Just wondering what I should be doing to maintain my 2 marine batteries while on the hard. Normally they're chared either by the engine or while plugged in at dockside. Neither is an option here in the backyard. thanks,scott
capedorysailor@earthlink.net
Maintaing batteries
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Neil Gordon
Re: Maintaing batteries
I just take them off the boat and leave them on a shelf in the garage for the winter. No charger or anything. I check them with a meter every once in a while to make sure they're ok. I reinstall them in the spring and they're fine.
By the way, my electrician slip mate assures me that battery life is primarily shortened by constant overcharging.
Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167
neil@nrgordon.com
By the way, my electrician slip mate assures me that battery life is primarily shortened by constant overcharging.
Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167
neil@nrgordon.com
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Larry DeMers
Re: Maintaing batteries
We leave our batteries aboard over the winter (in N.W. Wisc. it gets fairly chilly over the winter too). Have done this for 12 years, and am now on our second set of batteries since buying DeLaMer in 1991. The replaced cells are still working, starting the very diesel crane that plucks us from the water at the end of the season..we upgraded to higher capacity, so the batteries were swapped out.
What we do is to thoroughly wash and dry the battery top, and posts. Top up the cells with filtered water (deionized water is better yet), and then go motoring for an hour to mix the electrolyte up. Lastly, recharge the bank until the current is less than an amp..now you have the surface charge replaced and the battery is fully charged and happy.
Disconnect the battery's negative terminal ON THE BATTERY, and give it a loving pat as you say goodbye until next year. That's it.
In 12 years, we have not had a single problem storing the banks this way. In the spring (well, March is MY spring time, regardless of Ma Nature), we recharge using the three step process, and I don't think I have ever seen more than 5amps flowing into the battery and that for a few hours max. (This is replacing the charge lost to self-discharge over the 5 month down time).
Try it!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 Lake Superior
demers@sgi.com
What we do is to thoroughly wash and dry the battery top, and posts. Top up the cells with filtered water (deionized water is better yet), and then go motoring for an hour to mix the electrolyte up. Lastly, recharge the bank until the current is less than an amp..now you have the surface charge replaced and the battery is fully charged and happy.
Disconnect the battery's negative terminal ON THE BATTERY, and give it a loving pat as you say goodbye until next year. That's it.
In 12 years, we have not had a single problem storing the banks this way. In the spring (well, March is MY spring time, regardless of Ma Nature), we recharge using the three step process, and I don't think I have ever seen more than 5amps flowing into the battery and that for a few hours max. (This is replacing the charge lost to self-discharge over the 5 month down time).
Try it!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 Lake Superior
ScottMacCready,Presque Isle,ME wrote: Just wondering what I should be doing to maintain my 2 marine batteries while on the hard. Normally they're chared either by the engine or while plugged in at dockside. Neither is an option here in the backyard. thanks,scott
demers@sgi.com