Winter Battery Storage

[Daniel A.]

Originally Posted by Philsie

Hi all.

After a night of -20cel. I checked them and they were flat dead. I put a charger on them and within 5 mins they came right back up so I don't think they were frozen. Last night it only went down to about -1c. and they were at 10v this morning
Are deep cycles not designed to be left out in the cold like a car battery? Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks for any insight you can share.

Phil

If your trying to charge a battery from dead state you need to charge in manual, automatic won't sense a reading and can appear to show full charge in the first few minutes depending on the charger used.

[stude]

Originally Posted by floyd

In a no power situation, take a fully charged battery, disconnect it, thoroughly clean the top, then cover it with a shower cap or equivalent. It will maintain a charge for several months.

hy a shower cap why not just cover them with 6 mil plastic cover??
What is the difference.
Stude

[Doug Arthurs]

I would guess shower cap = elastic rim. Holds it in place.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by floyd

Well... I guess once again we will have to disagree... and as you know, I'm good with that.

While there is of course some internal loss over time, we are talking here about "winter storage", not years.

I'm not sure what we are disagreeing about.. we seem to be in agreement more than not.

Trojan says:

If you store your batteries for an extended period of time, be sure to charge them fully every 3 to 6 months. Lead acid batteries will self-discharge 5% to 15% per month, depending on the temperature of the storage conditions.

Batteries in storage should be given a boost charge when they show a 70% charge or less.

Colder = slower self-discharge.. so a six month winter should not cause damage to a battery that starts fully charged and is disconnected or at least has no parasitic load while connected. But for best lifetime performance there is more to consider and again I refer to:
https://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-s...y-maintenance/

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Is that "need charging every twenty weeks? or every 20 weeks"?

13 to 26 (3-6 months). Thats the best practice according to Trojan.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Doug Arthurs

I would guess shower cap = elastic rim. Holds it in place.

Just be sure to remove it before bulk charging or it will inflate with hydrogen gas and maybe explode like the Hindenburg!



(In case of doubt, yes.. the above is a facetious statement)

[floyd]

Originally Posted by stude

hy a shower cap why not just cover them with 6 mil plastic cover??
What is the difference.
Stude

That's fine, and just might qualify as "or equivalent".
The shower cap has its own built-in rubber band

[CarlD]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Just be sure to remove it before bulk charging or it will inflate with hydrogen gas and maybe explode like the Hindenburg!



(In case of doubt, yes.. the above is a facetious statement)

If it doesn't explode it might just float away!

[Joe MacDonald]

It sounds like you might have something discharging your batteries, I leav mine fully charged but disconnected from late October to mid April, we frequently go to -30*c, sometimes to-40* (Celsius and Fahrenheit are the same@ -40). I have never had a battery fully discharge. The simplest way would be to put an inline disconnect switch that you can turn off, isolating the batteries from the trailer. Then set up the solar so it feeds through a charge controller and directly to the batteries. Problem should be solved at this point
Joe

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Joe MacDonald

...The simplest way would be to put an inline disconnect switch that you can turn off, isolating the batteries from the trailer. Then set up the solar so it feeds through a charge controller and directly to the batteries. Problem should be solved at this point
Joe

This is the way I do it and it works well. A disconnect switch is a very good idea. Mine removes all loads while the solar controller is still connected and can charge the battery. Note that my controller does use a little power and if there are no panels in use, it becomes a small parasitic load itself (a few mA's).

[Philsie]

Well I am much smarter now thanks to y'all.
I took the batteries in to be tested. They de-sulphated and determined that they were just undercharged. They are at 80% now and they will leave them on the charger a bit longer then they're good to go.
I will keep them inside until I get to a warmer place then I'll also use a trickle charger and watch closely to make sure they don't get run down again. I also bought a specific gravity tester.
I like the idea of a cut off switch, but would have to rewire as it would also isolate the solar panels.

Thanks again for all your info.

Phil

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Philsie

.
I like the idea of a cut off switch, but would have to rewire as it would also isolate the solar panels....

..

Basically just move the appropriate wire that comes from the solar controller to the battery side of the switch, or any point between the switch terminal and the battery terminal (inclusive). Paying attention to proper wire type, gauge, circuit protection (fuse), etc.

[Mike_L]

Many charge controllers have a diode that lets current flow only one way, into the battery.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Philsie

WINTER BATTERY STORAGE

What's a winter battery? How's it different from a summer battery or a year around battery?

[Mike_L]

I disconnect the battery in my vette when I store it each fall, starts up fine in the spring. Must be a "summer battery"?

[Iowan]

Good maintenance idea, however it won't stop sulphation.

[Woof70]

I've parked and covered my Trailer for the winter with a new battery which was installed in September. Should I, as a matter of course, connect the battery to a "Maintainer" for the winter?

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Woof70

I've parked and covered my Trailer for the winter with a new battery which was installed in September. Should I, as a matter of course, connect the battery to a "Maintainer" for the winter?

Well I said it twice in this thread, but one more time won't hurt...

Originally Posted by gordon2

....But for best lifetime performance there is more to consider and again I refer to:
https://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-s...y-maintenance/

[Woof70]

Just being sure. ty