If I store new fully charged batteries in my shop for 6 mo through winter where the shop could be as cold as 10-15 degrees, would they be all right for next season? Or, should I use my harbor Freight battery maintainers to keep them up? They are cheap and there would be no one around to check them for the 6 months

If it's a flooded cell battery and it's fully charged when put in storage, there is no reason to trickle charge it. It will hole most of it's charge over the winter. I do that all the time with my farm tractors. I leave the start batteries in them but break the negative side with a knife switch. They start fine in the spring and it gets cold here.What people don't realize is it's HOT weather that destroys a battery, not cold weather but the reason batteries fail in cold weather is because the battery was already compromised that summer but when it's cold, it takes appreciably more cold cranking amps to turn the engine and the compromised battery cannot supply them.

The cooler the temperature the less self discharge.I would place a maintainer on the jars for 24 hours once per month.

As long as they are fully charged they will be fine whether in your shop, garage, or on your rig. Our RV is parked in our side yard always connected to shore power, we keep it simple and just leave our batteries in place all year long, harsh winters and blazing summers have little effect on our fully charged batteries.

Is there a good reason not to use a trickle charger? Maybe I am missing something. I keep my batteries on one of those BatteryMinder Plus things -- supposedly, they pulse and keep the battery from sulphating. But I have also heard that this is a hoax and accomplishes nothing more than an ordinary trickle charger would do.

The 10-15 degrees would be a small, make that tiny, percentage of the total time. Although not mandatory a temperature compensated maintenance charger would pay for itself by extending battery life.

Battery Storage Scenario | Good Sam Community

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Aug 11, 2019
Switch shut off is the grand assumption

Until proven otherwise by testing not guesswork :)
pianotuna
Nomad III
Aug 11, 2019
Usually, but NOT always.

SweetLou wrote:
If you shut off the batteries at the switch, you shouldn't have to take off the negative cable right?
SweetLou
Explorer
Aug 11, 2019
If you shut off the batteries at the switch, you shouldn't have to take off the negative cable right?
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Aug 08, 2019
DEFINITIONS

A good brand of battery maintainer is like a seafood meal at Red Lobster

A Harbor Freight battery maintainer is like Dumpster Diving

BORG has been maintaining my 800 dollars Lifeline batteries for 8 years but 24/365

And I would trust the BORG less than a good battery maintainer which is 100% automatic.

But then some people would *** away a hundred bucks on utter nonsense then ***** because pay parking

Go Figure
Tom_M1
Explorer
Aug 08, 2019
I had a cheap Harbor Freight maintainer short out on me. Maintained my two Trojan batteries down to zero volts and they froze and busted. Since no one will be checking for 6 months, I think the safest approach would be to charge them fully then not use a maintainer.
garym114
Explorer II
Aug 08, 2019
Motorhome in storage six winters in Anchorage along with toad, six 6v batteries and two 12 starting batteries. All charged fully and ground removed. Lowest temp was -24. No problems with any of them the next spring.
solismaris
Explorer
Aug 08, 2019
Ensure they are fully charged and they will be fine through the winter. A discharged battery will have a much higher freezing point and could easily freeze in a cold winter and be destroyed. A fully charged battery is safe down to any temperature likely to be found in the lower 48 states
schlep1967
Nomad
Aug 08, 2019
SweetLou wrote:
schlep1967 wrote:
SweetLou wrote:
If I store new fully charged batteries in my shop for 6 mo through winter where the shop could be as cold as 10-15 degrees, would they be all right for next season? Or, should I use my harbor Freight battery maintainers to keep them up? They are cheap and there would be no one around to check them for the 6 months

Just curious, why would you buy new batteries in the fall if you are not going to use them all winter? Just wait and buy new batteries in the spring.

Needed replacing this past spring so virtually new

That makes more sense. :)
SweetLou
Explorer
Aug 08, 2019
schlep1967 wrote:
SweetLou wrote:
If I store new fully charged batteries in my shop for 6 mo through winter where the shop could be as cold as 10-15 degrees, would they be all right for next season? Or, should I use my harbor Freight battery maintainers to keep them up? They are cheap and there would be no one around to check them for the 6 months

Just curious, why would you buy new batteries in the fall if you are not going to use them all winter? Just wait and buy new batteries in the spring.

Needed replacing this past spring so virtually new
RJsfishin
Explorer
Aug 08, 2019
Quote:
Those $10 Harbor freight models will not charge a battery if it is under 9 volts.
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Surely you can come up w/ a better reason than that for bad mouthing a 1 amp charger. Who would want to connect a 1 amp maintainer to a battery discharged to 9 volts anyway ?? Fer a 5 dollar bill I have found them to be quite reliable.