# Do You Remove Your Battery In The Winter



## spepi (Apr 12, 2010)

I usually take my battery into my basement for the winter, and put it on a trickle charge for the winter. Living in Mass, it gets pretty cold, but then there could be days in the 40's...If I leave my trailer plugged into my 30amp service in my yard, do you think my battery will be ok, or should I just keep my normal habit in place and bring into the basement?

thanks


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

If it stays charged (or on a trickle charger), it can take pretty low temps without damage.


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## Troy n Deb (Aug 31, 2009)

I bring both of mine home from my storage place and put them in garage(heated) Charge occasionally. Do not sit them on floor. Place some blocks down first.


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## spepi (Apr 12, 2010)

I think I'll just bring in the basement and put it on my work bench....why change something that I know works right? If it aint broke, dont fix it.

thanks


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## bbwb (Apr 4, 2008)

A charged battery will not freeze. I pull mine from the camper and leave it in my garage hooked up to a battery maintainer. So far, the batter has worked three summers and all is well.

bbwb


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## Red Beard (Feb 13, 2010)

Troy n Deb said:


> I bring both of mine home from my storage place and put them in garage(heated) Charge occasionally. Do not sit them on floor. Place some blocks down first.


The blocks first only pertain to batteries made before about 1950. The plastic case of modern batteries will not leak fluid nor will they bleed electrons. 
The best thing for batteries in storage is a charger that cycles the battery. Most of the new "maintainers" will do that. 
In extreme cold weather I have had batteries freeze. 
I suggest some gold old common sense.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

Red Beard said:


> I bring both of mine home from my storage place and put them in garage(heated) Charge occasionally. Do not sit them on floor. Place some blocks down first.


The blocks first only pertain to batteries made before about 1950. The plastic case of modern batteries will not leak fluid nor will they bleed electrons. 
The best thing for batteries in storage is a charger that cycles the battery. Most of the new "maintainers" will do that. 
In extreme cold weather I have had batteries freeze. 
I suggest some gold old common sense.
[/quote]

*Blocks are important in the right circumstances no matter when the battery was manufactured.* I used to work for a battery company and was in charge of ordering and maintaing the stock as well as charging and customer issues. A lead/acid battery will not freeze when fully charged, that is true. The issue is getting the battery to charge. When a lead/acid battery is being charged, it has to get to a certain internal temperature for the chemical reaction to take place.

When you apply the current to a battery that is too cold to charge, because of the resistance of the battery heat is created and warms the battery to the point that the reaction can occur. The battery then starts to charge. Blocks are used to isolate the battery from a concrete floor. The concrete is basically a huge heat sink and will suck the heat out of a battery faster than you can put it in, depending on the capacity of the charger being used. With blocks under the battery, it doesn't contact the concrete so it can keep it's heat and allows it to warm up.


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## Troy n Deb (Aug 31, 2009)

Thanks fulminator I knew there was a reason I always did that.


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

Interesting topic - there are lots and lots of forums on the internet that discuss this topic - and all have different opinions on whether or not to store a battery on a concrete floor.

Our first season with the Outback, I stored the battery in the basement directly on the concrete floor. The following season it worked fine the entire summer.


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