battery tender during storage

[pepmyster]

All valide points. I know it's a pain, but, basically, the batteries sleep from Nov to May. That's a long sleep with-out getting a charge. Seen it too many times in cars where the car is not being used and not getting a trinkle charge, the battery becomes a paper weight. Having the batteries at home, I inspect the cases, verify the gravity of the acid, and , charge all once a month. Old school, yes. Some do and some don't. Like you said, whatever makes you sleep at night. Hans knows I been doing this for years, but, damm they get heavy at the end of the day!

[bud37]

I agree with you, when we had only a couple batteries I did exactly the same thing, I liked the idea of checking things and keeping up with the charging and case cleaning....batteries lasted for years and years......BUT now we have way too many very heavy batteries and really they are just fine where they are so long as totally disconnected and put to bed fully charged. By the way have you ever checked the battery top with a volt meter to check for leakage when they are dirty......

Back wont take hauling them in and out anymore........

[Midnightsun]

Whats the deal with "case cleaning" Am I missing something, never seen a dirty case on a boat installation. Cars get nasty but boats?

[pepmyster]

Clean the outside, check for any damage, you know.....

[bud37]

Source of the post Whats the deal with "case cleaning" Am I missing something, never seen a dirty case on a boat installation. Cars get nasty but boats?

You should have seen the batteries that came out of our boat after I bought it and for that matter almost every other one we have bought.....

While in normal use and charging cycles, batteries naturally off gas and small particles of acid solution lay on the battery tops, not visibly dirty just a very fine film. Like I said check the case top with a good meter. Not a real big deal but nevertheless exists and depending on the battery placement could lead to a parastic drain/corrosion issues if they get bad enough or there gets to be water/moisture up to the case bottoms.

Hans I am sure you will not have any of this as from what I have seen in your pics your boat is spotless... .

[Midnightsun]

My wife once caught me in the engine room with a box of Qtips.

[Viper]

Source of the post All valide points. I know it's a pain, but, basically, the batteries sleep from Nov to May. That's a long sleep with-out getting a charge. Seen it too many times in cars where the car is not being used and not getting a trinkle charge, the battery becomes a paper weight....

Not trying to convince anybody one way or the other, just putting some information out there. I know what you mean with cars though, but seldom does the average Joe think of disconnecting car batteries even when a long term storage is planned. In that case, yes it's no wonder they wouldn't make it, totally different application and conditions though.

In our winter temps, providing they are disconnected, a battery's natural discharge rate slows right down to a negligible amount. At home under warmer conditions, yes one will find themselves topping up more often as they will discharge at a faster rate in warmer temps. Before the advent of smart chargers and maintainers, people were actually ruining their batteries by taking them home as they would simply plug them into an automotive charger, and usually forget about them, which lead to overcharging.

I remember the days when removing batteries out of all the boats marinas winterized was the norm. They would be brought into the shop or storage room where it was also common practice at the time to keep them all on charge. It was a service provided for extra income but those in the know knew it didn't make them last any longer. Man, I can remember walking into some of those rooms and litteraly have my eyes buring from the off-gassing! Even when they were properly monitored, it was no guarranty that they'd be fine for the following season. That caused more problems with customers than it was worth. After all, while it's no guarranty it would make them reach their expected lifespan, customers still expected that to be the case if they were paying for that service. In my experience though, the practice never increased the longevity of the batteries over and above those left in the boats. For this same reason, along with newer technologies, the trouble, and expense if you weren't on the ball, I seldom see a marina doing this now.

On a final note, if you can't sleep at night wondering about the condition of your batteries over the winter, don't get a boat with DTS engines. Having said that, it's the way the industry is going so you'll have little choice eventually. If batteries are disconnected for extended periods; our Canadian and northern US winters, you'll be paying a technician to reprogram all the settings every Spring, and I'm okay with that

[Midnightsun]

My issue is I always work substantially on the boat after haul out and do need to use the batteries for light and a few small items. Problem is I cannot top off before she sleeps for the winter. The additional charger will be used for that purpose only. Same in spring, I am on the boat a month before launch doing all kinds of stuff and definitely want to top off before launch which I presently cannot do. Basically just rely on the volt meter to know I have enough juice to start when I hit the water.

As for cars, they have no battery off switch and there is a constant albeit small drain all the time on the battery especially now since we have intelligent key fobs and remote starters. No way will a car survive a few months, lucky to make 6 weeks before you need a boost.

[pepmyster]

What a great conversation. You are correct for the cars, their bcm goes to sleep on most of these cars in about 20 to 30 min. Only drawing about .05amp. This way, since we just got this vessel, we are still learning it completely. This is also a great way to make sure all is where it is supposed to be, trust me, this boat needed us. Not much looking aroung in the engine bay by the former owners. Thank God at least all the fluids were pristine. Maybe latter, as I said, I will stop doing this practice. Each method is good, and, we can chat about this forever. Love all the inputs. Glad to see the discussions we have on this site are beyond intelligent.

[Midnightsun]

Since we are slightly off subject why not continue?

One huge issue in the newer vehicles is the fob. Yes the BCM goes to sleep however when the fob is in range it stays awake because it thinks you are there and want to use the car. Most people do not know this like my dad who keeps his fob in the car. Good thing he knows how to use a battery charger. Same goes for garaged cars where one keeps the spare hanging on the wall or somewhere in the garage. Someone who is used to driving into their garage normally leave the keys in the car, this does not fair well any more. This is a decent article explaining the issue that all should be aware of. https://www.autoserviceprofessional.com ... ems?Page=2