Winter Battery Storage

How do you guys store your batteries in th winter? I thought maybe in a old refrigerator unplugged of course or an insulater box of some kind. How do you do it? Please reply with any suggestions you have tried.
Thanks
Orange

A charged battery can be stored cold. Keep it clean, make sure it is dry on its exterior. Place it such that it will not get physically damaged. Use a maintqiner on it on for a month, then off for a month. (or leave it on)
Cold is good for keeping the chemical reactions to a minimum. Thus extending the life. Before use, warming will give it more power. Jim

I generally leave the batteries right in in my tractors, boat, etc all winter. However before storing:

1 - Make sure the battery is FULLY charged. (If any doubt throw it on a charger overnight)

2 - Disconnect the ground cable at the battery

3 - Clean the battery top. I use paper towel dampened with clean water. Or if there's a lot of dirt, acid, etc top on top, dampen the towel with a dilute solution of baking soda and water.

----

Keep in mind a battery in good condition and with a full charge will "winter over" just fine no matter how cold it might get. There's no real need to store the battery where it will be warm.

I also agree that leaving it in place clean is just fine and dandy. If it were outside I would want it out of the sun and out of moisture, but no issue. Jim

I run 2 big honkin deep cycles in my RV as house batteries and accidentally let them deep fully discharge in December grrrrrrrrrr Nothing $175 didnt fix this winter when I headed to Florida. A complete full total discharge followed by zero temps makes for Sulfate City...

All I have to do is be sure theres no trickle discharge in the RV and plug the RV in now n then so the converter charges them.

John T from sunny 78 degree Avon Park Florida woooooooo hoooooooooo

Here is some good info from an Interstate Battery Tech:
Storing a battery in cold weather is easy, if the battery has removable caps make sure the water levels is above the plates and clean the posts if necessary. Hook the battery up to a good automatic charger sized to the battery capacity and rated for the type of battery you have. Right after the battery is done charging check the water level and add distilled water to 1/8” below the vent wells if necessary. Allow any water that was added to mix with the electrolyte then check the specific gravity using a hydrometer, a fully charged battery should be around 1.285 specific gravity. The battery may need to run through another charge cycle if a lot of water was added. Storing the battery in a cool location will slow down the self discharge but it will still be necessary to recharge every other month or use a maintainer charger after the battery is recharged.









Interstate Batteries

Technical Services Department

Temp has nothing to do with it. All lead-acid batteries self-disharge - all by themselves. 2% to 5% per month. And they all get damaged over time if left sitting in undercharged condition.

A 12 volt battery needs to read around 12.7 volts to be fully charged. When it reads 12.2 volts - it's already 50% discharged. At 11.9 volts it's basically dead. Buy a $3 voltmeter and check once in awhile.

Best way to store is to make sure they stay charged. Stick a charger on them once in awhile or hook to a battery maintainer.

By the way, I understand the idea of using a $15 maintainer gets some people furious around here. So, do you own research. In my experience, they are cheap, work great, and are very safe.

A 2 amp maintainer uses 24 KWH if hooked for a entire year (on a good battery). That's a annual electric cost of around $4 in the highest rate areas. Of better put, $2 for an entire 6 month cold-season.

Why would say a battery at 11.9 volts is basically dead?

Well, I invested in the automatic tickle chargers. I have 4 battery start tractors, and I bought 4 of them.

they stay on all winter. If I store a battery out of a vehicle or tractor, it is on a plank, on the floor, in a cool, dry location. One year, I took all 4 batteries out. each battery got tickle charger for 1 week, then moved it to the next one. so, essentially, once a month each battery got 1 week worth of tickle.

I am now into the 4th year on 2 of these batteries. I know I am pushing the limit, but they still work.

Voltage is so low that the starter won't turn it over & if it did there isn't enough to fire the coil. It takes voltage to make a strong magnetic field in the starter.

Because that is the point when the "state of charge" for a 12 volt battery is zero. I.e., "no more to give" in a 12 volt system.

Contrary to what some believe, a 12 volt battery doesn't go to zero volts when completely discharged (unless it's ruined).

12.68v . . . . . . . . . . 100%
12.45v . . . . . . . . . . 75%
12.24v . . . . . . . . . . 50%
12.06v . . . . . . . . . . 25%
11.89v . . . . . . . . . . 0%

I have 3 BatteryMINDers from Northern Tool. Each can charge and then maintain (desulfate) up to four 12v batteries each. So between the 3, I have all of my tractor, mower, truck and RV batteries charged and being desulfated. So far, has done wonders on my batteries with one set (the ones for my diesel pickup) having over 7 years on them.

I make sure they are fully charged and disconnect a cable. Seeing as the boat sets from early sep to mid may and the unused swather and M sit from late aug till spring here in MN (may) I never have any problem. I throw the charger on em in the spring for a couple of hours and I go with it. I got 6 years out of my trolling motor battery that way. When it died this summer i was pretty ------, seemed like I had just put it in till I looked at the date on it.

Rick

So are you saying that a battery witn under 11.89 volts wont start a tractor,truck,car?

So are you saying that a battery with under 11.89 volts wont start a tractor,truck,car?

Are there any of these battery maintainers for 6 volt on the smaller tractors ?

Yes, The one's I've seen cost a little more then the 12 volt versions, but can't say I looked very hard. When I was at one of my remote properties in Northern Michigan, I needed a half-dozen 12 volt maintainers. Locally, the only ones I found were Schumacher brand - 2 amp with a 6 volt and 12 volt selector switch. I didn't need the 6 volt function, but I was n a hurry to leave and did not have time to order something cheaper on-line. I don't recall the model # but both Advance Auto and Walmart had them. Has a 1 or 2 amp selector switch and a 6 volt or 12 volt selector switch. They cost around $24 each.

I've got a Ford F250 diesel truck (with two batteries), along with a backhoe, two tractors and a dozer that sit in MI all winter, locked up. Thus the need for the maintainers - or the batteries would get ruined.

I usually buy my 12 volt maintainers on-line for $15-$18 each.

I see Schumacher know shows a 6V-12V maintainer a little then the ones I got. This new one has automatic voltage sensing and a 2 year warranty. I suppose it costs more also.

Scuhmacher model XM1-5 . 1.5A 6/12V CHARGER

Description:
Fully Automatic Microprocessor Controlled Unique automatic battery charger maintains both 6 and 12 volt batteries keeping them at full charge using float-mode monitoring. Perfect for charging small batteries. Great for maintaining small and large batteries kept in storage – motorcycles, classic cars, RVs, boats. • 1.5 amp charger and maintainer. • LEDs indicate: Charging, Charged and Trouble. • Automatically switches from Full Charge to Float-Mode Monitoring. • Quick-Disconnect Harness – Snap either connector into place in seconds – Use the 50 amp clamps or permanently attach the ring connectors…great for hard-to-reach motorcycle batteries. • Reverse-hookup protection. • Auto Voltage Detection – the charger automatically determines whether the connected battery is a 6 Volt battery or a 12 Volt battery.

Do me a favor Stuart. Do not ask me anything, and in-turn, I won't give any responses.

You have a habit of asking questions. Then if you don't like the answers, you start posting childish insults. That's not a game I want to play with you. Go play with someone else.

I have both versions of the Schumacher maintainers as described by JDemaris. I got them both at WalMart for about $21 each. The automatic detecting version is evidently a newer version that replaced the one with the switch. Either one works fine. I also have the one from Harbor Freight that is occasionally on sale real cheap (and can be found other places not cheap). The Schumacher is US made and was designed by somebody with some intelligence. The other one is made in China and the LED lights up if it is connected to EITHER the battery or the outlet. There is no way to confirm that you really have good connections and it is doing any good.

Buy the Schumacher!

I asked you a straight forward question. I wanted to know. Was the question to hard? I just wanted to know if a tractor could be started with a battery voltage under 11.5 or so. Sorry for bothering you. I will ask someone with knowledge and intelligence. I dont start posting insults, just proving that sometimes that you have no hard facts, other than what you cut and paste, and who knows if that is real or not. If you cant debate, then you cant debate.

Thanks for the quick replys. This is very useful info that you have given me. I"m always awed by
the expertise given. Thanks to all of you.

Orange

Schumacher chargers are a good choice. That is what I use not only for the tickle charger, but also my large 200 amp charger.

Schumacher has been a good name in battery chargers for years.

I'm thinking there is some confusion on when this battery voltage is being read. A battery that reads 11.9 volts with no load on it, has not had a heavy load on it for at least a few minutes or so is basically a dead battery and will not crank an engine. Now if you are reading voltage while cranking that is a whole different situation. Anything over about 10.5 volts would be considered good cranking voltage. It boils down to open circuit voltage versus loaded voltage. Like pointed out, 12.6 volts on a battery that has not seen a charger for several hours would be considered as a full charged battery. If it has been on a charger, weather running in a vehicle or separate battery charger , the surface voltage would have to be removed by a light load for a minute or so and then allowed to settle out again. The old lead acid batterys were rated at 2.09 volts per cell,normally just rounded up to 2.1, however, the maintence free batteries will some times run a little higher as they may be lead calcium plates or some derivitive thereof. Next thing is if you have one bad cell that can throw off the total open circuit voltage to give erronous readings. Takes more than some one reading a voltmeter to determine condition, all reading must be interpeted. I have heard good things about the new type of battery testers on the market, but I understand they cost $600 or so for a good one. I use a carbon pile load tester along with good voltmeters and hydrometers for my work.

A fully charged 12 volt flooed-lead-acid battery - when it is at its highest capacity - has 2.15 volts per cell. Not 2.09 volts. An absorbed glass matt battery near the same.

A fully discharged 12 volt FLA battery has 1.9 volts per cell.

You check battery voltage at the battery when it's been at rest for awhile. Not right after cranking or charging. Finding a battery reading 11.9 volts right after cranking means little. If you come back 15 minutes later and it still reads 11.9, it's almost completely discharged (or defective).

A healthy 12 volt battery if sized correctly will drop to 9 - 9 1/2 volts when cranking the engine over. If it drops below 9, there is a problem - e.g. a bad battery, bad wiring, bad starter, engine problem, etc.

I have to disagree on the battery cell voltage as I am reading out of an exide battery pamphlet. It shows 2.1 volts as fully charged. It does not cover the newer maint free batteries. I also like to see over ten volts cranking . We always went by a 12.6 volts reading as being full charged on an undisturbed open circuit test since 1955, not going to change my mind now at this stage of the game. I think I alreadly covered in my above post about allowing a battery time to recover after loading it before you can get an accurate open circuit reading. I personally like to see them set for a full 24 hrs. I did find over the years that the maintence free batteries are slightly different due to their plate composition. IH used to isssue about two bulletins a month on them far a checking and charging them as a lot of them were going dead on the lots due to parasite loads from electronic memory in radio etc. Learned a lot about them when IH put them in their 86 series tractors, the Delco battery. Some good , some bad.

I wouldn't want to stake much on a sales-flier from Exide. Wonder why NAPA and Sears had to drop Exide as there battery maker?

So, exactly what temperature does Exide say that cell voltage is for?

We can disagree and that is fine with me. I deal with a lot of large battery banks where a few tenths of a volt in nomial voltage makes a difference that gets noticed. No so on a car or tractor.

Also note that charging voltage, and at-rest nominal voltage is dependent on battery temperature.

My high-end charged sense battery temp and charge accordingly.

Also note that lead-acid batteries must be over-volted at certain levels or they never reach a true full state of charge.

I go by the recommedations of the companys that make high-end lead-acid batteries (Trojan and Rolls-Surrette) and the chargers. Here's a page from one, but I've got the same from antoher different makes.

<a href="http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m162/jdemaris/?action=view&amp;current=chargerate1.jpg" target="_blank"> </a>

<a href="http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m162/jdemaris/?action=view&amp;current=Chargerate2.jpg" target="_blank"></a>

Pretty much, yes. Below 11.xx is a crap shoot or worse if you are depending on it to actually do something useful.

CT

I guess we will have to let it go at that then. It wasn't exactly a sales flier and my other training manuals seem to pretty much agree. My first encounter with batteries was a home study course on automotive electrical systems I took while in the Army, it was actually an Air Force (USAFI) book as I was stationed at an Air Force base in NFLD so everything there pretty much was under their control. I was in SCARWAF. I feel I have a pretty good handle on how to test and evaluate the batteries I deal with and can see from your information you posted you are very well versed. Good day.

Some of this is fresh on mind since there's a battery issue I'm trying do deal with right now.

I've got a small diesel 4WD motorhome. Two FLA 12 volt starting batteries (in parallel), and two FLA 6 volt deep-cycle batteries (in series). All get charged by the single engine-driven Delco 12SI alternator. My problem is - Delco alternator does not charge at a high-enough voltage so the two deep-cycle batteries ever get past 90% full. And, if I stick in a higher voltage regulator, it will be a bit too much for standard starting batteries. Standard Delco USA reg is set at 13.8 volts. European is higher. The deep cycle batteries need a 14.2 volt regulator to get fully charged. Thus the problem.

Big boats typically have the same problem and they use a "battery to battery" charger. It allows one alternator to charge two separate sets of batteries at two different voltages. Just what I need, but way too expensive. Good example of where just a few tenths of a volt makes a difference.