Knackered battery

[PeterR]

I seem to remember a battery stall at the boat show last year are they any good they did dry cell batteries

[DOM@NARM]

Hi Lads

If your boat is in storage for the winter it is good to take the battery out of the boat, when you do so drain the battery fully and then recharge fully, when you have done this set it on a bench or a Block of wood and not a concrete floor.

[PeterM]

Doesn't fully draining the battery pretty much end its life there & then ? Dont they need some charge to actually take charge ?

Why not leave it on a concrete floor ? Does it know its sat on wood ?

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by Blackroady

Doesn't fully draining the battery pretty much end its life there & then ? Dont they need some charge to actually take charge ?

Why not leave it on a concrete floor ? Does it know its sat on wood ?

My understanding of lead acid batteries is that if they are stored for any time with no charge the plates get sulphate on them and yes will end it's life on the spot. There are some hi tech chargers that can recover a battery from this state I believe, however I'm not too sure how effective they are.

Normal car batteries can take a few cycles of being completly dead (must recharge them staight away), but they don't like it too much, that's why you can buy deep cycle batterys for leisure use (motorhomes etc), these don't normally have as high a cranking amps at the car ones. There are quite a few on the market that fall in between these two types. Have good cranking amps and deep cycle too. These are Ideal for the boat.

[DOM@NARM]

Originally Posted by Blackroady

Doesn't fully draining the battery pretty much end its life there & then ? Dont they need some charge to actually take charge ?

Why not leave it on a concrete floor ? Does it know its sat on wood ?

Hi Blackroady

I received this information from a battery manufacturer!!

When you leave the battery on a concrete floor the energy will get drained from the battery over time.

This method works for me and I have been doing it for a few years but thats not to say its the best or only method.

You can also use a trickle charger (optimate) to keep battery topped up.
http://www.optimate.co.uk/

Dom

[PeterM]

Hi Don - I plug all mine in to an optimate over the winter on a weekly rotation to keep them in top shape ( and every so often in the summer as the main boat lives in the water ) .

I'm sure they have a solid explanation, but I'll play safe - probably fidn I need new bateries in Feb !

[BogMonster]

Originally Posted by Hightower

My understanding of lead acid batteries is that if they are stored for any time with no charge the plates get sulphate on them and yes will end it's life on the spot. There are some hi tech chargers that can recover a battery from this state I believe, however I'm not too sure how effective they are.

Normal car batteries can take a few cycles of being completly dead (must recharge them staight away), but they don't like it too much, that's why you can buy deep cycle batterys for leisure use (motorhomes etc), these don't normally have as high a cranking amps at the car ones. There are quite a few on the market that fall in between these two types. Have good cranking amps and deep cycle too. These are Ideal for the boat.

That mirrors my experience of batteries in farm machinery, vehicles, bikes, electric fencing energisers etc etc. Leave it flat and it will be fkd very quickly. You can (and people here do) use automotive starter batteries for low current deep cycle applications like electric fence energizers but they don't like it much and don't last long.

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by BogMonster

That mirrors my experience of batteries in farm machinery, vehicles, bikes, electric fencing energisers etc etc. Leave it flat and it will be fkd very quickly. You can (and people here do) use automotive starter batteries for low current deep cycle applications like electric fence energizers but they don't like it much and don't last long.

Aye, but I've used deep cycle batteries for longer than I care to remember and I've found them to be little better and they're usually fairly fekked after a couple of seasons.

I also use the same charger as al40 and when it works it's good but number 3 has just died and I'm going to give up on it as a bad job. Look after yours al40, it seems you have a good one.

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by DOM@NARM

when you have done this set it on a bench or a Block of wood and not a concrete floor.

That's a really old urban legend. Nothing magic about concrete.

http://www.thebatteryterminal.com/Te...n_Concrete.htm

powerstream.com:
Q: Will a battery rapidly self discharge if placed on concrete?
A: No, placing a battery on concrete will not cause it to discharge any faster than any other surface.

http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/u...0;t=000695;p=2



jky

[Rogue Wave]

I regard batteries as consumables. I replace the batteries every year, I then deduct that from my pre tax profits.

[hobbit555]

Six years so far and still the same set of batteries. Engine start batteries and domestics. Regular inspections of the cells top up if necessary, only charged from engine. may be I am lucky.