Winter Battery Maintenance

[abinoone]

Hello,
I’ve had problems with my batteries over the last few years, and have had to replace them twice. I bought new ones this season (a deep cycle house battery and a starting battery - both wet cell) and I’d like to keep them in good shape over the winter. I plan to remove them from my boat and store them in the garage on wooden pallets during the typically horrendous Buffalo winter. Should I trickle charge them and, if so, how often? What kind of trickle charger should I buy (specific brand recommendations would be appreciated)?

Many thanks for your suggestions.

Abinoone

 

[Rich Stidger]

I used to do exactly what you are suggesting- remove my batteries and store at home in a basement and charge them occasionally over the winter. I stopped doing that several years ago. Instead, I fully charge and then equalize my FLA batteries and then disconnect cables so that there can be no leakage. I check that the surface of the batteries are clean and dry. And then I leave them on board for the entire winter with no charging. In the Spring I find them down to 12.55V and I charge them up to 100%. I usually get about 5 years from my house batteries and 6-7 years from my dedicated start battery. These service times are that same as I got when I was bringing the batteries home for the winter. I think the "key" is to actually remove cables from the batteries so that there is absolutely no chance of leakage that can kill the batteries over the winter.

 

[Don Crowther]

What Rich said +1

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Cold doesn't kill batteries. Heat does.

Stated differently, charge them fully and don't worry about it, particularly if there is the chance the bilge can fill/freeze from rain/snow through a leaking or damaged cover.

If you ever move to Florida, you're batteries will suffer a lot more and last a lot less time inside a hot boat.

 

[Drinkmilk]

Not sure if I should link to a popular boating store site, but I leave my single battery on board all winter connected to one of these:
NATURE POWER
Semi-Flexible 3W Monocrystalline Solar Panel

 

[abinoone]

Great, thank you! Here’s where it gets a little fuzzy for me - exactly how do you recharge the batteries? Do you have a trickle charger, a solar panel, or a cable/inverter? I want to charge up my batteries but don’t know the best or right way how. During summer months, I’m in a mooring and, aside from running the engine, I’m not sure how best to keep them up to snuff. At the end of the season (now), how should I charge them up?

Thanks again.

 

[Tally Ho]

I live in equally horrendous Chicago area. I charge my batts fully before I haul out. And then diconnect the batteries over the winter so there is no discharge.

I do check them periodically over the winter, but they keep their charge...

If I have to use them (doing maintenance on the boat over the winter) I will put them on a car charger while I am at the boat, but I don’t leave it on. I have used some trickle chargers for a week at a time if I am out at the boat often over the winter.

You can take them home, check them, and top them off if necessary, but it is a lot of extra effort.
If you don’t hook them up over the winter, you should be fine leaving them alone on the boat.

Greg

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

- exactly how do you recharge the batteries? Do you have a trickle charger, a solar panel, or a cable/inverter? I want to charge up my batteries but don’t know the best or right way how.

There really is no single answer. It's of us use different chargers or trickle chargers. Many don't charge at all. The result is the same. I think you will find the lifetime of your batteries is entirely dependent on how you charge during your season, not when in storage.

 

[Benny17441]

Just one observation; you seem to have two different types of batteries (a starting and a deep cycle). This is ok if you use them and charge them independently but if you are charging them simultaneously it can lead to improper charging to one or the other. The preferred combination is to have two similar deep cycle batteries. These small diesel engines can be very adequately started by a single deep cycle battery so by having two of the same in effect you can double the size of your House bank and charge them simultaneously . What most people that have a two battery bank system do is to alternate the use of each battery on every outing. That way each battery is exercised and the number of charge/discharge cycles should be pretty even so their wear and future replacement time should be similar. By using one battery at a time the other one is kept in reserve for emergency use and engine starting. If on a any particular outing the battery in use is significantly discharged the 2nd battery can be combined with it to provide a boost for engine starting. The way they are usually connected is through a 1,2,Both,OFF battery switch. For longevity batteries should be charged back to 100% as soon as possible after every use. Batteries that are not fully or properly charged do tend to sulfate reducing their useful life and capacity. That about not sitting batteries in concrete is a myth. The temperature of the wooden pallet will be the same as the bare floor. A trickle charger is usually in the range of 2A and can be found almost anywhere. Avoid some automotive chargers that will turn themselves off once the batteries are fully charged and may not restart automatically.

 

[thinwater]

Assuming you have some solar, why do anything? You're risking injury and spending time for what?

The wood pallet thing is obsolete information, from when battery cases were semi-conductive. Totally out of date.

 

[Richard Bryer]

I charge the batteries (3) before putting the cover on for the winter. I plug the charger into an extension cord and run it to the yard panel. Once a month I go to the yard and plug in the charger for 24 hours.
I changed all three this year, the oldest was 14 years old, the newest was 9 years old. They are Costco wet cells, all deep cycle and run through a combiner.

 

[907Juice]

I used to do exactly what you are suggesting- remove my batteries and store at home in a basement and charge them occasionally over the winter. I stopped doing that several years ago. Instead, I fully charge and then equalize my FLA batteries and then disconnect cables so that there can be no leakage. I check that the surface of the batteries are clean and dry. And then I leave them on board for the entire winter with no charging. In the Spring I find them down to 12.55V and I charge them up to 100%. I usually get about 5 years from my house batteries and 6-7 years from my dedicated start battery. These service times are that same as I got when I was bringing the batteries home for the winter. I think the "key" is to actually remove cables from the batteries so that there is absolutely no chance of leakage that can kill the batteries over the winter.

Do you stay on the boat during the winter? We like to go down and check on the boat and stay there for a few days. It is basically our cabin in the harbor.

 

[Rich Stidger]

Do you stay on the boat during the winter? We like to go down and check on the boat and stay there for a few days. It is basically our cabin in the harbor.

No. I cover in the fall, and return in the spring. I am 155 miles from my boat, stopping by isn't an afternoon trip.

 

[907Juice]

No. I cover in the fall, and return in the spring. I am 155 miles from my boat, stopping by isn't an afternoon trip.

Yeah, I live about 120 miles away and keep the boat in the water all year. We keep it on a trickle charger since we use it all winter as a get away.

 

[Dalliance]

I have two deep cycle batteries. I fully charge them before haul out, completely disconnect them so there is no discharge and leave them on the boat for the winter. By spring, they are down to around 12.5V and I just plug in the shore charger over-night to bring them back to a full charge. A cold Chicago winter doesn't seem to hurt them as long as they are disconnected.