storing RV batteries. electrical gurus chime in please.

[MARCUSO]

I have 4 batteries that I am storing over the winter. They are the deep cycle ones that you use in a boat/RV.

Someone once told me that the best way to keep them conditioned, was to charge them for an hour a day, and they will last years longer than not.

I was wondering if this is true, and if I was going to do this to 4 of them, then would I just hook them up in a parrallel circuit? Is this the way to go??

It is in my garage that I am keeping just above freezing temps.

 

[H2SNOW]

I just bring em in to the basement , charge em up and set them on plywood

 

[triple]

As long as they aren't sitting on a concrete floor

 

[Interceptor]

wow - it is rare that I dont agree with Triple but today is the day - LOL
The concrete floor vs battery war is a thing of the past. Any battery built in the last ummmm... 20? years will not know what the heck it is sitting on, no worries.

 

[Estevahn]

Has anybody used "BatteryMINDer"?
They're not cheap. And I was wondering if they do what they say.

 

[Kong]

I would rotate them off a charger/maintainer each one about a week one after the other. It will work, but bring them inside somewhere.

If they are deep cycle, then use a deep cycle charger/minder.

Concrete floor is old idea, no longer valid.

They will be more than fine that way I've treated mine worse that I recommend.

 

[MARCUSO]

I am not sure..

Sitting on a concrete floor does bad things to humans..LOL Got rhoids?? LOL

Why not batteries? I think the constant cold properties of concrete does not help the life of them.

I was thinking that keeping a trickle charge would keep them conditioned.. no?

 

[H20SKE]

Marcuso--Go to the Interstate batteries website and read what they say about maintaining your deep cycle batteries.
http://www.batteries-faq.com/activekb/categories.php?categoryid=5

I personally will let them sit all winter--then come usage time I will charge then real hard to start:say 100 amps for about 20 minutes--bring them down to 40 amps for several hours--then trickle them. If you hit them hard it will blow the sulfating off the plates (which kills the batteries) and brings them back almost as good as new.
A quick of how I have done it for years and I beleive I have always got more years out of the batteries than they are warrentied--in fact I have gotten as much a 4 years past warrenty, and with heavy usage!!

H20SKE...

 

[alscat1]

I use battery tenders , work great.

 

[EastcapeAngler]

wow - it is rare that I dont agree with Triple but today is the day - LOL
The concrete floor vs battery war is a thing of the past. Any battery built in the last ummmm... 20? years will not know what the heck it is sitting on, no worries.

mmm.... I dunno, I think I'd still throw something between the batt. & a floor. Just experience talkin'.

 

[Jeff C]

Do yourself a favor get yourself one of these. Plug it in during the fall and go back in the spring, and your battery is 100% perfect.

Been using this for 5 seasons now and it works fantastic. A bit more expensive than competitive ones, but it is 100% waterproof as well.

http://www.ctek.com/EN-US/Buy-US-Charger.aspx

 

[Ex-Member]

Key thing with any battery is to keep the electrons moving. Drain the battery to about 60% before you store it. When you come back to it, drain it the rest of the way, charge it up, drain it, and charge it up again. I've had good luck doing that in the past.

 

[High Voltage]

I work with batteries all the time (many training courses). Check water level fill to proper level (use destilled water) . Charge completly and remove one of the battery cables . I remove neg. if you happen to touch frame no sparks,all done. Leave them outside the colder the better a good battery will not freeze,and the cold slows down the slow discharge process. Give them a freshen up charge in the spring good to go. If storing through the summer recharge every 10 weeks the warm weather speeds up thier discharge process.
Most of the info you will here is old myth !!!
Bring inside and put on block of wood.(makes you feel good)
Discharge and recharge (takes life away)
ECT. ECT.

 

[triple]

Wow, Do I feel Dumb!!!

 

[rmkfire]

I work with a lot of batteries in solar systems that are true deep cycle. There is nothing wrong at all with allowing batteries to cycle if you use a battery desulfator. This will send out an electrical spike to the plates in the battery and shake any build up off of them. Check your batteries are the sealed or do they have watering caps. If they have watering caps make sure they are filled to the bottom of the plastic top. If the battery is fully charged it should be okay through the winter in a shop above freezing. Give them a nice slow charge in the spring. If all 4 of these batteries are used in one vehicle hook all of them up and give them an equalize charge and you will be good to go. The biggest killers to batteries are owners not watering them and not desulfating the batteries. These battery desulfators do work and are worth the $100.00