Battery storage

Doc · Nov 30, 2005

I use my tractor enough during the winter that I've never had to charge the battery. But the boat sits all winter, and one of the ATV's sits most of the winter unused. One year I trickle charged one of the boats batteries, but I had to replace that battery the next boating season. Other years I have hooked up my charger and it says the battery does not need charged, so I hold off charging it until March or April.
Do you charge any batteries you have sitting all winter, if so how, and how often?

BadAttitude · Nov 30, 2005

A trickle charge once in awhile doesn't hurt it...maybe once a month.
The cold temps are actually better for a dormant battery. If it has electronics, computers, etc, then disconnect the neg cable to keep from discharging.

bczoom · Nov 30, 2005

I use one of the ATV 1/2 amp "Battery Tenders" and once a month go around and put it on each battery until it reads full charge (light turns from red to green).

buy_25 · Nov 30, 2005

Well my last OEM suzuki battery lasted 8 years doing zero during the winter.

Now with my OCD,

, I bought a new battery 2 years ago and now use a battery tender (BT) for winters. I got the battery tender for $42 to my door. Great deal.

I would buy a BT and call it a day.

Doc · Nov 30, 2005

I have a Battery Tender, that is what i called a trickle charger (I couldn't remember the name BT), I know it's an advanced trickle charger. If I'm going to use it I need to get the multiple hookup, so that I could hook up two or 3 batteries in series. But, I used the BT on 200 ft of extention cord the one year and had to replace that battery the next season. That battery was only on it's third summer.
The long extention cord should not have made a difference, should it? It was an off brand (Auto Zone box store) battery.

BadAttitude · Nov 30, 2005

I doubt the ext cord caused the failure, most likely coincidence. The box store batteries are usually low end products and priced accordingly, to keep them moving off the shelves. I'm not sure if yours was low end or not, but if it was...they last longer when used on a daily basis.

I do have to question the series charging of multiple batteries. Unless all of them are fairly equal in state of charge, you could end up over or under charging individual cells.

Junkman · Dec 1, 2005

As much as I hate to post this, I doubt that you can find a better battery for the same price as the batteries at Wally World. Everyone that I have purchased there has given me excellent service for the price. I don't mind having to replace them every 5 or 6 years when they only cost $39.99. The last one was $59.99 because they no longer had the size in the cheaper line. The more expensive battery is exactly the same specifications at the $39.99 one that I purchased 5 years ago.

Doc · Dec 1, 2005

I have Die Hard Marine Deep cycle batteries in the boat now. They ran 69 bucks each. One is 1 year old the other is two years old.
BA, are you saying it's better to first bring both batteries up to full charge (since I doubt if they are in the same state of charge at this time), then I could charge in series?

Battery Tender sells an add on device which allows charging up to 4 batteries in series. I didn't order it when I first got the battery tender, wish I had though.

It used to be that you had to charge batteries in an open area, because of fumes I think. Is that still the case with today's maintenence free batteries? I would prefer to keep the engine cover on the boat closed and hook up the battery tender, but due to old habits I've always left it open.

Thanks all!!!

bczoom · Dec 1, 2005

Just to clarify, when you say "in series", do I assume you mean they're in "parallel" but all get charged at the same time.

Doc · Dec 1, 2005

yeah, is parallel the correct term for all getting charged at the same time?

bczoom · Dec 1, 2005

Parallel is when 2 or more batteries are connected with the + to + and - to - so you increase your amps but remain at 12v.

Series connects + to - from one battery to the next (kind of like loading a flashlight with batteries). It increases the volts but amps remain the same.

2 12v batteries in parallel = 12 volts. In series it's 24v (and a 12v charger won't work).

BadAttitude · Dec 1, 2005

Doc said:
.
BA, are you saying it's better to first bring both batteries up to full charge (since I doubt if they are in the same state of charge at this time), then I could charge in series?

The problem with the curent sealed batteries is dependiing on the state of charge, most times you need that initial charge to be around 16v to overcome the chemical reaction within the battery. If the multiple batteries you were trickle charging were within .5 v's of each other, it would probably be OK. But as a rule today, we always charge or trickle charge one at a time. Keeps from tossing a perfectly good battery that failed a load test...seen that happen too many times.

bczoom · Dec 1, 2005

BadAttitude said:
If the multiple batteries you were trickle charging were within .5 v's of each other, it would probably be OK. But as a rule today, we always charge or trickle charge one at a time.

BA - quick question.
If the batteries have been connected in parallel, won't they equal each other? Will the higher charged battery send a charge to the lower until their equal?

BadAttitude · Dec 1, 2005

bc

No they won't balance out. The batt with the least charge will get next to nothing because the charge rate won't be enough to overcome the resistance(correct term??). The stronger batt will suck up the charge instead. If you measured the voltage at each of them while in parallel, it would probably read close to equal, but the amperage reading would differ

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