Bring the batteries home or not?

A

Arctica

Member
exMember
Joined
Sep 10, 2001
RO Number
6135
Messages
67
I have four batteries on our houseboat. Now that we are out of the water for winter, it would be fairly simple to bring them home for the winter, where I can keep them charged up.
There will be no electricity to the boat until spring.
The boat lives in Minnesota, mostly below freezing in winter months, often below zero.
Should I bring them home, or will they be okay on the boat?
They are fully charged now.
 
If you can bring the battereis home and store where warm and charge them about once a month, it will be much better for the batteries. Put them on wood or cardboard, for some reason they should not be kept on concrete.
 
Absolutely...if it's fairly simple...yank 'em and bring them home!
 
I always used to. On my last boat, they lasted 4 seasons. So I don't think it really made a difference. I kept them on a board, filled them and trickle charged them every few weeks. I forget the reason but I think with newer batteries, it doesn't matter if you leave them on cement. Now I have 6 batteries and they are big. I'm not taking them home.
 
I leave mine on the boat fully charged when I put it away for the winter. A charged battery is not supposed to freeze. I haven't had a problem.
 
Leave them in, if possible trickle charge them, if not charge them up then dis-connect them. I replace them every four seasons and this works for me.

Walter
 
Take 'em home and keep 'em warm! Trickle charge as needed.
 
I see we've come to our usual concensus on this one. 3 for removing and 3 for leaving them where they are!
 
Well I took mine out and they lasted 4 seasons. Walter left them in and they last 4 seasons. That's scientific enough for me. They stay in from now on.
 
Last winter I stored my new to me at the time boat up in Yarmouth Maine. When I asked about storing the batteries indoors, as I had done with the my previous boat in NJ, the marina manager said that if the batteries can't last a winter outdoors, then you shouldn't be out boating with them the following spring...
 
Kind of along the same topic, has anyone used one of those solar chargers? Are they any good? Would one of them be enough to trickle charge a pair of batteries? Thanks.
 
I used to take ours home and keep them in the garage on a block of wood.. It's still cold in the garage, but very rarely below freezing... no problems, but had the work of hauling them back forth etc. I only charged them in the spring before taking them back over to the boat.

We store inside cold storage... so the last 2 years once charged, I've unhooked the batteries and left them.. no problem just be sure the wires are unhooked.. (I only unhook the positive terminal) This year, new location inside cold. They use the same building as the indoor heated storage.. I was told it didn't drop below freezing in the unheated side either.. no brainer.. unhooked and leave on the boat etc.

Arctica, based on your location in Minnesota... if you leave them, I'd be sure to put on some sort of charger.. solar if you can keep the snow off it.. otherwise, I'd bring them home and keep them warm and trickle charge occasionally.

I agree, no Foo Foo batteries.. but an expensive ticket not to take good care of them.

I was in Minnesota once in the winter time.. WOW, talk about cold.. made our winters in Cleveland seem like a walk in the park. They had 110v outlets on the parking meters to plug in block heaters... it was a slow start in the morning at the hotel.. that is for sure. BURR!!!!

Arctica, bottom line, if they’re not hard to get out and transport, I’d bring them home.
 
Thanks to all that replied!
I have pretty easy access to them right now, so I will bring them home and keep them warm and charged.
I have learned a lot reading these forums.
Thanks again to all that contribute.
 
i'd make this observation:

there are millions of cars on the road that don't have their batteries stored inside.

you DO want to fully charge them and disconnect them so a power leak won't drain them.
 
I leave mine in and don't disconnect them either. Boat sits outside all winter. In the spring I plug in the shore power cord for a day and both engines start right up. Batteries I have now are 4 years old. This will be my 5th.
 
I bring mine home every fall. Need to replace one that has been in boat since 2001. Would I have gotten 6 seasons if left on boat?? Will never know !
 
I take mine home simply because I can put a trickle charger on them all winter long.
 
I buy the solar chargers that come on new volkswagons(Ebay) then I hang 2 on the boat and the jet ski,s for the winter It worked great last year. RLS
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top