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Battery observations of winter storage.

Gjac
Explorer III
Explorer III
I winterized the MH in late Oct, pushed battery disconnect to store for house batteries and disconnected the neg cable on my chassis battery. Checked house batteries in Feb and they lost 20% SOC. Checked again today and they were only down 10%. Of course in Feb it was in the 20's and today we are up in the 60's. The batteries are still at 90% SOC after 5 plus months sitting with no charge on them. Each year I think this is it the batteries won't make it through the winter because the batteries are 14 years old but it looks like they will make it another year. I really like the 2 6v GC batteries from Sam's Club, I think back in 2007 they were made by Duracell.
16 REPLIES 16

Gjac
Explorer III
Explorer III
2oldman wrote:
I think disconnection is a very good storage method. I have a small car that I just disconnect the negative cable, and after 6 months of winter it starts right up.
Yes I have always done this for 14 years. One thing I don't hear talked about on here is when you keep your batteries plugged in 24/7 which many do there is some kind of chemistry taking place that must lead to some plate shedding. I only dry camp so the only time I hook up is to recharge the batteries after a week or so. Maybe someone can shed some light in this area.

Gjac
Explorer III
Explorer III
Lwiddis wrote:
A 30 watt solar panel and a $25 WindyNation weatherproof 4 stage controller will solve all your battery issues when in storage.
I think my post proves I have no battery issues while in storage.

DrewE
Explorer II
Explorer II
time2roll wrote:
The cold will dramatically slow the self discharge.


This is true. If memory serves, the rough rule of thumb was half (or double) the rate for every ten degrees Celsius down (or up) in temperature. A couple weeks in Florida summer weather will cause more self-discharge than all winter in a cold (sub-freezing) place.

wa8yxm
Explorer III
Explorer III
If possible I like the battery tender method of storage. however not always possible. The method the O/P used #2 on the list.
Home was where I park it. but alas the.
2005 Damon Intruder 377 Alas declared a total loss
after a semi "nicked" it. Still have the radios
Kenwood TS-2000, ICOM ID-5100, ID-51A+2, ID-880 REF030C most times

Lwiddis
Explorer II
Explorer II
“But each year I wonder the same thing. Last year batteries still lasted 7 days of dry camping before reaching 50% SOC”

Nothing magic about a 50% SOC. And each day a lead acid battery isn’t fully recharged shortens their life. An adequate solar system solves the issue.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

Monaramblee
Explorer
Explorer
My 12 volt house battery is maintaining 12.8 volts for the last few weeks with the disconnect method.
2008 Holiday rambler Vacationer XL
340 HP Cummins

Lwiddis
Explorer II
Explorer II
A 30 watt solar panel and a $25 WindyNation weatherproof 4 stage controller will solve all your battery issues when in storage.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

2oldman
Explorer II
Explorer II
I think disconnection is a very good storage method. I have a small car that I just disconnect the negative cable, and after 6 months of winter it starts right up.
"If I'm wearing long pants, I'm too far north" - 2oldman

Gjac
Explorer III
Explorer III
I have a 1000 W MSW that I rarely use anymore. But each year I wonder the same thing. Last year batteries still lasted 7 days of dry camping before reaching 50% SOC, basically what I have seen over the last 14 years. I may have gotten a little more careful with battery usage over the years but not much.

2oldman
Explorer II
Explorer II
Gjac wrote:
the batteries are 14 years old but it looks like they will make it another year. I really like the 2 6v GC batteries from Sam's Club,
If you're running an inverter I wonder how much capacity they still have. I ran Trojan 6v with a 2k inverter, pretty heavy use, and could notice a definite degradation after 4 years.
"If I'm wearing long pants, I'm too far north" - 2oldman

Gjac
Explorer III
Explorer III
I use a multimeter to check SOC. Temperature is measured with a thermometer.

full_mosey
Explorer
Explorer
Gjac wrote:
I winterized the MH in late Oct, pushed battery disconnect to store for house batteries and disconnected the neg cable on my chassis battery. Checked house batteries in Feb and they lost 20% SOC. Checked again today and they were only down 10%. Of course in Feb it was in the 20's and today we are up in the 60's. The batteries are still at 90% SOC after 5 plus months sitting with no charge on them. Each year I think this is it the batteries won't make it through the winter because the batteries are 14 years old but it looks like they will make it another year. I really like the 2 6v GC batteries from Sam's Club, I think back in 2007 they were made by Duracell.


What kind of meter do you have that knows SOC based on temperature?

HTH;
John

full_mosey
Explorer
Explorer
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Duracell is a re-brand. Perhaps John Controls? A helping hand for warm weather use and storage is to adjust electrolyte density to 1.260


This must be done when the battery is brand new. It should be top charged and rested for a day. This can easily add 30 - 50% added lifespan.


In the Sams Clubs I have seen that the Duracells are Deka-East Penn and the Energizers are Johnson Controls.

HTH;
John

time2roll
Nomad
Nomad
The cold will dramatically slow the self discharge.