winter battery care

[26667]

it's been a long while since I lived in colder climes and I need a battery charge refresher. I've got my battery topped off to the line, lightly screwed in the plastic covers, and attached the Battery Tender. The light's green now, but it could be awhile till riding season. Should I just leave it plugged in? I suppose it's better to bring it in and find a spot in the house where it won't cause trouble and charge it there. Thx in advance.

[flash412]

Power the battery tender off the socket for the garage door opener lightbub. That way, the battery gets a five minute charge every time you enter or leave the garage in your cage.

[Isamemon]

clever idea

[Motor31]

Pull the battery out of the bike, clean the terminals and service the cells. Put it on a piece of wood so it's not resting on concrete. Set the charger on it and give it a charge every week.

[Mika]

Here are the basics for battery lay up as I learned them.

Remove and store the battery in a warm ventilated place. You do not want the battery to freeze and become damaged. Before disconnecting the battery, switch off the ignition.

To avoid short-circuits:
- First disconnect the negative battery lead (-),
- then the positive battery lead (+).

Clean the outside with a baking soda/water solution to neutralize any acid that's gotten out -- unless you're certain that no acid has escaped. Likewise for the inside of the battery box.

Fill the battery with distilled water if it is not a sealed unit.

Clean the terminals with a wire brush and lube them with dielectric grease before returning the battery to service.

Charge the battery before putting it away in that warm well ventilated place.
During storage check the fluid levels and recharge periodically as required. Flash's idea of runing the charger off your garage opener is an excellent one. Wish I had thought of it.

[26667]

...you guys rock. thx.

[manicmechanic]

If you keep the battery charged, it won't freeze. As a battery discharges, due to self-discharge and running parasitic loads (clock, radio memory), the acid becomes more dilute, as can be determined by its specific gravity. Becoming more dilute, its water concentration rises, which causes its freezing temperature to also rise. Best bet is to keep the battery charged. I keep mine it the bikes and on Tenders.

[26667]

well that's essentially what i'd done in the past tho' i didn't own the cool Batt' Tender which as I understand prevents overcharging. So i used to try to remember to plug and unplug. But I've recently read of guys making their batteries last FAR longer than I ever did; about a year or so tops on my '82 w oem electrics. My "new" '78 has an upgraded elctr. chrging system. ( elec ign and "lam CAMTRON" box sitting on top of the air fltr housing) I bought it late in the season and I've only just begun exploring this bike. If it warms up a bit i may lift it out and bring it indoors, but finding a safe spot in the house is a bit of a pita.

[osbornk]

I use a timer like I have on my Christmas tree or that yould use for your lights if you're out of town to cycle my charger on and off. Mine was around $5 and I can set it to cycle on and off either once or twice a day and I can let it stay on as long as I wish. You simply plug it in and forget it.

[Isamemon]

to keep my battery charged I....................
RIDE MY SCOOTER
year round

[1flyer]

Here is a question I haven't seen asked. Do you add distilled water before you charge the battery or after it's back up to the normal charge? I've always added water first, then plug in the charger.

[flash412]

Here is a question I haven't seen asked. Do you add distilled water before you charge the battery or after it's back up to the normal charge? I've always added water first, then plug in the charger.If it needs it, yes. You should add it any time the battery is low. Certainly before you put it on a charger. And if you overcharge it an boil off the electrolyte, when you take it off as well.

[RatSnake]

to keep my battery charged I....................
RIDE MY SCOOTER
year round
+1, and you don't have to buy Stabil either.

[Rod Sheridan]

If the plates are exposed, add only enough distilled water to cover the plates.
Charge the battery, and once you are aproximately 75% of the way through the charge cycle, add enough distilled water to raise the level to the high mark.

The electrolyte level rises with temperature and state of charge, so if you add the water at the beginning of the cycle, you may overfill the cell.

regards, Rod.

[flash412]

If the plates are exposed, add only enough distilled water to cover the plates. Charge the battery, and once you are aproximately 75% of the way through the charge cycle, add enough distilled water to raise the level to the high mark. The electrolyte level rises with temperature and state of charge, so if you add the water at the beginning of the cycle, you may overfill the cell.That's plain silly. Every battery I ever put into service had me add acid to the top "full" line, charge it, take it off the charger and wait for the bubbles to go away, then refill to the full line with acid. Yeah, putting a battery into service is different from charging one. But the process is the same.

Fill it with distilled water to the FULL mark. There is a reason that the full mark is well below the top of the battery. That reason is so that it doesn't overflow with outgassing (unless you charge it at way more than 10% of the Ampere-Hour rating of the battery). Once it is removed from the charger and settles down, top it up again.

Screw all this... either ride the bike or get a maintenance-free battery. Either way is much better and moots this discussion.

[Screamineagle]

to keep my battery charged I....................
RIDE MY SCOOTER
year round


yeah, what he said. 04 RT never on a charger

[PAULBACH]

About this adding acid or water ...

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE wear rubber gloves and eye protection. Just one drop of sulphuric acid spattered in the wrong direction will

ruin clothing if you are lucky

ruin eyesight if you are not so fortunate.

Worse yet - think of the damage to the finish.

I'm not sure about today but the Navy used to require a two man watch when working on storage batteries.

Safety is cheap. Stupid hurts.

[Rod Sheridan]

Dear Flash, after 25 years of employment specializing in battery maintenance programs and power conversion, I guarantee that adding water after the cell is at least 75% charged is the way to go.

Don't take my word on it, contact any battery company and talk to one of the engineers.

Regards, Rod.

[pmdave]

I pull the batteries once a year or so for cleaning. All my machines have AGM, so I don't have to worry about when to add water.

When I put the machine back in the garage, I plug in an automatic charger and forget it. The AGMs seem to last about 3 to 4 years this way. Yes, I know I could baby a lead acid battery and get it to last for maybe 5-6 years, but with several machines that would take up more effort than I'm willing to spend. I'd rather just bolt in a new AGM battery every 3 years, which also keeps my work pants less holier, and the frame less corroded.

I've used different automatic chargers, including Deltran and Battery Doc. I've had strange performance from some of the Deltrans. The Battery Doc seems to be more consistent. But the charger I prefer is the Schumacher junior from Mr. Walls. Less than $20, it's a three-stage charger with a very sturdy case and lots of extra connectors.

Although my garage is heated, it wouldn't make any difference with an auto charger connected--so long as the power didn't fail. A charged battery won't freeze at typical NA winter temperatures.

pmdave

[tuber1]

...Some years I would bring the battery in and charge it occasionally, other times just disconnect it, and use battery tender. I always got many years from my batteries. I think some ppl got spoiled with these no maintain batts.




it's been a long while since I lived in colder climes and I need a battery charge refresher. I've got my battery topped off to the line, lightly screwed in the plastic covers, and attached the Battery Tender. The light's green now, but it could be awhile till riding season. Should I just leave it plugged in? I suppose it's better to bring it in and find a spot in the house where it won't cause trouble and charge it there. Thx in advance.