Storing Boat Batteries

[fishinalot]

Every year I always take my batteries out of the boat before it goes into cold storage and store them in my heated garage.

We have 2 boats with 5 batteries and it is kind of a pain.

I know alot of guys just store there boats without taking the batteries out.

Have any of you done this? How do the batteries hold up the next season?

Just trying to make life easier when winterizing!

[gofishingtom]

ive always stored my batteries in my boat and my boat stays outside..and im on my 3 year on my batteries...just make sure there fully charged before u put boat away and top off with distilled water and charged..also if u can somehow check them throughout the winter and charge if needed ..they should be fine..

[Esox_Magnum]

Mine stay in to but plugged into the charger thats always on...A charged battery wont freeze only a discharged one will, unhook them and make sure they are fully charged before storing you'll be fine...

[fishinalot]

After I charge them, can I just disconnect the negative or both terminals?

I really won't have any options to charge the batteries over the winter if they need it because there is no electric in the pole barn.

[Esox_Magnum]

Unhook everything from them to be safe....

[Ufatz]

Make sure batteries are topped off with distilled water. Then charge them completely and disconnect them. Have left batts on boats and simply sitting in the shed all winter as long as they are completely charged and kept up off the floor. If you can put a charge into them sometime over the winter be sure to do so. Those little trickle chargers are nice IF they can stop charging when batt is full.

Totally charged, clean and fresh battery won't freeze.

[BobT]

It is best to top off the electrolyte and then fully charge the battery before storing.

A fully charged battery will not freeze in your boat.

It is best to disconnect all wires to prevent accidental discharge. Not only does this expose the battery to the potential for freezing, it is also not good for a battery to sit at a partial charge state.

It is better to store a battery in the cold of your boat than the warmth of your garage or house. Heat is a battery's enemy. Keeping a battery in cold storage is best because it slows down the chemical reactions in the battery.

Leaving a battery on a charger full time is not always recommended. The charger relies on feedback voltage drop or current demand to know when the battery is at or near full charge and therefore stop charging. A battery that is not in 100% condition may never reach that full charge state so the charger may never stop charging, which could result in some extra heating and evaporation of electrolyte. If you do leave the battery on a charger 24/7 it is recommended to check your electrolyte regularly to make sure it is at safe levels.

[amateurfishing]

from what i remember in postings regarding this last year, everyone has a diff't view bout this, heat/cold/leave alone/charge every 2 months/etc. i think its whatever u r comfy with and helps u sleep at nite

[Hoffer]

yeah I was always told to bring them inside and get them up off the floor. I have a little shelf in my mud room that I keep them on. I give them a little charge a few times during the Winter and they seem to do well.

[Pat K]

A guy I used to work with did his own experiment on this a few years ago. He had purchased 2 new batteries for a 24v trolling motor. He fished 3 to 4 times a week so they had very heavy use.

Every winter he stored battery #1 in a storage closet in his townhouse. The battery was fully charged a filled with distilled water when it was stored.

Battery #2 was left in the boat with all wires disconnected, it also had been charged and filled with distilled water. The boat was stored in my unheated pole barn. Neither battery was charged during the winter.

In the middle of the 6th or 7th season he was using them battery #1 was the first to fail. Battery #2 was moved to his fish house and used for a couple of seasons there.

Not a large enough sample to prove anything but interesting results.

He was a retired electrician and was of the opinion that anyone who would charge a wet cell battery in their utility room with a gas furnace or water heater there was a prime candidate for a Darwin Award.

[JohnMickish]

I personally leave them in the boat, fully charged and then I disconnect the neg side of he starting battery so there can't be any drain and for the trolling motor I just put them away fully charged and turn off the breaker. My batteries last 3-5 years, same as everyone elses.

[SkunkedAgain]

Unhook everything from them to be safe....

I'm likely ignorant, but how can a battery discharge through only the positive cable? I would assume that disconnecting the negative would be all that you need.

[JohnMickish]

You only need to disconnect one side.