When my Hunter 356 was winterized this last season, the shipyard forgot to take the batteries out of the boat. Now they seem to be holding less charge. Does leaving batteries sitting in the cold all winter hurt them and should I ask for battery replacement by the shipyard. Thanks.
Winterizing & Battery Life
- Thread starter marcomondo
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No need to remove them IF they are fully charged
There is really no need to remove the batteries from the boat IF they are fully charged. This is sort of like the old school thinking that the batteries will discharge by setting them on the concrete. Depending on their age, they may be just at that stage of their life (not much life left).
There is really no need to remove the batteries from the boat IF they are fully charged. This is sort of like the old school thinking that the batteries will discharge by setting them on the concrete. Depending on their age, they may be just at that stage of their life (not much life left).
A few thoughts....
If you have a yard winterize your boat, it may be best to make a specific list of things you want done, as well as those you plan to do yourself. Give the yard your list and make sure all agree on it. If you haven't specified that you want your batteries removed and trickle charged over the winter, I don't think you can expect the yard to have done that automatically. And while fully charged batteries can normally withstand the rigors of winter ok, batteries do discharge a small amount even when no load is applied. I've read that this can be as much as 1 per cent per month, but my guess is that depends on battery type and condition. In the future you may be best served by removing the batteries yourself and keeping them on a trickle charger at home. The only thing I know that actually improves by being chilled is a martini.....
If you have a yard winterize your boat, it may be best to make a specific list of things you want done, as well as those you plan to do yourself. Give the yard your list and make sure all agree on it. If you haven't specified that you want your batteries removed and trickle charged over the winter, I don't think you can expect the yard to have done that automatically. And while fully charged batteries can normally withstand the rigors of winter ok, batteries do discharge a small amount even when no load is applied. I've read that this can be as much as 1 per cent per month, but my guess is that depends on battery type and condition. In the future you may be best served by removing the batteries yourself and keeping them on a trickle charger at home. The only thing I know that actually improves by being chilled is a martini.....
Sulfation...
...will eat away at your batteries. It starts to occur three to five days after the last charging current is applied. It really doesn't matter that the batteries are out in the cold, only that they get some juice on a regular basis - a 5 watt solar panel will do the trick if no eclectric trickle charge is available.
...will eat away at your batteries. It starts to occur three to five days after the last charging current is applied. It really doesn't matter that the batteries are out in the cold, only that they get some juice on a regular basis - a 5 watt solar panel will do the trick if no eclectric trickle charge is available.
Winter Peace of Mind
I bring 'em home and put a trickle charger on them every four weeks. In an area prone to freezing I visit the boat and inspect it a couple weeks after it is hauled and put a tarp over the cockpit. Another one or two visits over the winter, particularly if there are serious snow or wind storms can't hurt. If you just come back in the spring and find internal or external damage that could have been caught and preventer earlier, you have no one to blame but yourself. It's relaxing to kick around the boat yard / marina in the off season and have a nice relaxing dinner out on your way home after putting your mind at ease that your favorite 'investment' is doing fine thru the winter.
I bring 'em home and put a trickle charger on them every four weeks. In an area prone to freezing I visit the boat and inspect it a couple weeks after it is hauled and put a tarp over the cockpit. Another one or two visits over the winter, particularly if there are serious snow or wind storms can't hurt. If you just come back in the spring and find internal or external damage that could have been caught and preventer earlier, you have no one to blame but yourself. It's relaxing to kick around the boat yard / marina in the off season and have a nice relaxing dinner out on your way home after putting your mind at ease that your favorite 'investment' is doing fine thru the winter.
As always, it depends
First, a couple tidbits about lead acid batteries: 1. Heat can permanently damage a lead acid battery. A cold battery simply has a reduced available capacity. It's unlikely that cold by itself has permanently damaged your batteries. 2. Sulfation is caused by repeated shallow discharging. Your batteries very well may be sulfated but it wouldn't have come from improper storage. I'd suggest one or two rounds of equalization before giving up on them. 3. Lead acid batteries do self-discharge. The rate can be from 3 - 10% per month depending on construction, condition and antimony content of the plates. You don't say how long yours were stored but it's a good bet they were pretty heavily discharged if you're talking about 6+ months. Whether they were permanently damaged by this would be hard to say. As for holding the yard liable, that's a tough call. If your agreement with them specifically called for battery removal and a multi-stage charging for the duration I'd say go ahead and and bring it up and see what they say. If not, well, they're your batteries and you've learned some valuable lessons.
First, a couple tidbits about lead acid batteries: 1. Heat can permanently damage a lead acid battery. A cold battery simply has a reduced available capacity. It's unlikely that cold by itself has permanently damaged your batteries. 2. Sulfation is caused by repeated shallow discharging. Your batteries very well may be sulfated but it wouldn't have come from improper storage. I'd suggest one or two rounds of equalization before giving up on them. 3. Lead acid batteries do self-discharge. The rate can be from 3 - 10% per month depending on construction, condition and antimony content of the plates. You don't say how long yours were stored but it's a good bet they were pretty heavily discharged if you're talking about 6+ months. Whether they were permanently damaged by this would be hard to say. As for holding the yard liable, that's a tough call. If your agreement with them specifically called for battery removal and a multi-stage charging for the duration I'd say go ahead and and bring it up and see what they say. If not, well, they're your batteries and you've learned some valuable lessons.
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