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battery winter protection

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jrchase11
1st Mate

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35 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/23/2010 : 11:33:37

I live in north florida, and while we don,t really have winter we do occasionally have several nights in a row with 10-12 hrs below freezing temperatures. Will a trickle solar charger adequately protect my batteries from the cold?

I keep my boat in outside storage yard. Also, can I leave my outboard on boat?

JohnC
'87 SR/WK #5658
Fleming Island, FL

Edited by - on

jerlim
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1484 Posts

Response Posted - 12/23/2010 : 11:37:36

I can't speak about the battery, but be cautious w/ your rudder...they often absorb water, which is generally not an issue until a freeze causes the water to expand...

Edited by - on

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4018 Posts

Response Posted - 12/23/2010 : 11:59:54

A trickle charger certainly won't harm the battery but if your worried about the cold, Don't. Battery's only freeze if they are dead. The outboard will be fine if its out of the water and in the upright position. Outboards drain all there water in this position. Mine is in the garage in NY and we have hit 15 deg on a few nights.

Edited by - islander on 12/23/2010 12:04:09

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3441 Posts

Response Posted - 12/23/2010 : 13:03:01

Agree with other posts. I keep my boat in all year-round and in Virginia, it's a bit (it's a lot) colder than Florida.

I have a solar panel which puts out more than a trickle charger but my solar controller will cut back on that charge when my dual battery bank is fully charged. I will usually check the batteries sometime during the winter to see that water has not evaporated but that is about it. Even with a trickle charger, battery water will evaporate at a normal rate which is very slow but best not to ignore tha battery entirely - Check it at least once and probably not a bad idea to bring a voltmeter with you and ensure the trickle charger is delivering it's charge accordingly rather than assume it is. My controller has a digital readout and so I just take a look and that's about it but I am also sailing in the winter on days when temps are not too coold and so I have ample times to check things out.

For the outboard, best to ensure that you have run Stabil, Startron, etc gas stabilizers thru the outboard to help ensure the gas lines do not get gummed up during the off season. The gas tank should either be filled to the top and a gas stabilizer added to it or empty the gas tank completely with no residuals left in it. Since I go out regularly all year-round, less in the winter but still running that outboard every week or two, I always store my outboard in the vertical full up position. Only the bottom blade touches water. Finger slips in my marina either are protected by bubblers or in my case by a flow agitator. When I return from sailing, I raise the outboard in the vertical and I will then pull the start handle to clear any water from the impellor. The water mostly drains out when outboard is up and in vertical but pulling the start handle ensures no water on the impeller. if the outboard momentarily starts in the raised up position, then I immediately shut it down - No harm comes to it. Since I frequently operate the outboard in the winter, I tend to not even run the fuel out of the outboard since it is debatable..may be better for the short term to have the gas in the fuel line versus an area where condensation could collect. But if you are storing the outboard and will not be using it for several months then run the gas out of the outboard by disconnecting the fuel line to it. if you bring it home, then that would be a good time to perform annual mtn and lay it up at home. If keeping on the boat as you mentioned was your preference, then run the gas out. (Stabil, Startron, etc should have been in last gas that was run through the outboard before you lay it up for the off-season.)

Edited by - OLarryR on 12/23/2010 13:08:57

Chris Z
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 12/23/2010 : 17:26:36

I work in the commercial world with Exide batteries and the engineer explained to me that storing your batteries in temperature below about 50 degrees will affect the overall life of the battery. Charging the battery will not help this situation.

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John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 12/23/2010 : 17:44:24

If your boat's in the water, I wouldn't worry about it. It's not going to get cold enough to bring the ambient temperature at the water line anywhere near freezing. That takes weeks at near or below freezing temperatures in fresh water. Lake Erie still has commercial traffic on it (saw an ore boat today) and probably will for a couple more weeks. In salt water, I'd bet the temp inside your boat will remain 50+ degrees at least.

On the hard, it'll be closer to air temp but for such a short period of time, I wouldn't worry about it. Your outboard already drained the water before you left the ramp.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 12/23/2010 : 19:24:53

I leave the batteries in the boat through teh winter with the charger on a maintenance charge - same as your trickle charge.

The Rudder goes in teh basement - not that I'm worried about it in the cold, its teh sun on it that worries me on a warm winter's day.

As for the OB, I put it on a stand next to teh basement door. The birds' water froze there the other night, so I guess it gets kinda cold just there (the door is due for replacement). Never had trouble with the arangement.

Oh, and we get a wee bit colder than you do. On the bright side, we are past solstice now though, so we are catching up again temperature wise.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9076 Posts

Response Posted - 12/23/2010 : 21:20:55

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Prospector
 ...On the bright side, we are past solstice now though, so we are catching up again temperature wise.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Huh?? Your Jan-Feb are warmer than December?

John, I've stored boat batteries on a trickle charger in garages that were below 50F most of the winter, and have never so much as had to add water to any of them. The longest I had one was just seven years, but it was several years old when I bought that boat, and it performed flawlessly until I sold her.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 12/23/2010 21:23:03

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5352 Posts

Response Posted - 12/23/2010 : 23:30:06

Bought my lead-acid group 24 battery in the spring of '07, and it is still going strong.

I keep the battery installed in the boat all year long, connected to my solar panel and 7A regulator. From December - April we regularly see lows below freezing temperatures.

I'd imagine that battery life can be adversely affected by cold weather, but so far, no problems!

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3441 Posts

Response Posted - 12/24/2010 : 07:31:56

Chris, The comment regarding what the Exide engineer told you - capacity effected with temps below 50F.......I have some doubts about the interpretation of that statement. Starting off with what many have probably heard in the past that to store batteries wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator will help prolong their life. So...starting with that premise....need to assess what is really going on with a battery vs temperature.

There are a number of battery books for boats that indicate during summer months, batteries discharge just sitting around about .5 AMPS/day and during the winter months about .25 AMPS/day. So, this then seems to support the refrigerator thinking.

Then if you just go onto Yahoo and do a search on "battery storage temperature" or "Exide battery storage temperature", there are many informational websites that help explain what is going on with a battery vs temperature. There are so many websites with the info, all can take their pick researching same info but here is what I picked up:

In warmer temps, the chemical reaction speeds up inside the battery. In cooler temps, the chemical reaction slows down. Ideal storage temps are between 32F and about 50F.

Perhaps what the Exide worker was indicating was something slightly different because the temperature story is bit more complicated. There is "Available capacity" and "Remaining Capacity". The difference is that during cold temps a battery does not lose as much "Remaining capacity" because the chemical reactions inside are slower but at warmer temps because the chemical reactions are faster, there is more "available capacity". What this means is that if a battery is stored in warm vs cold temps, the battery will lose life. But if the battery is used in warm vs cold weather, whatever remaining life there is more of the "available capacity" can be utilized in warmer temps because the chemical reactions are faster. So, stored in cooler temps, the battery preserves capacity better - less capacity trickles out but to get the most use out of whatever capacity is remaining, you will get more available capacity in warmer months.

The other thing is that I have my own experience with keeping batteries onboard all year and my batteries are now just over 6 years old. Granted, I wind up using the boat all year except perhaps for a 1 month period or 2 - 1 month periods if the Potomac freezes over or we have a prolonged cold spell.

My thought is that you obviously were told info by the Exide worker and if you check the web and just read what about 5 websites have to say, I think you will come up with similar info as I stated above. I then would go back to that guy and ask him for a clarification. I believe I even looked at an Exide info sheet on the web and it had similar info as I stated above.

I guess I beat this to death but....I would be curious as to what others dig up on this subject. Good time to talk battreries this winter ! LOL

Edited by - on

Alan Clark
Captain

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406 Posts

Response Posted - 12/24/2010 : 07:36:44

My buddy leaves his batteries in his Catalina 30 all winter and we only trickle charge them when we go to the boat a couple of times during the winter when the boat is in its cradle. Our batteries are currently and have been in our basement. I trickle charge them/sometimes 10 amp charge them briefly because thats what gets the electrolytes(?) more excited to keep it alive. Almost sounds kinky.. But our batteries do well and fire up first thing in the spring, during the summer they are on a solar charger. I also have a friend who keeps his on the boat all winter and does not charge them. We are in Ohio=Cold!

Edited by - Alan Clark on 12/24/2010 07:37:36

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4018 Posts

Response Posted - 12/24/2010 : 07:42:53

My battery (WM group 27 90AH deep cycle) that came with the boat when I bought her 3yrs ago started to give me problems back in Sept. I would notice that the voltage would drop rather quickly through out the day but was enough to keep the electronics going. At the end of the season I took it home and put it on a good 3 stage charger. With in a minute the charger stopped and the panel read "Bad Cell" So I looked at the date on the battery and it was installed back in July 03. 7yrs, Not bad. The PO of my boat kept te battery in a garage on a trickle charger when he owned it. At least that is what he told me. I brought it home and put it in the basement(un-heated) for the past 3 winters where I would charge it once a month.

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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9076 Posts

Response Posted - 12/24/2010 : 12:08:15

One more variable... An AGM battery has an infinitesimal self-discharge rate compared to standard wet-cells, so can be left aboard all winter (at least in CT) with no trickle charge, and won't freeze or lose any significant expected life, according to a friend who leaves his all winter. I don't know about gel cells, but why gels are even sold after the advent of AGMs is beyond me.

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captainstuart
Deckhand

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USA
6 Posts

Response Posted - 12/25/2010 : 19:38:24

A well charged battery should not freeze in normal winter temps.
Trickle charging is fine.... but taking the battery inside for storage is best. Store in your garage, not basement. Store on wood plank.

A well winterized OB engine should be safe stored outside, but fully winterizing it is key to protecting it. Myself I also store my OB in the garage over the winter.

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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9076 Posts

Response Posted - 12/25/2010 : 22:46:48

Incidentally, it is not true that a battery will lose its charge if left sitting on concrete--it's an old automotive myth that has gone around the world more times than Sputnik. If concrete could discharge it, the metal battery tray in most cars would do it faster.

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DanM
Captain

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USA
256 Posts

Response Posted - 12/28/2010 : 07:12:34

Batteries and OB all in the basement. Glad to hear about the concrete myth, Dave. That's where they sit.
I can attest to car battery performance degrading when it gets really cold. But it is more due to the cold engine and lights and heater use that put the battery through so many cycles. We have seat heaters, rear window heaters and mirror heaters, too.
The guys at Advance Auto Parts will test your batteries free and give you a printout. And invite you back for another! I had them test the boat batteries before I stored them and I alternately trickle charge them through the winter.

Edited by - on

Alan Clark
Captain

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406 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2010 : 10:31:18

I just checked our Group 24 Batteries-originally purchased from Walmart- to see how they were doing.We had not charged them since bringing them back from the boat in mid- October. They are stored in my basement on a wooden work bench. One battery had discharged more than another-both were equal when taken out. I have placed a charger on them and will monitor them temporarily. I purchased both of them together in March of 2004! I will get them tested before we put them back in the boat in the spring. I will again check batteries and have them tested but if it is close I will go back to Walmart. 7 years of the same batteries is Good use.

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Voyager
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USA
5352 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2010 : 11:55:33

Alan,
Good idea to check the electrolyte level in all the cells first and replace with distilled water if needed.
Also, check that you have a 3 stage charger (or at least a 2 stage charger), or over time you can cook the batteries.

If you have an accurate digital multimeter, the battery should be allowed to charge fully, then disconnect it from the charger and allow it to sit for 3-4 hours, then measure its voltage. If it reads 12.7-12.8 volts, you're golden.

If less than that, the battery may not have fully charged up, so reconnect it to the charger for another 24 hours. If it won't hold a charge, then it may be time to get a new set.

But otherwise, every few weeks, its a good idea to top them up again.

As noted elsewhere, your local auto shop can test your batteries to check for any problems.

Edited by - on

Alan Clark
Captain

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406 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2010 : 15:18:47

Bruce, Thanks for the information. We have maintaince free batteries so checking electrolyte/water levels is not possible. I do have a multi meter that I will check them with. I was told that with maintaince free batteries they are either good or DEAD! I did charge them briefly @ 10 amps than a little longer on trickle charge-2 amps. So we will see. the batteries we have now are group 24's which it appears that most owners have and we will go back to. The batteries have 675 marine cranking amps and 140 reserve capacity. Hopefully they will be good for another year.

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Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 12/31/2010 : 05:13:50

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> was told that with maintaince free batteries they are either good or DEAD!<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Maintenance fre batteries behave just like regular batteries - they just incorporate a valve system that allows the oxygen and hydrogen to recombine into water to maintain the electrolyte

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Alan Clark
Captain

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406 Posts

Response Posted - 12/31/2010 : 05:51:53

so dave do you check the electrolyte/water level in them?

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Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 12/31/2010 : 07:30:08

No, its just that they fail progressively like other batteries. The electrolyte, because of the recombination, should be stable unless there is a severe, rapid discharge or over-charge.

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