battery storage

[TJFISHER]

I have a question about what to do with the batteries in my boat over winter storage time. I have 2 batteries and a charger bank, do I need to take them out or what is the best way to keep them in good shape over the winter? Sorry for the rookie question!!

[Northlander]

I think the best is to get them out of the boat if you store outside or in a unheated garage. If you do make sure they are in a place like the basement and charge them up every so often. Like a couple times a month. Probably wont need it but check them.

If you store in a heated garage do just as you are doing in the summer.

[wplatehunter]

I agree with northlander. We use ours all winter in our fish house.

[IFallsRon]

I bring my summer batteries (boat and camper) inside and put the charger on every couple months. My brother-in-law's brother leaves his battery in the boat in my mother-in-law's unheated garage. I buy a new battery more often. I think that my batteries take more of a wave/road beating and as a result don't last as long.

[delmuts]

i leave my batteries in the boat in an unheated garage. they say that as long as the batt. water level is good and you keep them charged. no problem. i have an on board charging sys. so i just plug it in once a month.

[fishing tech]

Do not store them on concrete. I make sure the water level is good, charge them and check them every 2 months. I don't buy many batteries. Cheap batteries are just that. Cheap, you might get lucky and get one that will last 4-5 years but buy a good one and take care of it and get twice the life. Oh yeah bring them inside.

[knoppers]

I put them in the basement on a board and charge them at least once a month. they have lasted 8 years. I have been staying with interstate batterys, they seem to be better.

I also have a onboard charger, but since I store the boat in the cold, I remove the batterys.

[Trumar]

a low amp charger such as a battery maintainer works well for winter months in a non heated garage. I use all Interstate batts and have always used a maintainer during the winter months in my nonheated garage this is the 3rd year on my batterys and can troll all day (8-10 hrs)and still have a 40% charge left.

and concrete being hard on a battry is a MYTH.. HEAT is the worst thing for a battery..

[Northlander]

You are correct. Cement floors used to be bad on batterys but with new technology it isnt anymore. I still store mine up on my work bench in my basement.

[BobT]

The biggest problem with leaving a battery in an unheated area is the potential for freezing. It is true that a charged battery can withstand very cold temperatures however batteries don’t hold their charge forever and in sub-zero weather they are not as capable as in warm weather. They work in your car because you are using your car and the batteries get recharged regularly. Once a battery freezes it is about shot. It takes only a few minutes to remove the batteries from your boat, lawn mower, etc. and place them in a heated area where they will be protected from freezing should they happen to lose their charge. Place them on a battery charger periodically to maintain their charge and they’ll be fine.

Bob

[Whoaru99]

I leave mine in the boat with the on-board charger plugged in all winter long. These batteries are 5 or 6 years old and still working fine....

They are just your plain old $60-$70 deep cycle batteries, not the fancy high-tech ones that cost two or three times as much.

[stick]

I talked about this with the battery charger company (I forget which one I have), and they recommended leaving the charger plugged in all winter long to add to battery life. There are only so many charging cycles that they handle, and each time is a cycle. This is assuming that the charger has the electronics enough to go into trickle mode.