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storing car-take battery out?other ideas?

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Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Discription: General Mobile Electronics Questions and Answers
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=44024
Printed Date: April 20, 2024 at 3:14 AM


Topic: storing car-take battery out?other ideas?

Posted By: fusepopper
Subject: storing car-take battery out?other ideas?
Date Posted: November 29, 2004 at 2:36 AM

Hi,
I've got an '85 RX-7 that sees very little pavement. It sees no pavement in the winter. I've installed a Bulldog remote start unit to run power locks, hatch, dome light, etc. Ever since installing this unit if I let the car sit for 3 weeks to a month the battery will be too weak to start the car. I'm just wondering what I could do to prevent this . . .
The car is parked in a garage.

Should I buy a disconnect switch for under the hood to disconnect battery from car?

Should I buy a battery maintainer to constantly charge the battery?

Should I put the battery in the basement for the Wisconsin winter? (However, it would be nice to be able to start the car occasionally without lugging the battery to the car)

Thanks,
Matt



Replies:

Posted By: Velocity Motors
Date Posted: November 29, 2004 at 9:08 AM
Hey Matt, just take the battery out. The weather over there is still cold enough that it will cause some life wear on the battery and if you leave it in there you will end up having to get a new battery eventually. I always take mine out and in the spring, I just reinstall the terminals and I'm off. Fresh battery and if you store the battery make sure that it sits on a shelf or the very least on wood if your storing it in the basement. NEVER allow a battery to sit on concrete for any length of time as this will discharge the electrolites and kill the battery.

-------------
Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA




Posted By: MJA1962
Date Posted: November 29, 2004 at 9:50 AM

Velocity Motors wrote:

NEVER allow a battery to sit on concrete for any length of time as this will discharge the electrolites and kill the battery.

I was told by a rep from a battery manufacturer that this advice is outdated, and no longer applies to modern batteries.  I think it had something to do with the materials used in the battery housing.

-Michael





Posted By: MJA1962
Date Posted: November 29, 2004 at 9:53 AM

From https://www.batteriesplus.com/techctn.html

Is it really true that it is bad for an automotive or motorcycle battery to be stored directly on concrete?

This is a myth. It did have some basis in fact with the very early designs of these types of batteries when the outside case material was somewhat porous and allowed minute amounts of electrolyte to seep through the case to the concrete. This would in turn react with conductive materials in concrete and cause a voltage drain thereby "killing" the battery. Today, all batteries of this type, have a polypropylene exterior case which is extremely resistant to any leaks unless damaged. Storage of a battery directly on concrete will not harm the battery.





Posted By: MJA1962
Date Posted: November 29, 2004 at 9:57 AM

One more, sorry!

From: https://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/1999/November/06.html

Dear Tom and Ray:

posted_image

This business of batteries and concrete floors needs to be explained and put to rest. Years ago, everybody knew that you were never supposed to put a car battery on a concrete floor because it would be quickly ruined. That statement was absolutely true, but they weren't talking about the BATTERY being ruined, they were talking about the CONCRETE FLOOR! Batteries used to be "topped off" with water, which resulted in acid being spattered about. If you put one on a concrete floor without carefully washing it, the acid ate into the concrete, quickly ruining the floor. It didn't hurt the battery one bit, but people who misunderstood the advice and wanted to appear knowledgeable came up with all sorts of foolish explanations as to why the battery should be ruined. Even an acid-spattered battery will not leak its charge into the earth. There may be leakage across the terminals of a "top-post" battery, but that would be slight. So here's the story: If a battery is clean, you can safely put it on your concrete floor. If it's acid-spattered, put it on somebody else's concrete floor or stick a board under it. -- Clay

Ray: Clay, you sound so utterly convincing. If it were up to me, I'd buy your story lock, stock and barrel. But my brother says you're full of baloney.

Tom: The GFCA (Garage Floor Cleaners of America) may indeed have had a hand in keeping batteries off concrete floors. But the real concern WAS the batteries.

Ray: Thirty years ago or so, most battery casings were made of hard rubber. And because of the porosity of that material, battery acid would sometimes seep through the rubber and create a conductive path through the damp concrete, draining the battery.

Tom: But that can't happen today with plastic-cased batteries. That's because molded polypropylene (a k a plastic), is not porous at all.

Ray: So today, you can put your battery on a concrete floor for as long as you want. And here's the interesting thing, Clay. The cooler the temperature, the slower a battery's rate of discharge. And because concrete is often cooler than its surroundings, leaving a modern battery on a concrete floor might actually make it last LONGER.





Posted By: Velocity Motors
Date Posted: November 29, 2004 at 10:09 AM
Good to know !! Thanks for the update. I guess I'm still out of date on this topic

-------------
Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA




Posted By: fusepopper
Date Posted: November 29, 2004 at 2:13 PM
I was out of date on that topic as well . . .thanks for clearing that up.

I'm thinking I will take the battery out for the winter. However I'm still wondering if I should buy a battery maintainer. Even in the warmer seasons I'm sure the battery will still drain due to the remote start unit if not driven.
Thanks,
Matt   




Posted By: archemedes
Date Posted: November 29, 2004 at 3:59 PM
the only problem I have with a battery on a floor is picking it back up, that's a long ways to bendposted_image




Posted By: Xracerx
Date Posted: November 29, 2004 at 5:46 PM

always keep a battery maintained with some type of charger. The plates will flake off and fall to the bottom and short them out.

I asked a battery rep how the hell you rebuild a battery. He said they turn them upside down and wash it out and fill it with electrolite again. I said how does that fix it? Answer was, it cleans out all those flakes that short out the plates. If the fiber seperator plates are damaged they recycle it.






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