Winter storage
 

As a reminder, if you haven't done it lately, go put a charger on your batteries. I just checked the brand new battery in my Chevelle and it read ZERO volts. Oh well, it's under warranty. Maybe it will recover.

Works best if you disconnect battery cable while in storage.
They will take maybe 5-8 total discharges like that before they fail----- usually
I dislike battery maintainers but not going into a discussion
LUCK!!

Are you sure...:bigthink:... I'd like to hear your thinking on this...

I believe trickle chargers can overcharge the battery if you leave it on too long.......even if you are doing trickles. I have trickle charger that will stop charging once the charger senses the battery has full charge so I think that's OK.

A "float charger" is the way to go on a stored battery.
an example: https://www.ruralking.com/auto-batte...SABEgI3MfD_BwE

OK,
The problem with maintainers I've seen is the battery will come up to voltage and shut off.
Then when it drops a bit, it will kick in.
After a long period of this,. the battery takes on a surface charge.
Then when it is asked to start the equipment, it is dead.
A trickle charger will over charge a battery, seen it time and time again.
Same thing in a RV with a "trickle" power supply, come spring you find a dry battery that is junk.
A maintainer will work ok if only used month to month usage.
like my ol vette, I don't use it weekly in summer, maybe once a mo. or less, in that situation a maintainer works ok.
(I don't own/use a maintainer)
Just my findings over many years.

I've had similar issues with maintainers on my sleds and Monte Carlo. Keep them on and I go to use them and the batteries are dead. Stopped using them.

Hard to know what the best thing to do is, I guess just keep using your stuff.

Back when I had the time I would always just pull all the batteries in the unused equipment and store them in the warm boiler room on a pine board on the floor. Charge them in the spring when it was time to get going.

When I was a kid and bought my first motorcycle, the guys said, “ come winter, put the battery in the cellar with a trickle charger hooked up to the cellar light. That way, every time your mom sends you down to get a can of beans out of the root cellar, the battery will get some charge”.

I got a friend that made up a pulse charger recently. Swears he’s gonna rejuvenate all his 15 year old batteries.

Lately I been using Battery Tender Jr’s.

Sorry, just some random thoughts..:bigthink:

Yeah I forgot to check two of mine that I wouldn't usually worry about. went to start one, and it was stone dead. it has been down to 8 degrees for a few days. so far haven't gotten either to come back at all. sucks. If I had to replace all my batteries here I'd be north of 1500 in them all at the minimum. might need to get rid of a few things!

Honestly i had great luck out of my old battery tender plus. It finally died after 5 years of abuse. I used it to charge my deep cycles mainly and i think thats what killed it (would take 4+ days to charge two batterys) ive had those for 4 years now and still going strong. I also use it to keep the battery topped up in the cub between usage in the winter. I pull the battery out of my s10 and bring it inside on the heat and will throw the maintainer on it for a few days every other week. And rotate with a couple other batterys i have. So far ive lucked out with it. And brought one battery "back" with it for 50 bucks i really cant complain. I need to buy another soon