Association Forum - Battery care

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Battery care

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

clayC
Navigator

Member Avatar

USA
207 Posts

Initially Posted - 01/14/2008 : 13:02:05

I may be to late.
will it kill my batteries to leave them in the boat all winter? It hasn't been to bad so far this year with night time lows being in the teens. I have heard that will ruin batteries but cars seem to fair ok. What are your thoughts? I hate to carry them anywhere if I can avoid it.

Clay C

Kamalla 1980 C25 SK/TR

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 01/14/2008 : 13:30:18

I believe that once they loose their charge they will freeze.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 01/14/2008 : 14:08:06

Frank's correct. As the sulphuric acid become less concentrated due to discharge, the battery is [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead-acid_battery#Electrochemistry"]much more likely to freeze[/url]. If the battery has a good charge on it, the acid will be more concentrated and the freezing point of the mixture is lowered. The link above gives a pretty good explanation of what's going on and why.

If you've got a decent charge on the battery and it hasn't been colder than the teens for a short time, you may well be OK. Still probably a good idea to bring the battery into your garage or somewhere warmer than your boat if you don't run a heater in it over the winter.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 01/14/2008 : 14:58:37

And check in on your charger too...

I've been worried about our batteries since putting the boat away in the fall. I haven't been able to get a decent charge back into the suckers. This past weekend I dropped something on the charger, and the needle happily bounced up to 100% charge.

Edited by - on

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1608 Posts

Response Posted - 01/14/2008 : 15:05:07

Speaking from experience,(I've spent half a lifetime with batteries in sub-zero temps) it takes a lot to get a battery to freeze.
If your battery freezes - it was most likely already finished as a usefull battery.
That said, you should take it home and at least let it spend the winter in your garage, basement or protected place where it can be kept charged. I keep my boat batteries in an unheated Canadian garage over the winter, where I monitor them and plug them into a trickle charger about once a month. A good, fully charged battery will survive unattended until spring.

I just got back from a vacation - before I left, my car was rear-ended, the trunk was damaged and rendered unable to close, the trunk light was on until it drained the battery. Three weeks after the accident, I got home and the battery was dead. The 4 year old battery in my car was completely drained in sub-zero temps for nearly three weeks. I hooked the battery up to my trusty charger and now it (appears to) work just fine. It takes a lot to freeze a battery.
If your battery was good and fully charged when you left it, it will most likely be okay and require no more than some quality time on a charger.

Edited by - on

clayC
Navigator

Members Avatar

USA
207 Posts

Response Posted - 01/14/2008 : 16:13:09

Thanks a bunch! Maybe I will move my solar panel out from under the tarp and call it good.

Clay C

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 01/14/2008 : 16:30:14

I think the idea of the solar charger is good. I, for one, am done lugging heavy batteries around.

Edited by - on

Renzo
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
621 Posts

Response Posted - 01/14/2008 : 17:10:41

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by clayC
 Thanks a bunch! Maybe I will move my solar panel out from under the tarp and call it good.

Clay C
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Unless the snow and ice build up on the panel and stays around for a couple of months.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 01/14/2008 : 17:41:26

FWIW, I keep my solar panel hooked up nearly 100% of the time which keeps my battery nice & topped off. In the one instance where I've hooked up a charger to the battery, I brought the charger into the boat instead of the battery to the charger. I did enough humping of big batteries when I was in the USN. Of course we don't get the temperature extremes you guys are talking about so I don't have to worry much about the battery freezing.

On another note, I found a nice little analog voltage meter I'm going to be adding next to my breaker panel so I can see at a glance what my battery's at w/o digging out my multimeter. I think it was $11 at my local electronics shop?

Edited by - on

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1608 Posts

Response Posted - 01/15/2008 : 10:39:22

I agree on the solar charger.
I have a small roll-up panel that keeps my batteries maintained. My next upgrade is a solar panel capable of charging and maintaining my batteries while at anchor and on the mooring ball.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.