I have two deep cycle marine batteries that I charge at home from a wall outlet. they are old and came with the boat when I bought it. They do not take a charge. Is there some way of recharging them the first time and then maintaining them at home with my system? Do these batteries require water to be added? I am completely ignorant about these batteries...any help would be appreciated. thanks, ramu nallamala s/v Tarheel
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Eric Lorgus
Need to know more
Ramu: From the stickers on the batteries, can you tell when they were installed (just how old are they)? Have you measured the voltage before and after charging (in tenths, i.e., 12.6 volts not just 12 volts)? What kind of charger are you using at home (inexpensive automotive kind, or multi-stage charger)? Are the batteries flooded (wet), gel, or AGM? Do they have removable caps on top? Eric Lorgus
Ramu: From the stickers on the batteries, can you tell when they were installed (just how old are they)? Have you measured the voltage before and after charging (in tenths, i.e., 12.6 volts not just 12 volts)? What kind of charger are you using at home (inexpensive automotive kind, or multi-stage charger)? Are the batteries flooded (wet), gel, or AGM? Do they have removable caps on top? Eric Lorgus
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Don Evans
Take Them To A Shop For Testing
Any automotive shop should be able to do a load test and tell you their health. From the little info. you have supplied my guess is there junk. Deep cycle batteries don't like to be left for long periods in the discharged state, and unless your "home" charger is self regulating, following a 3 stage regime of charging, they probably have been over charged or under charged which will kill batteries equally well. If you do need new batts research the correct way of taking care of them and they will provide you with years of trouble free use. Don
Any automotive shop should be able to do a load test and tell you their health. From the little info. you have supplied my guess is there junk. Deep cycle batteries don't like to be left for long periods in the discharged state, and unless your "home" charger is self regulating, following a 3 stage regime of charging, they probably have been over charged or under charged which will kill batteries equally well. If you do need new batts research the correct way of taking care of them and they will provide you with years of trouble free use. Don
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Dave Laing
Careful Where You Charge Them
Never leave your batteries on a concrete floor when charging or storing them. The concrete, believe it or not,draws the "juice" out of them. Dave Laing
Never leave your batteries on a concrete floor when charging or storing them. The concrete, believe it or not,draws the "juice" out of them. Dave Laing
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Ken Palmer
Storing on concrete myth
To learn more than you ever wanted to know about batteries, go to http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#Top Look under the "Battery Voltages" section about concrete myth. Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty
To learn more than you ever wanted to know about batteries, go to http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#Top Look under the "Battery Voltages" section about concrete myth. Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty
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ken.shubert
Concrete Evidence
Is it worth the price of a battery to check out the myth? We have a GM battery plant in this town with "battery people" galore and they say they would love for us to put batteries on concrete. More business for them. I don't trust sites that are sponsored by people selling batteries and, remember, everything you read on the internet isn't absoulte gospel, but it shure can't hurt to put a board under you battery. Ken S/V Wouff Hong
Is it worth the price of a battery to check out the myth? We have a GM battery plant in this town with "battery people" galore and they say they would love for us to put batteries on concrete. More business for them. I don't trust sites that are sponsored by people selling batteries and, remember, everything you read on the internet isn't absoulte gospel, but it shure can't hurt to put a board under you battery. Ken S/V Wouff Hong
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David McKie
Concrete Batteries?
What myths? Some people still think the world is flat! Don't worry about storing a wet cell battery on concrete. The two critical factors for battery storage are, charge in relation to the temperature it is stored at, and general condition of the battery. A battery in good condition with a good charge can be stored on any surface at -30 F.
What myths? Some people still think the world is flat! Don't worry about storing a wet cell battery on concrete. The two critical factors for battery storage are, charge in relation to the temperature it is stored at, and general condition of the battery. A battery in good condition with a good charge can be stored on any surface at -30 F.
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Tom Senator
Concrete is not bad - Wet basement floors are.
In all due respect to the workers at the battery plant. Just how knowledgable are these people? Are they factory workers, or are they the test engineers? Really, I am a Electrical Engineer and I don't see how the concrete floor would do anything to the battery. The battery is housed in the protective plastic housing which should isolate it from whatever is under it, this plastic housing *should* not allow any discharge or failure to the battery. With that said, the environment around the battery in storage is *very* important. If there is alot of moisture in the air, on the floor, or whatever, then that has a potential for wicking up the batteries and creating a high impedence path between the positive and negative terminals. In other words moisture, soot and whatever can start shorting the Plus side to the Minus side and slowly drain (kill) the battery. Lesson learned --- keep the battery stored in a dry envoironment --(yes and I know the marine environment is not, Care & handling is important -- that is why sometimes people can get 5-6 years out of a battery and others barely 2) Maybe this is where the *myth* started -- there is some validity to it if most people keep it in the basement and there is alot of moisture there. PS Ramu --1) if you can add water to the batteries --then do so with distilled water 2) invest in a good marine 3 stage charger for your batteries and use that to charge.
In all due respect to the workers at the battery plant. Just how knowledgable are these people? Are they factory workers, or are they the test engineers? Really, I am a Electrical Engineer and I don't see how the concrete floor would do anything to the battery. The battery is housed in the protective plastic housing which should isolate it from whatever is under it, this plastic housing *should* not allow any discharge or failure to the battery. With that said, the environment around the battery in storage is *very* important. If there is alot of moisture in the air, on the floor, or whatever, then that has a potential for wicking up the batteries and creating a high impedence path between the positive and negative terminals. In other words moisture, soot and whatever can start shorting the Plus side to the Minus side and slowly drain (kill) the battery. Lesson learned --- keep the battery stored in a dry envoironment --(yes and I know the marine environment is not, Care & handling is important -- that is why sometimes people can get 5-6 years out of a battery and others barely 2) Maybe this is where the *myth* started -- there is some validity to it if most people keep it in the basement and there is alot of moisture there. PS Ramu --1) if you can add water to the batteries --then do so with distilled water 2) invest in a good marine 3 stage charger for your batteries and use that to charge.
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Noah
Historical Explanation for Battery "Myth"
In the olden days, back when I was still a pup (and most other people around were still just a twinkle in the proverbial eye), the cases of batteries (which were modern marvels to behold to us prehistoric creatures) were made from a rubber compound. Because the particular compound of rubber that was used was (surprisingly, because it is rubber after all) somewhat conductive of electricity, placing batteries on concrete would slowly drain batteries. It seemed that the formulation of rubber with whatever that made the cases relatively hard (as opposed to soft like a rubber eraser [anybody out there remember real rubber erasers?]) made the cases somewhat conductive. So that's how what you young whippersnappers call a "myth" got started. But I don't blame you for not knowing the true history, because it was a long, long time ago. Just not so far, far away. In modern days, what with the invention of miracles like the flying machine and the George Foreman Grill, battery cases are made out of plastic. Now, being the geezer that I am, I don't really understand what this plastic stuff really is, but it is much less conductive. So you can put them where you want.
In the olden days, back when I was still a pup (and most other people around were still just a twinkle in the proverbial eye), the cases of batteries (which were modern marvels to behold to us prehistoric creatures) were made from a rubber compound. Because the particular compound of rubber that was used was (surprisingly, because it is rubber after all) somewhat conductive of electricity, placing batteries on concrete would slowly drain batteries. It seemed that the formulation of rubber with whatever that made the cases relatively hard (as opposed to soft like a rubber eraser [anybody out there remember real rubber erasers?]) made the cases somewhat conductive. So that's how what you young whippersnappers call a "myth" got started. But I don't blame you for not knowing the true history, because it was a long, long time ago. Just not so far, far away. In modern days, what with the invention of miracles like the flying machine and the George Foreman Grill, battery cases are made out of plastic. Now, being the geezer that I am, I don't really understand what this plastic stuff really is, but it is much less conductive. So you can put them where you want.
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Stephen Ostrander
12 volt man
I'm told that modern batteries can be stored on the concrete floor with no problem. But a piece of scrap plywood is cheap, and if it makes you feel better, why not? Kind of like chicken soup- no scientific proof that it works, but hey, it couldn't hurt!
I'm told that modern batteries can be stored on the concrete floor with no problem. But a piece of scrap plywood is cheap, and if it makes you feel better, why not? Kind of like chicken soup- no scientific proof that it works, but hey, it couldn't hurt!
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Bart Ford
battery
I am not an electrical engineer, just a novice electrician. If you really want to discharge a battery, deader than the doorknob, set it on a concrete floor. I thought that the "plastic case" would protect it but found out the hard way. When I got ready to use mine a couple of weeks later, I had to recharge it. This was a new battery and should have held a charge. Once charged, sitting on a board, I used it all summer without any problems.
I am not an electrical engineer, just a novice electrician. If you really want to discharge a battery, deader than the doorknob, set it on a concrete floor. I thought that the "plastic case" would protect it but found out the hard way. When I got ready to use mine a couple of weeks later, I had to recharge it. This was a new battery and should have held a charge. Once charged, sitting on a board, I used it all summer without any problems.
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Bart Ford
dead batteries and concrete
I am not an electrical engineer, just a novice electrician. If you really want to discharge a battery, deader than the doorknob, set it on a concrete floor. I thought that the "plastic case" would protect it but found out the hard way. When I got ready to use mine a couple of weeks later, I had to recharge it. This was a new battery and should have held a charge. Once charged, sitting on a board, I used it all summer without any problems.
I am not an electrical engineer, just a novice electrician. If you really want to discharge a battery, deader than the doorknob, set it on a concrete floor. I thought that the "plastic case" would protect it but found out the hard way. When I got ready to use mine a couple of weeks later, I had to recharge it. This was a new battery and should have held a charge. Once charged, sitting on a board, I used it all summer without any problems.
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