Store boat batteries inside or outside?

[Rod N]

Battery storage theory has changed in the last few years in that a battery kept warm is using up energy.

My problem is do I store my boat batteries in my unheated boathouse or bring them into my heated garage for the winter? I don't have an in between place as far as temperature goes.

All will be fully charged.

Thanks
Rod

 

[ratdoggy]

I keep mine in my unheated garage with a trickle charger that I rotate between them every now and then

 

[SEV22XS]

Most of all keep them off the concrete floor and keep and trickle charger on them.

 

[Rod N]

My understanding is keeping batteries on a concrete floor is okay for them. It's the damp location that the concrete floor is at is the problem.

If there isn't a draw on the battery, why have it on a trickle charger?

 

[SweetD]

Concrete floor is no longer an issue for today's batteries. That being said, I keep my two boat batteries on a shelf in my semi-heated garage with a trickle charger on each one. I have had zero problems since 2007 with my setup. My garage never goes below freezing. These are lead-acid batteries I have...

 

[Rod N]

Anyone have thoughts on just leaving them in the boathouse?

 

[ripperd]

Anyone have thoughts on just leaving them in the boathouse?

Do you have a way of keeping them charged?

Lead acid batteries are fine in the cold, as long as they are charged.

As long as they are charged once a month, or you put a battery tender on them you should be fine.

 

[dlcwent]

practical-sailor.com/blog/-10697-1.html

 

[justin1795]

I was always told the problem with the floor was it was colder than the air and the difference in temps was hard on the battery. either way I have a unheated garage on battery tender juniors

 

[C96]

Use a battery tender to keep them fully charged at all times. This will help to get maximum battery life.

I would also keep them off the concrete floor, just a couple blocks of wood will do.

 

[chris142]

The concrete floor thing goes back to the tar cased batteries in the 20's.those would self discharge on cement.don't matter today

 

[Rod N]

What about hooking all three in parallel and just use one battery tender?

 

[dlcwent]

The concrete floor thing goes back to the tar cased batteries in the 20's.those would self discharge on cement.don't matter today

Also. Batteries that have leaked from the "caps", would cause a path for them to discharge to the "ground". That's how it was explained to me by a guy that sold batteries.

 

[draglink]

heated garage off concrete, trickle charge couple times a winter

 

[Moose364]

Mine stay in the boats on the Minn Kota chargers, never had any problems with them, I do think just having them on the charger help keep the warm enough to prevent any damage, even my lawn mower is on a trickle charger all winter, and Im going on 3 years on the same lawn mower battery, before I would have to replace every year,

 

[kbs2244]

It can get well below zero around me.
So I always bring them inside.
When all things are considered, they are small, and not that big a deal to move.
It also gives you a chance to clean the terminals, check the cables, etc.
I don’t bother with trickle chargers, they have always kept enough charge to start the engine in the spring and then the alternator can do it’s job.

 

[APEowner]

Freezing is what often kills batteries in winter storage. As long as a battery is charged it won't freeze (at least at any reasonable temperature). A lead acid battery left sitting can discharge even with no draw.

So, an occasional tickle charge or even better a battery maintainer is the first step to battery health during the off season. If it's convenient to do that in the vehicle there's no reason to pull the battery.

 

[Rod N]

Sounds pretty warm in sunny, New Mexico. lol

2 of the batteries are 27 series deep cycle and they are heavy. My garage is 300 ft. away uphill. Both ways! Not to mention they are installed quite nicely in the boat.

I left the cranking battery in the boat last year for the winter and it still had 12 volts in the spring.

 

[James E]

I'm not an electrical engineer but I don't understand all of these posts saying that modern lead-acid batteries don't have issues with cold weather and it doesn't matter where they're stored.

If that's the case, then they'd never go dead over long periods of disuse, which they most certainly do.

For the last few years I've stored my lawn equipment and my boat battery inside and with a trickle-charger oddasionally attached to them. My lawn tractor battery is at least ten years old and my boat battery is at least five. I have accidentally left my lawn tractor outside through weeks of winter weather and found it dead, whereas when I keep it in the heated garage, it hasn't ever died--even with no trickle charger.

Experience has shown me that batteries left in equipment that is left outside all winter go dead more easily and last a shorter period of time even when charged occasionally. Is my memory playing tricks on me? Could someone explain these statements about battery storage so that I don't have to go to all that trouble?

 

[APEowner]

Sounds pretty warm in sunny, New Mexico. lol

It is! And I love it. My winter storage for the race car and the motorcycle consist of shutting them off. I do plug in battery tenders but they get run at least once a month so I don't mess around with fuel stabilizer.

Up until about a 2 1/2 years ago I lived in upstate NY though so I'm familiar with the whole winter storage of the summer toys thing. AT one time I was the service manager at a Yamaha dealership and I lost a lot of seasonal battery sales by telling my customers what I typed in the previous post.

 

[SALIV8]

Ive been told from a trusted mechanic friend that the cold doesnt kill the batteries. Its the temp swings that do. The freezing weather doesnt drain the batteries and typically if batteries die when cold they are almost dead to begin with.

Have no idea if this true. my cars sit in unheated garages, outside in subzero temps, and never had a major issue.

on my race car and winch battery i do keep them off the concrete and swap the trickle charge from one to another every month or so, but dont leave the charger plugged in for weeks at a time. probably overkill.

not sure best method so hopefully a battery guru can school me also.

 

[Stuart in MN]

If a battery is in good condition, and if it's fully charged, it's perfectly fine to just let it sit over the winter in a cold place. A disconnected lead acid battery actually discharges more slowly when cold.

I do it every year with my summer cars, and in the spring I hook up the battery and start the cars right up.

 

[TractorJeff]

Well!
All I can say is that leaving them in they lasted X number of years.
Removing them, storing inside they lasted X + 1 or 2 years.
Removing them, storing inside with chargers/maintainers they have been lasting X + 3(+) years.
My thought on the whole subject?
To each his own!
BUT GOOGLE stories about charger/maintainers left unattended for long periods of time causing fires as in the Boathouse all winter.

 

[dwysywd]

My buddy sells batteries for industrial use. He told me that heat kills and cold preserves batteries. Heat meaning hot summers not warm garages, lol. Anyhow, he always told me it was best to keep them on some kind of smart charger, like a battery tender. And wrap them in a battery blanket, which reduces sweating and big temp flux. In MI the spring and fall can see 50 degree temp swings with it being 32 at night and then getting into the high 70s in the day, that's the avg. So do what you want, but a battery tender will cost you $20 and it won't cost you $2 to keep the battery on all winter. Meanwhile, a dead battery or poorly maintained one will run you the replacement cost.


Sent from my bag phone...

 

[BobRae]

Put them on a wood block in a heated space and put a trickle charger on them. They will discharge if left sitting over the winter, especially in the freezing temperatures experienced in Keswick. A deep discharge is hard on any battery including a deep discharge marine battery.

 

[Rod N]

When I started this thread I knew the replies would be all over the place, and I was right.

There is a lot of old school thinking on batteries and people stick with what they have done in the past. I'm not saying this is wrong, just saying.

A cold battery discharges less than a warm battery. -40C? Probably not a great situation.
People mention freezing and blowing up on a tender etc. Having the fluid at the proper level I can't see this happening.

I think the most important thing is to make sure the fluid is at the right level and giving it a charge before storing. I'm still on the fence as far as a batter tender goes. My batteries have always kept their charge over the winter, so why have a tender? Yes if hooked up to a car with a brain running or alarm etc.

 

[joe_padavano]

I would also keep them off the concrete floor, just a couple blocks of wood will do.

One of these days, someone will explain how a totally sealed PLASTIC non-conductive battery case can discharge to non-conductive concrete, but doesn't discharge to the conductive metal battery tray that it sits on in the car...

In the meantime, it's the discharged battery in freezing temps that is the problem. Keeping it indoors and charged will go a long way towards keeping it alive.

 

[trainer]

Mine stays in the boat. I trailer the boat to storage and use the power tilt to lower the motor when its in its final(unheated) storage place. It gets a charge before taking it to storage, and the positive cable is disconnected once everything is in place.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I'm still on the fence as far as a batter tender goes. My batteries have always kept their charge over the winter, so why have a tender? Yes if hooked up to a car with a brain running or alarm etc.

I bought a Battery Tender once (the real one, not a knockoff) and hooked it up to my battery in the fall. When spring came, I discovered the thing had totally boiled all the water out of the battery. This was only my single experience with them - many other people have had good luck with battery tender-type chargers, but it shows they can malfunction.

 

[BobRae]

When I started this thread I knew the replies would be all over the place, and I was right.

There is a lot of old school thinking on batteries and people stick with what they have done in the past. I'm not saying this is wrong, just saying.

A cold battery discharges less than a warm battery. -40C? Probably not a great situation.
People mention freezing and blowing up on a tender etc. Having the fluid at the proper level I can't see this happening.

I think the most important thing is to make sure the fluid is at the right level and giving it a charge before storing. I'm still on the fence as far as a batter tender goes. My batteries have always kept their charge over the winter, so why have a tender? Yes if hooked up to a car with a brain running or alarm etc.

Instead of seeking opinions from a bunch of forum participants who might not have any actual experience, why don't you call your local Interstate Battery rep and ask them what the best way is to preserve your battery?

They told me to put my Sea Doo battery on a float charger and keep it from freezing (it can't charge when the solution is frozen). It seems to be working for me. I used to get 2 seasons out of my new Sea Doo battery, now I get 5.

I found this on the Interstate Site:

Q: Does it hurt my car battery if I set it on concrete?
A: No, the type of plastic (polypropylene) used in battery cases today is a great electrical insulator, therefore cement causes no electrical discharge effect to the battery.

Or consider this resource:

http://sailingmagazine.net/article-842-marine-battery-maintenance.html

 

[Chris4x4Gill2]

I leave mine in the boat inside an unheated barn and will hook up the charger once or twice over the winter. I do not leave a trickle charger on when they are unattended. Of course I'm in Alabama and the coldes twe usually see would be the twenties for a few nights each winter.

 

[BobRae]

I leave mine in the boat inside an unheated barn and will hook up the charger once or twice over the winter. I do not leave a trickle charger on when they are unattended. Of course I'm in Alabama and the coldes twe usually see would be the twenties for a few nights each winter.

Sounds reasonable. How many years do you get out of your marine battery, recognizing that manner of use (in addition to storage) also affects longevity.

 

[G_P]

I keep extra batteries in my basement. On the floor sitting on blocks of wood. I put them on the charger at 2 amps every few months to keep them topped off.

 

[Rod N]

One of these days, someone will explain how a totally sealed PLASTIC non-conductive battery case can discharge to non-conductive concrete, but doesn't discharge to the conductive metal battery tray that it sits on in the car...

This is one of the old school thinking I was referring to.

Instead of seeking opinions from a bunch of forum participants who might not have any actual experience, why don't you call your local Interstate Battery rep and ask them what the best way is to preserve your battery?

Cuz these are my garage buds!

I was more curious what everyone else was doing and their results.

 

[Falcon67]

All the parked batteries around here get a Battery Tender about once a month, if I remember LOL. that's AGM, wet cell, etc. The golf cart gets a fresh charge about every 2 weeks if not in use by the kids.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

My hot rod truck gets the tender about once a month during the winter. Still working after 14 years. Tried that with the tractor battery, but I believe it was frozen before the first time. No shame for it though, as it was about 4 years old. Most have told me they get 3 years max out of theirs. I'm bringing the new one in this winter, as it's pretty small.

 

[BobRae]

This is one of the old school thinking I was referring to.



Cuz these are my garage buds!

I was more curious what everyone else was doing and their results.

Sorry, I thought you were looking for the best way to preserve your batteries.

 

[Rod N]

Sorry, I thought you were looking for the best way to preserve your batteries.

Don't be sorry. It was a bit of both.

Actually I was hoping someone would have a good reason why I don't have to lug 70 lb. batteries up from the lake.

 

[Chris4x4Gill2]

Sounds reasonable. How many years do you get out of your marine battery, recognizing that manner of use (in addition to storage) also affects longevity.

I would say 5-6 years at least, likely longer. I bought a set for my last boat in 09 and they were still good when I sold it a year ago. My current boat is an 06 model and had what I am told is the first replacement battery beginning of last summer. - This boat was stored right beside my old one for the last 5 years.

 

[BC1]

Any battery will last longer when not subject to extreme temperature swings and kept clean. If it gets any kind of dirt on top it will discharge by itself. Reason being is that whatever **** is on the plastic surface creates a circuit between the posts, and moisture on it's own or with the dirt n **** aid this too. If you don't believe me take a meter and put on lead on the terminal and poke around the battery case of a dirty battery. You will see voltage.
On the concrete floor thing: the plastic case is a GOOD insulator but not a perfect one. It won't matter short term storage but could matter long term. Whats the harm of sticking a couple blocks under the battery?