Storing a battery out of the car...

Jon composed the following;:

Off the floor, especially if it's concrete, a plank of wood is OK, though a decent shelf is better, and inside a battery box is even better. They _can_ leak, and the fumes _can_ leave deposits that _can_ cause irritations to surrounding 'stuff'.

I'd also run a battery charger to it when you first store it and leave it overnight, then check, top-up with water and re-charge every three months or so for best performance.

I once left a battery for well over a year and came back to it with still enough charge to start a car.

Is this a "leisure" or deep discharge battery? If so is it also suitable as a vehicle battery, thinking starting current etc.

Lead Acids need to be stored fully charged and I think topped up occasionally. Take a peek through:

A cheap plastic washing-up bowl, the rectangular sort rather then round, will give some protection against leaks. If you remembered to save them from the new battery, use the terminal covers. Clean the top, something like baking powder in the water will neutralise any traces of acid on the surface.

An hydrometer is the best way to check state of charge. You might be surprised how long a full charge takes.

take a look here at battery spec:

- descision yet to be made.

thanks. very informative.

They don't really say do they? Though it looks to be mainly a vehicle battery, with deep cycle capabilties.

I did spot this in the user manual though:

What does "EXPOSING" mean, splashing on? Having the vapours near by?

Plastic/rubber doesn't conduct electricity and so charge is not lost from a battery when stored on concrete.

ps. A battery should always be fully charged. At any time in its life should a battery be at less then full charge, then sulfation of the cells begins. - this is the reason why a battery is rated at 10,000+ (e.g.) charge /discharge cycles. A battery lasts longer with shallower discharge cycles.

It is recommended for most lead acid batteries to top up the charge every 3 months, sooner in hot climates.

Dave S

Dave Schofield composed the following;:

Did I say it would?

The reason I suggested not leaving it on a concrete floor is that the general roughness of a typical concrete floor can damage the case of the battery. I know, 'cos it happened to me once. Put a battery down, small pebble proud of the rest of the floor, cracked case, spilt acid etc. ;)

I didn't say it did.

Depends on the type of battery.

Which is exactly what I did say ..

I've never heard that one, in fact quite the opposite in my experience, batteries need charging more frequently in cold weather, unless you have a link or source that proves different ...

Self discharge is a chemical reaction. It's a fairly basic principle of chemistry that almost all reactions occur more rapidly at higher temperatures, thus batteries self discharge more rapidly at higher temperatures.

OK. So why is it harder to start my Landrover when it's cold. I _never_ have trouble in summer, only in winter ...

Batteries self discharge more rapidly at higher temperatures - reactions proceed more rapidly at higher temperatures. But it matters more that it is partly discharged at very low temperatures for two reasons - 1. to start your engine needs a better charge at low temperatures, 2. a partly discharged battery will freeze at a higher temperature than a fully charged one, because the electrolyte is less concentrated. JD

OK, I can see that, but I would like to know why .. ;)

And does freezing of the contents matter too much to us in UK? I thought that the electrolyte didn't freeze until about -19 °C or something similar ...

Back to the chemical reaction - the electricity is released through a chemical reaction too! When it's cold that reaction proceeds more slowly meaning that less electric current is available.

Heheheh, bloody obvious when someone tells you .. ;)

Thanks.

Without looking it up, I think that the -19C is correct for a fully charged battery - fully discharged it is only about -5C.

Reason for this - same as adding more antifreeze lowers the freezing temperature - the more sulphate ion is in the electrolyte, the more the antifreeze effect. When the battery is discharged the, the sulphate is in the plates. JD

And the engine is harder to turn (thicker oil), and more reluctant to fire because it is turning slower, and (if petrol) the petrol does not vaporise as easily and (if diesel) the compression temperature is lower. So the hard starting effect gets you coming and going - the engine is harder to start and the battery is less effective. JD

I knew about the engine oil and diesel bit, I was a little unsure about why the battery was also reluctant.

Right, so with a low battery, and mine isn't new or a 'good' battery at it's best, we could get problems. No worries, thanks .. ;)