Batteries

FreeBeeTony · Jan 20, 2005

I just realized I never took the batteries out of my boat when I covered it for the winter. Should I be worried?

Boatin Bob · Jan 20, 2005

Re: Batteries

If they were good batteries and fully charged, they should be OK as long as there is no parasitic current drain like a CO detector or stereo memory. Did you disconnect them?

DHPMARINE · Jan 20, 2005

Re: Batteries

Proper care would be to pull it and charge it once a month,and keep off the floor in a warm area.Having said this,I haven't pulled a battery for years,and usually can start up on it's own in the spring.Even v8 sterndrives.One problem would be if you have equipment like a radio with a clock or some other built in memory.In that case the battery will probably die over the winter.You may be able to revive it with SLOW charging in the spring.Today's batteries are a neww breed compared to what we had 20 years ago. Good Luck ! DHP

FreeBeeTony · Jan 20, 2005

Re: Batteries

The switch is in the off position.....so there shouldn't be any draw on them!

KaGee · Jan 20, 2005

Re: Batteries

Tony, This subject has been brought up before here. There will be as many different responses as there are responders. Ideally, you should have at least removed the terminals from the posts to prevent corrosion from accumilating over the down months. But you should be ok. I took mine out, but they are stored in the shed. The cold will not affect them. One member here said (I forget who) that no matter what you do the batteries will only last 4 or 5 seasons in his experience. I tend to agree with him.

Bondo · Jan 20, 2005

Re: Batteries

Mine are Still in the Boat....... It's Suppose to get Up to 0* today......... I'm Not Worried........

FreeBeeTony · Jan 20, 2005

Re: Batteries

UP to 0* huh bondo.......... It's not that cold down here........yet.

Bondo · Jan 20, 2005

Re: Batteries

Ayuh................. It's Sunshining,+ Beautiful out the Window............ All Pretty White with the Snow,+ all....... I just checked again.... Heatwave... It's Up to 4*......... Predicted -20* tonight..... High of -10* tomorrow...............

And,... I'm Still not worried about Any of My Batteries....................

Scaaty · Jan 20, 2005

Re: Batteries

I just yesterday crawled up into my big boat to put the one and only off season charge in my batteries. Been sitting for 3+ months. One 12.26, other 12.33 volts. One back up in one hour, other would not accept anymore on my automatic charger.

Sea Six · Jan 20, 2005

Re: Batteries

Originally posted by FreeBeeTony: The switch is in the off position.....so there shouldn't be any draw on them!

Your radio memory and bilge pump should still operate when the switch is in the off position, so you will have some minimal drain.

KM2 · Jan 20, 2005

Re: Batteries

I would go charge them soon, then disconnect and not worry about them until spring. They may be fine in the spring but I would check and charge them anyway.

trog100 · Jan 21, 2005

Re: Batteries

at 12.33 volts at the terminals your battery is more than half flat.. your auto charger isnt much good.. u need 14 volts before a battery is really fully charged.. still.. before a battery suffers damage it really does have to go zero voltage flat.. if left in a zero voltage state for as little as a couple of weeks (the time is variable) it can be completely ruined.. the plates oxidize in some kind of wierd way and the battery will never take a charge every again.. in essence it ceases to be a battery.. a good fully charged battery with no external drain will stand at least six months without a charge but to be on the safe side u should give em a top up charge every three months.. never ever let them go zero voltage flat it destroys them simple as that.. trog100

Bondo · Jan 21, 2005

Re: Batteries

at 12.33 volts at the terminals your battery is more than half flat.. your auto charger isnt much good.. u need 14 volts before a battery is really fully charged..

Things must be Different on your side of the Pond............. A Battery with 12/12.5 volts is Fully Charged....... A Battery that's reading 14 Volts, is being Charged by the Alt.,+ the Voltage regulator is Not working properly......... Running down the Hi-way, or across the pond, you Should have a reading of 13.6V, to 13.9V...........

Scaaty · Jan 21, 2005

Re: Batteries

Trog.....12-12.5 as Bondo says is a full charge. And I own more chargers than most people have in the way of fingers. I have 13 different motors and batteries to maintain just in motorcycles and boats. A charger will put out about 13.5 volts tops, and when charged an auto one will shut down. Then battery will then show around 12.2 to 12.3 on a properly prepped batt from the start. Never had one show more. I have a volt meter on one of my Harleys, and it will show CLOSE to 14 running with zero lights, etc. Crank everything on, and that will drop to 13+. But thats a running motor, which has zero to do with charging a battery.

Boatist · Jan 21, 2005

Re: Batteries

A 12 volt battery should read 12.6 volts when fully charged and at 80 degrees. All battery self discharge even with no load. In hot weather it happends a lot faster. Sulfation Kill most boat batteries due to not being charged durning non use times. Sulfation Kill 80 percent of batteries. In summer should be charged at least once a month. In winter at least every two months. Charge with a good automatic charger that will regulate the charge. Never leave a battery discharge, fully charge it as soon as you get home. A discharged battery will freeze. In high teperatures a discharged battery will sulfate quickly. Buy a good 10 automatic battery charger. My boat is rigged where I can charge both my batteries with out removing the cover. In summer when I get home I hook up the charger unload the boat and clean My fish then put the charger away. In winter I charge at least every two months. I have never had a battery that did not last 6 years, However I never leave any of my batteries discharged. Check this web site and read at least 1, 16, 16.2 http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/carfaq.htm

Scaaty · Jan 21, 2005

Re: Batteries

It depends a lot on HOW that batt was prepped. You give me fresh battery and I add the acid, I'll get you 12.6. But in the real world, anywhere between 12.2..12.3 is just fine. And those batteries I mentioned in my boat are 5 and 6 years old. Besides, Freebee's question had nothing to do with lessons in battery charging. This topic can get worse than an oil question. I'm moving on.......

trog100 · Jan 21, 2005

Re: Batteries

he he he.. to me a genuinely fully charged a 12 volt lead acid battery fresh of the charger under no load will read between 13.5 and 14 volts.. how do u dudes know your batteries are fully charged anyway.. just cos your crappy auto charger switches off... he he he i use 12 volts leisure batteries for lots of things... if want em to be genuinely fully charged i take em up between 13.5 and 14 volts if i dont i know they aint fully charged.. and bugger the original question.. these threads get read by more folks than just the creator.. and lot of things might be different on my side of the pond.. but i recon a volt is still a volt.. he he trog100 ps.. and yes a lot of pedantic crap is talked about batteries just like oil.. sparkplugs and one or two other things.. he he ps 2.. just had a read of that site boatist linked to.. i now realise that after forty plus years of useing and relying on lead acid batteries i am nothing but a battery abuser.. and whilst not really agreeing with the ignorance is bliss theory i can well see its point.. he he forty years ago cars had starting handles.. when cold turn the engine over on the handle a few time before useing electric starter it said in the manual.. batteries really did cost an arm and a leg and we did expect em to last ten years.. now they are cheap and we just use and abuse em and when they fail go out and buy another one.. do we really need to go to all this trouble just to make em last twice as long.. personally i dont think so.. and yes where car and boat batteries are concerned ignorance probably is bliss.. forgive me i should never have posted in this thread.. he he

Bondo · Jan 22, 2005

Re: Batteries

how do u dudes know your batteries are fully charged anyway.. just cos your crappy auto charger switches off...

I don't know about everybody else, But, I use a Load Tester.... Or sometimes a Hydrometer......... The Load Tester is Much More Acurate.....

State of Charge, Specific Gravity,+ Voltage. 12V Batteries 100% 1.265 Specific Gravity 12.7 Voltage 75% 1.225 Specific Gravity 12.4 Voltage 50% 1.190 Specific Gravity 12.2 Voltage 25% 1.155 Specific Gravity 12.0 Voltage Discharged 1.120 11.9

The rest of can be found at, Battery Tutorial So, You're Just Burning Up Your Batteries Trog.................

Scaaty · Jan 22, 2005

Re: Batteries

Originally posted by trog100: [QB] he he he.. to me a genuinely fully charged a 12 volt lead acid battery fresh of the charger under no load will read between 13.5 and 14 volts.. HE HE HE yourself. Go back and read the post again. I said my batteries were 12.26 and 12.33 AFTER SITTING FOR 3+ MONTHS . I tossed my Auto on it as this charger is well understood by ME and I know what it puts out. After an hour the 12.26 was at 13.7 with the green "done" light on, so I put it it on the other for a short time and it was up. ZERO NEED TO COOK THE DAMN THING DRY. LIKE WHAT YOU DO. And you again..... "12 volt lead acid battery fresh of the charger under no load will read between 13.5 and 14 volts.." Ya darn right "FRESH" off the charger, which has ZERO to do with the state of the battery. Go back in an hour and check it, which is 2.1 volts per cell x 6= 12.6..not 14 how do u dudes know your batteries are fully charged anyway.. just cos your crappy auto charger switches off... he he he Yep.. .. and they are fully charged i use 12 volts leisure batteries for lots of things... if want em to be genuinely fully charged i take em up between 13.5 and 14 volts if i dont i know they aint fully charged.. Do you boil your water an extra 15 minutes too, JUST TO BE SURE ITS BOILED? and bugger the original question.. these threads get read by more folks than just the creator.. They sure do, but they are not meant to open your own discussion, start arguments telling people false facts about a battery at 12+ volts being half flat, post stuff that have zero to do with the original posters question, etc. and lot of things might be different on my side of the pond.. but i recon a volt is still a volt.. he he Again, actually 2.1 volts...... trog100 ps.. and yes a lot of pedantic crap is talked about batteries just like oil.. sparkplugs and one or two other things.. he he ps 2.. just had a read of that site boatist linked to.. i now realise that after forty plus years of useing and relying on lead acid batteries i am nothing but a battery abuser.. and whilst not really agreeing with the ignorance is bliss theory i can well see its point.. he he

Scaaty · Jan 22, 2005

Re: Batteries

Load tester...Amen...12.5 volts with a bad cell is...well I'm ending this with that......

Batteries

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