Alex F
Well-Known Member
- Nov 14, 2006
- 9,166
- Boat Info
- 2005 420DB with AB 11 DLX Tender, Raymarine Electronics (2x12" MFDs) with Vesper AIS
- Engines
- Cummins 450Cs, 9KW Onan Generator, 40HP Yamaha for tender.
[FONT=&]As some of you know, I keep my boat at home during the winter months, so I have a bit more flexibility as to how I store and maintain my batteries (5 Optima blue tops). I leave them in the boat all winter, and run my "smart" charger for several hours every week, or whenever I am out there working on the boat, so they are always fully charged.
It is a common misconception that cold weather is bad for a battery - It is not. Cold weather actually slows the normal, slow, chemical reactions that degrade a battery. Cold weather combined with a discharged battery IS bad, but a discharged battery stored in warm conditions is also doomed. When discharged, the batteries, especially wet cell lead acid batteries, become sulfated. This chemical deposition on the battery plates leads to reduced battery capacity and eventual failure. The best defense against sulfation is to maintain your batteries in a fully charged state, and recognize that ALL batteries will eventually fail - it's just a question of when.
A fully charged battery is resistant to freeze damage at temperatures well below 0 F. As a battery discharges, the specific gravity of the electrolyte is reduced, and the freeze temperature increases. A fully discharged battery will freeze under normal winter conditions, as Frank indicated, and once frozen, that battery is done. Not to mention the damage that could be done if the case cracks, and the electrolyte is spilled inside your boat. On the other hand, a fully charged battery degrades chemically at a lower rate when stored in cool conditions - so, if you can keep your batteries charged, and you don't live in an area that gets REALLY cold (think arctic) then the best bet is to leave them on the boat, in the cold, fully charged.
Dale
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Excellent post, Dale.:thumbsup::smt038
What's your opinion on these two questions?
1. Does having shore power plugged to a GFI outlet on a telephone pole for the winter months qualify as a true fire hazard?
2. Why is there a concern for battery charger and batteries to have extra ware and tear if the actual load is as minimal as possible and making the charger do it's work maybe only once a week for few minutes (other times it'll just be in monitoring mode since the batteries will maintain the charge for a long time)?