Storing batteries for the winter?
 

Both of my boats have new smart battery chargers. The Sea Ray has they kind that will even equalize the charge going to each bank. If I can keep the battery chargers plugged i for the winter and connected to the batteries, Is there any point in removing them from the boat and putting them in the basement? What do others do and if you leave them on the boat, what kind of battery charger do you have?

I have not removed a bat for the winter in wither in a long time, since smart chargers were invented. Turn bat switches off and I'm good

Back when I had a boat that the batteries were easy to pull, and the boat was statically stored outside; I would pull them and put them inside stored on wood, (not on concrete) with trickle chargers attached. The last few years, I have just left them in the boat, and plugged the boat in for about a week a month to keep them topped off.

I've seen what a bilge looks like when a battery blows up what a mess, I leave them in the boat but not on a charger with the onboard heater on.

Mine sit in the boat all winter long with the battery switched turned off. In the spring they get a few hours trickle to top them off and they are good to go.

Same here. Plenty of voltage when spring hit this year with (2)4 and (2)6 year old batteries. I can't unhook my batteries AND open/close my hatch without great effort. Thing is too friggin heavy. If they are dead in spring, plug in onboard charger until hatch will open.

Battery switches to OFF
Remove cables from batteries
Clean the batteries with baking soda/water solution
Top them off if they are fillable
Charge them then put the charger away
Leave them in boat and forget about them until spring.
Doing this for 30 plus years in a northern climate and the boat stored cold. Batteries replaced appx. every seven years.

as long as they are on a smart charger you should be fine, make sure water is full, if you remove them the old saying(my dad swore by it) do let sit on concrete is been proven not true.

It's too cold here in Michigan and my batteries come into the basement. I pull the batteries out of 3 Mustangs, the lawn tractor and the boat. 6 batteries come indoors every winter to extend the life of them.

I pull all of my batteries from my boats (4) and put them into my solar grid system and maintain the 13.2v-13.8v float charge that is recommended. (from the charge controller) They also see some cycling when out in my building.

I corrected your spelling....

And you are correct, storing on a concrete floor does not hurt a modern sealed battery that is in, otherwise, good condition.

This would be the time to 'winterize' which means getting a windbreaker out of the closet.

I don't like keeping them on concrete for temperature reasons. Keeping them elevated keeps the temperature more uniform from bottom to top. I don't have radiant floor heating, but that would be a different element.

I know I am bringing up an old post, but I've pulled my batteries from my Donzi and am storing them inside for the winter.

Which charger would you recommend? ..Pulled them around end of October and they have been sitting in my guest bedroom since. Interstate Deep Cycle Marine/RV. I know I need to get something hooked up to them to maintain until spring.

Thanks
-Matt

I have one of these mounted in my Garage. Charges the boat batteries and my summer car battery. Easy, plug em in and forget it.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...99acc75723.png
Have used this model for years with no problems. We use the larger 48vdc model for batts at work with same success.

I live in Michigan and bring both boat batteries, 3 Mustang batteries and the lawn tractor battery into the basement every winter. I don't know if it helps but I usually do get a long life out of batteries. I also keep them elevated and off the cold floor and put a slow charge into them about twice over the winter. lol, just realized that I answered this thread over a year ago!

hello,,yes i am also in the lovely state of michigan, for years i use to always bring batteries home , put in basement on a peice of wood, then trickle charger them. but now keep current boat in my heated garaqge year round, so just leave batteries in boat and trickle charge them every 3-4 weeks.
if your boat is sitting in a boat yard, i think i would still bring them home, as you couldnt charge them in a yard.

Where I keep my boat for 5 months there is no electric. So I have a battery maintainer connected from last boat run(early October) until it goes to sleep mid November. Then just turn the battery switch off. BTW... a trickle charger will cook the batteries, maintainer will not!

I leave mine in the boat with the switch off. Spring time throw them on a battery tender. Never have a problem. I have 2 Interstate 1000 CCA , I think they are like 5 years old.