Popular widsom has it that the batteries should be removed from the
boat before winteer storage. The boat will be stored outside, here in
Montreal,.

Question is, why can the batteries not be left in the boat if they are
fully charged before the winter and charged again in the spring?

Many thanks in advance

Matt

On 8 Nov 2005 20:14:50 -0800, wrote:

Popular widsom has it that the batteries should be removed from the
boat before winteer storage. The boat will be stored outside, here in
Montreal,.

Question is, why can the batteries not be left in the boat if they are
fully charged before the winter and charged again in the spring?


Briefly, because batteries discharge somewhat directly to the air, and
if still hooked up to wire...even a discontiniuous circuit...will
"leak". That's why boats "put away" are recommended to disconnect the
ground.

The cold...and in Montreal, very cold...weather also lowers the
voltage rating of batteries significantly, perhaps to the point of
allowing the electrolyte to freeze.

Having said that, I keep mine aboard, but I charge them twice a week
as I live near to my club and have a tarp, heater and 15 amps to the
boat 16 hrs/day if I need it. I will deliberately run the cabin lights
or a small inverter to cycle them over the winter a couple of times on
the perhaps dubious theory that a battery bank being used and charged
is happier than a bank being half-frozen and then jolted with a
charger on occasion.

If you are leaving your boat entirely, standard battery preservation
lore has it to bring them home to a cool basement and trickle charge
them (assuming they're standard lead/acid "wet" cells) a couple of
times a month at 14.1 volts or so to "top them up".

R.

Also a low volt battery (from sitting) has a good chance of freezing
and busting. thus electrolite drained all inside the boat, that is
unless you're battery is encased in a battery box, and that's still no
garentee.

PLUS a battery will normally loose 3-4% of it's rating per month due to
natural deterioration, and by letting it sit idle in low temperatures,
will cause it to deteriorate at a quicker rate.

Yes, if you are going to store your boat for the winter, I'd suggest
taking the battery completely out and storing it inside if possible.

My friend lives in an appt. complex and cannot do such, so, he goes to
an extreme. he switches the battery in his pick up truck and boat
battery every couple weeks in the winter.

Yeah, like I said thats an extreme, but he doesn't seem to have much of
a problem with batteries being consistantly charged.

On 8 Nov 2005 20:14:50 -0800, wrote:

Popular widsom has it that the batteries should be removed from the
boat before winteer storage. The boat will be stored outside, here in
Montreal,.

Question is, why can the batteries not be left in the boat if they are
fully charged before the winter and charged again in the spring?

You could try a rel small solar panel to keep up with internal losses.
Not the sunlight but the daylight type. Lots of boatowners here
(Holland) use 'm and are pretty satisfied with it.

Regards, Len.

Getting my 4Ds out of the boat to home is not an option. I get them
fully charged, then disconnect them and leave them in the boat. They
have never failed to start the engine on first try in the Spring.

I have hooked a 5 watt solar panel to my bank (two 8Ds and a group 24
for the genset) and hope they will make it through the winter on the
hard next to Lake Superior, where it will get down to -30F.

Those 8Ds are just too heavy to move. I will be checking them twice
this winter and be able to put the charger on them.

Capt. Jeff

Tamaroak wrote in
:

where it will get down to -30F.


How do the government bureaucrats sell "global warming" to Minnesotans?

--
Larry

wrote:

Popular widsom has it that the batteries should be removed from the
boat before winteer storage. The boat will be stored outside, here in
Montreal,.

Question is, why can the batteries not be left in the boat if they are
fully charged before the winter and charged again in the spring?

We have too many batteries (IIRC 8 golf cart type - and too heavy) to
do this. We couldn't do it very well in the haul slip, and it would
be a real PITA after the boat was hauled to be going up and down the
ladder with batteries. Plus I think it may not be as cold in
Maryland as it is in Montreal. We do have the solar panels which work
even in the winter to keep the battery topped up.

On the cars OTOH, when we go away for the winter, we (Bob) take the
batteries out and brings them into the house where they will be a
little warmer (we keep the heat on low as it helps keep the pipes from
freezing), and also put them on a trickle charger I think.

We also drain the water systems (both house and boat) and put
antifreeze in various places.

grandma Rosalie

wrote:
Popular widsom has it that the batteries should be removed from the
boat before winteer storage. The boat will be stored outside, here in
Montreal,.

Question is, why can the batteries not be left in the boat if they are
fully charged before the winter and charged again in the spring?

Many thanks in advance

Matt

Because, in Montreal, they can self discharge, freeze solid, burst
the case, thaw, leak weak acid, and eat a hole in the bottom of your
boat?

Well, probably not, but a trickle charger all winter might help with
the self discharge problem. A battery left all winter can easily
self discharge so it will be of little use in the spring.

I have left new, charged batteries on the boat, diconnected, and
very clean on top, over winter in middle New Brunswick, and I did go
out in December or January or February to charge them. Results seem
random, when they are ready to go, they go.

The best scheme for me seemed to be a clock timer switch that
charged them for about half an hour every day. Left it plugged in
all winter, power failure or no, they seemed ok, and there was
always light available in the boat for visits, etc.

I have brought batteries indoors, on the concrete floor in my cool,
heated basement, on planks, in buckets, left them alone, checked and
charged weelky, or just trickle charged and have had them turn up
dead in the spring, I mean permanently dead. Old batteries with bad
attitudes only last 4 or 5 years in Canada, you should know that.
I'm convinced they have suicide timers inside, to make sure we keep
buying batteries. The newer ones, shaped like a 6 pack of toilet
paper are said to be better, but by whom?

The best reason to bring them in is so that they are easily
accessible for servicing, you can use them for a boost if the car
battery dies, or for a little power for the pellet stove if the
hydro is out, or for some emergency welding, using coat hangar wire.
Clean, dry tops seems the most important thing, followed by
monitoring, trickle charging, and steam distilled water
replenishment. Buy and learn to love a hydrometer, it will que your
actions.

Terry K

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 10:10:56 -0400, Terry Spragg
wrote:

Clean, dry tops seems the most important thing, followed by
monitoring, trickle charging, and steam distilled water
replenishment. Buy and learn to love a hydrometer, it will que your
actions.

Roger that on the clean tops, clean terminals, distilled H2O top-ups
(if necessary) and the hydrometer. Just remember to calibrate the
hydrometer reading for ambient temperature.

R.