winter vs battery
I want to keep my fiver hooked up to shore power this winter because I run one of those round electric dehumidifiers 24/7. Can I just take a battery cable off and try to remember to hook it up every ...
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theoldwizard1 wrote:StirCrazy wrote:theoldwizard1 wrote:
I am of the opnion, that for long term (over a month) storage, a lead acid battery should not be left on ANY charger, 24/7.
Mine have been plugged in constantly for 15 years now, except when I am camping. I do have to replace them next season, you think thats because I always leave them plugged in? ;)
Friend of a friend of a friend handles simple maintenance on sewage pumping stations in their small town, maybe a dozen or so. Each has a generator that automatically starts when the power goes out longer than 1 minute. He was replacing the starting batteries (maybe this was the issue - starting batteries) every year or two until he hooked the trickle charger (Battery Tender ?) to a mechanical lamp timer set for 4 hour per day. Life expectancy jumped to 4 or 5 years.
Likely the issue was temperature. At around 80F, a battery can self-discharge 15% in a month, quickly reaching a state of charge where permanent battery damage occurs. For winter storage, the discharge is greatly reduced by cold temperatures.
