Northwest Fishing Reports

OK, so I put this under "Boating topics" as boasts --sometimes-- have batteries.

It used to be said, that back in the day... you should not leave a deep cycle battery on the concrete in your garage, etc.
It was said that somehow the earth pulled the juice out of your battery.

Does anybody have any strong belief that this was actually true.... and I have heard that is not the case with more modern technology batteries. ??

Tonight I was charging up the gear, getting ready for Sunday. My secondary battery, which has been on the garage floor for about 8 months, was showing 45% current charge.
I am a person that always puts my batteries back on the charger when I return from a trip out, so it is odd to me that this one was so low? I would expect that I had charged it months ago when I returned from a trip.

Any thoughts anybody on the earth pulling juice from the battery?

I buy about 2 grand worth of batteries every 6 weeks at work and we store them on the concrete stacked.
I am a believer in the fact of keeping them on a trickle charger. My boat has 4 in it that when I'm not floatin are having a surface charge on them. I also at times use a plug in timer to drop the charge and then recharge. depending on the timer they can be 24 hour or 7 day.

But here is the scoop from Snopes!!


http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/battery.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I like it, Ridgerat. I like the Snopes link.
I kind of thought that was malarkey, but just checking.

Ratt with 2 T's

the COLD of a cement floor in the winter can effect the condition of a battery.

Quad,
A concrete floor will not discharge a battery. Modern batteries are sealed in plastic which insulates them from external discharge. However, batteries can lose charge over time, especially those that have been used/abused. Lead acid deep cycle batteries do not like to be left discharged too long or to be discharged to low. Ridgeratt is correct that supplying a constant charge with a trickle charger is best.
Some good reading on the basics and maintance of deep cycle batteries can be found here:

http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm and

http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volta.htm

Question: Why Do Batteries Discharge More Quickly in Cold Weather?

Answer: The electric current generated by a battery is produced when a connection is made between its positive and negative terminals. When the terminals are connected, a chemical reaction is initiated that generates electrons to supply the current of the battery. Lowering the temperature causes chemical reactions to proceed more slowly, so if a battery is used at a low temperature then less current is produced than at a higher temperature. As the batteries run down they quickly reach the point where they cannot deliver enough current to keep up with the demand. If the battery is warmed up again it will operate normally.

One solution to this problem is to make certain batteries are warm just prior to use. Preheating batteries is not unusual for certain situations. If the battery is already warm and insulated, it may make sense to use the battery's own power to operate a heating coil. It is reasonable to have batteries warm for use, but the discharge curve for most batteries is more dependent on battery design and chemistry than on temperature. This means that if the current drawn by the equipment is low in relation to the power rating of the cell, then the effect of temperature may be negligible.

On the other hand, when a battery is not in use, it will slowly lose its charge as a result of leakage between the terminals. This chemical reaction is also temperature dependent, so unused batteries will lose their charge more slowly at cooler temperatures than at warmer temperatures. For example, certain rechargeable batteries may go flat in approximately two weeks at normal room temperature, but may last more than twice as long if refrigerated.

Even the batteries in you equipment,car's,trucks, mowers,atv toys will loose starting amps if left in the cold.

More!!


Nominal battery performance is usually specified for working temperatures somewhere between 20°C and 30°C. The performance and indeed life of a battery can be seriously affected by the onset of extreme temperatures and, despite many consumer beliefs, heat is as big a cause of battery failure as is cold.

Heat actually does more damage to your battery than cold

Heat causes a battery’s fluid to evaporate which ultimately damages the internal structure of the battery. The voltage indicator is a component that is often effected early on by heat and when this fails to function effectively it allows the battery to operate and charge at too high a rate, thus leading to a loss of electrolytes which in turn causes either permanent damage or complete failure of the battery.

The hotter the battery, the faster chemical reactions will occur. High temperatures can therefore at times provide increased performance, but at the same time the rate of the unwanted chemical reactions will increase resulting in a corresponding loss of battery life. Tests have shown that the self discharge rate of a battery doubles with each 10°C increase in temperature.
Indeed, there are more road service calls in cold weather for dead batteries that cause starting failure. That’s when a battery’s output is diminished because of sluggish electro-chemical action that gives the battery its power. Also, colder temperatures increase thickness of the engine oil, making the engine harder to turn over. These factors lead to harder starting consequently placing extra strain on the battery causing for a shorter life

Batteries are no longer made with asphalt cases. Ancient batteries with asphalt cases could have the composition of the electrolyte changed by sitting on the cement floor. It's not been a problem since case design went to plastic around 50 years ago.

Sitting for 8 months without recharging was the cause, nothing more. Even though I know placing a battery on a concrete floor will not cause it to discharge any faster, I still set them on a piece of wood. Some old habits never die.

The Quadfather wrote:OK, so I put this under "Boating topics" as boasts --sometimes-- have batteries.

It used to be said, that back in the day... you should not leave a deep cycle battery on the concrete in your garage, etc.
It was said that somehow the earth pulled the juice out of your battery.

Does anybody have any strong belief that this was actually true.... and I have heard that is not the case with more modern technology batteries. ??

Tonight I was charging up the gear, getting ready for Sunday. My secondary battery, which has been on the garage floor for about 8 months, was showing 45% current charge.
I am a person that always puts my batteries back on the charger when I return from a trip out, so it is odd to me that this one was so low? I would expect that I had charged it months ago when I returned from a trip.

Any thoughts anybody on the earth pulling juice from the battery?

Look at some battery tenders off Amazon they work great. I use them on my boat, quad, lawn mower and truck. They are a good float charger and when your charge drops down it will charge at a very low trickle and stops when they meet full charge. explanation better on site. Not sure if I believe in the concrete floor thing but Im a little superstitious so I put my batterys on carpet rubber mat or wood.

Traditional lead/acid batteries need to be charged monthly, using a tender is good for the battery, good for you, and good on your wallet. I have 3 of these for the many batteries I leave "on the charger" at home.

Tenders are great. These can be had for under $5 at Harbor Freight when the sale is on.... Most of the time. For the price you can buy one for each rig cut off the clamps and crimp on some proper terminals and mount the charger close.
http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive ... 42292.html

Just to clear up the battery on a concrete floor statement. A battery's charge cannot be sucked out through it's plastic case and into a concrete floor, it is scientifically impossible. The original reason people were told not to put lead acid batteries in direct contact with a concrete floor was due to potential acid leakage. When flooded lead acid batteries are being charged, there is a potential for some of the acid to leak out of the relief hole, especially if left on a high current charger for an extended period of time. Sulfuric acid and concrete do not play nice together and even a little acid will pit a concrete floor. The same goes for metal, be it in your car or on your boat. The battery tray in your boat should be plastic and have sides to hold anything that leaks out of the battery.

It's all good everyone. Thanks for all the battery information. I really must have just removed the battery from the boat the last time out, and forgot to put a charge on it before doing so. I have no battery issues at all, just was confirming the concrete stuff was bogus.

Quad: Thanks for posting. I had heard and assumed exactly the same thing. Now many of us know better!