causes mechanical damage to the interior. Nevertheless, a simple 60 watt light bulb left burning in the space where the charged battery is stored will, in my experience, protect it to temps down to 40 below (C or F). The key is that it remain charged as previously recommended and if the battery is old, weak or marginal, and you want to try and get one more season out of it, I would pull it and keep in it a dry warm space - box in the bottom of a seldom used cupboard. It will also give you a chance to wash it off with a weak baking soda solution and clean up the terminals.

[Paul S]

I have also always been told to NEVER, EVER leave a battery sitting on concrete. Is this an old admiral's tale, or was it based on previous primitive technology in the battery casings?

- Andy

Yes. May have been true in 1906, but now-a-days it doesn't matter..as long as the case is CLEAN...it won't self discharge on concrete or anything else for that matter

[baldbaby2000]

So If I left them in the battery boxes, and maybe put some sort of insulation around the boxes and put a battery charger on them throughout the winter do you think that would be good enough? Also I do hook them up to a solor panel when not in use.

The solar charger is probably sufficient. I'll probably put mine on a battery maintainer.