The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk How to maintain battery over winter

Quick question, both on what is best for my truck and also what I need to ask Santa for this year!

Has anyone had any experience with chargers to maintain the battery over the winter? Anything to look for specifically? Or is there a better way? I had heard it is not safe to pull the battery inside to reduce the drain.

Thanks!

dzd9fy,


I don't know if a battery will actually freeze..I don't think so. It seems like the best route would be to put the battery in the garage, sitting on something other than the concrete floor, and hooked to a dinky 'automatic' trickle charger.

A battery that sits in a discharged condition for any length of time will have a shorter life than a properly maintained one. I have always heard a battery should not sit directly on a cold concrete floor....don't know if this is true.

Stuart

Thats totally true about sitting on a concrete floor,,it'll kill a battery quicker than,,,,well itll kill it really fast!!! I've usually just disconnected the cables and,,depending on how long its not gonna be used,every 3 to 4 weeks put a small trickle charger on it for a day or so. Its always worked for me. As far as asking Santa......the TRUCK AND CAR SHOP in Orange calif. has gift certificates.

if the battery is disconnected, there's no "drain", and it doesn't matter if it's cold, more important that it's fully charged when you stop using it - my forklift always sits in the cold all winter, unused for 6 months or more, and all I do is disconnect the + cable ... works fine when hooked back up

Bill

There are automatic chargers now that "maintain" a battries state of charge.These small trinkle chargers cut off when the battery is fully charged and come on when needed.Avalable at any auto parts store.Schumaker model SE-1-12S,11/2 amp

Any negatives to using a trickle charger?

They can slowly evaporate the fluid. needs to be checked and topped off.

Since my trucks hibernate in the winter, I take the batteries out, place them on a shelf or counter off the ground, charge them, and let them sit for the winter. I have done this with cheap 6v, Optima 6v, and 12v batteries (trucks and lawn tractors). The cheap batteries last longer than they used to.

My '50 sits all winter. I put one of those 6V Optimas in it 4 years ago and haven't touched the thing. Always has a good charge,(knock on wood.)

Bob

The concrete floor myth has proved to be an old wives tale.However I leave mine in the vehicles and start them up every 2 or 3 weeks.Works good for me.

I use the small 1 amp charger along with a cheap household timer that plugs into a wall outlet. set the timer to be 'on' about 15 minutes a day. Seems to work...

My brother uses whats called Battery Tender. Its a compact unit that won't get in the way of anything. It is current sensing, meaning it turns itself on only when it detects voltage drop in the battery, and shuts of when proper voltage is achieved. Works great. I know motorcuycle shops carry them, I'm not sure of the parts houses.

Rezman

That battery on concrete is absolutely false. Otherwise your battery would dischage sitting on a metal battery tray. A fully charged battery will not freeze until it gets way below zero (-25). Whennfully charged the battery will losr very little charge when cold because the chemical reaction in the battery slows down. Warming the battery up (putting a trickle charger on it or bringing it indoors) will improve it's efficiency and provide greater starting power.

What cgresham1212 said makes total sense, If does'nt discharge on the battery tray why whould on the concrete floor??

All you guys obviously don't know the mystical properties of concrete!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.


Tur-duck-en Stu

The battery/concrete thing comes from back when batteries were still made witha rubber case and tar sealed tops. The way I was told was that the rubber case didn't insulate the battery from condesation very well, and sitting on cold concrete caused accellerated condensation which would drain the battery by diluting the acid. It could also cause cracks to form in the casing.
Modern batteries are made with a polyethelyne plastic case. They are not suceptible to the problems that the old style batteries were.
Still, if you can put it on a shelf or workbench, that would be preferred to leaving it on the floor (ever trip on a battery? Not fun.).
If the truck is going to be sitting for an extended period, a maintainer is a good idea. The flaps or farm store will have them. Sears also has them in their auto centers.

I didn't see anyone mention solar chargers. Has anybody tried them? Some 35 years ago I worked in a fuel bulk plant. We also sold tires, batteries, and accessories. The guy that ran the place insisted on putting the batteries on pasteboard, and not directly on the concrete floor. He never offered an explanation, just insisted we do it.

I leeve mine in the truck put a trikle charger and start the truck about once a month.

I used to take em out, store them in the basement on a wood shelf,charge em once and awhile, then reinstall em in the spring.they would go bad anyway,after a few years.now i leave em in charge them up in the fall, disconect the neg.they seem to last 4-5 years or more now.I cant explain it but thats what i do.It gets -20 or more here in the winter also.I figure if the battery is good it wont freeze if it does it was almost done anyway.

From my experience, which goes back a long time, you don't have to fuss with a battery if it sits in a vehicle over the winter. Just make sure it's fully charged when you shut down. (disconnecting a cable is probably a good idea but I've never done it.) Batteries last about 7 years for me. In fact, my ATV battery is 12 years old and will be sitting outside in the vehicle in temps that'll probably go to -40 at times over the winter. This winter will probably see it die off but we'll see come spring.

The best way is to take the battery out of the vehicle and clean the outside of the battery and terminals. Check the water level before charging. Place the battery inside (heated is best but not necessary) a building or garage.

Batteries will freeze if they loose their charge.

Do not place on concrete floors. Place on block of wood, or plastic tub. Use a battery "tender" or "maintenance" charger.

If you use a trickle charger or any other type of charger, charge it until fully charged and remove it completely. Check water level and recharge monthly.

I have work vehicles and tractors that do not get much use. I leave them on a battery tender year around and check the water level periodically, and clean the terminals when needed. This seems to work pretty good for me in South Dakota climates.

I have bought battery "tenders" fro Harbor frieght for as little a $7 and used them with good luck.

1. Always check water levels before charging. Low water levels when charging will burn it up.
2. Use a battery "tender" for long periods over two to three days. Not a trickle charger.
3. Check on the battery periodically whenever using a charger.
4. A battery should never be warm to the touch or hot when on a "tender". A battery should never be hot to the touch.
5. Wear safety glasses and NEVER create a spark or have an open flame when charging batteries. See the following link:

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/battery101.html

HELLO ALL !
just my 2 cents , I am an avid Bass fisherman and own a tournament BASS BOAT with 4 batteries,
2 deep cycle for the trolling motor & 2 for starting and accerories,each set is hooked up to its own 2 bank charger that monitors the batteries 24/7 when in storage,And i have no problems and we all know what DEEP CYCLE MARINE BATTERIES COST!to this date i have had the same set for years , Yes you do yave to have a gallon of distilled water on hand in the shop, I check and top-off the fluids abought every 3 months and it doesnt take much to top em off even after 3 months of using the maintainers.
there are many places that offer battery maintainers and a single bank is pretty reasonable , for my truck i have the Battery mounted in the custom tool box that my Uncle made for the truck and i have a single bank maintainer mounted inside , so when i know the truck is going to set i just open the tool box lid pull out the cord and plug it into the wall and forget abought it , with NO WORRIES
Tim

Ever notice when you go to a store that sells batterys, they never have them on trickle chargers and if you buy one it works fine without charging. The seem to hold a charge better than in the past. (I still use the little trickle chargers during layup)

The problem is when a battery is fully charged it has no way to disipate the heat with out heating the H2o/evaporation occurs with units that don't cut off.Buy a maintainer that cuts off when fully charged.Little or no evaporation will occure over the winter.See my previous post for model I use.

ok i know this will sound silly , BUT Bass Pro Shops offers a nice battery maintainer i personally use there 2 bank charger for my starting batteries and the factory brand for the trollin that was installed in the boat when i got it .
just because it for a fishin boat dont mean it wont work for a collector car ..just remember that ...lol
but any how they sell a single bank maintainer that will monitor your truck battery 24/7 , it knows when to come on an shut off an keeps your battery at its peak all the time..
model is XPS I 5 ...cost is $79.99
and like in my former post , ya can check every 3 months but ya wont put but a few onces if that in the battery , i am ussed to doin 4 at 1 time so i know i need a full 8oz. bottle ..when i do it