Do you bring your battery inside for the winter?

[sixdogs]

I usually charge all my batteries with a smart charger late in December and then again in the spring and that's been fine. But I have a 6V "weak" battery in my IH Super C that I'm thinking of bringing into the heated garage for the winter. Maybe others like my old truck and some tractors.

I know it can't hurt but does it help?

 

[Hay Dude]

Yes. Really cold temps (or extreme heat) don’t do a battery any good.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

I agree with @Hay Dude

Most of the time I removed batteries from equipment for long term winter storage and stored them in a temperature controlled shed above 40 degrees F.

I came to this conclusion from personal experience and classes required by an employer working in an Industrial battery shop where my sole purpose was to charge and maintain batteries.
Some of the learned items was the electrolyte level of lead acid batteries is effected by cold temps. As the battery gets colder the density of the electrolyte increases. As the density increase the available current goes down as well as the fluid level.

Ideally the battery fluid level should be checked at 70 degrees F. due to expansion and contraction of the fluid base on battery temp.

If the fluid level is low before winter, the level will get lower and could possibly expose plates and this could cause premature sulfation.

 

[2manyrocks]

Can you avoid battery deterioration by keeping it connected to a solar charger when not in use during the winter? It's a pain to remove the battery from one of my tractors.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

Can you avoid battery deterioration by keeping it connected to a solar charger when not in use during the winter? It's a pain to remove the battery from one of my tractors.

Yes, but it would be best to have a temperature compensated charger.
Batteries require a higher charging voltage when cold and a lower charging voltage when hot.

 

[2manyrocks]

Thank you.

 

[deserteagle71]

Nope. All my batteries stay in whatever equipment they were installed in. BUT...every one has one of these battery maintainers connected to it. I went the extra step and installed quick connects to each battery so I don't have to raise a hood or remove a battery cover. Temperature compensated, and also a desulfator. I have at least a dozen of these, been using these for years and never had one fail. Since I've been using them my batteries seem to last forever. My ancient John Deere diesel is notoriously hard to start when the temperature is below 50 degrees yet the last cheap Walmart battery I installed in it lasted 13 years.

https://www.northerntool.com/products/batteryminder-plus-battery-charger-trickle-charger-desulfator-12-volt-1-amp-model-12117tc-167981

 

[Rockbadchild]

Yes... I bring mine in if I don't used that vehicle for the winter, and I charge them once in a while. It not only help the battery itself it helps to avoid corrosion by having the battery disconnected

 

[oosik]

There was a time when all batteries were stored in the spare bedroom. That procedure went south when I bought the Odyssey AGM battery for the tractor. This new battery weighs 78 pounds and it's location in the tractor could easily cause a hernia.

Now everything is on a state of the art "trickle charger". Besides I am now down from five to two batteries on chargers.

 

[DarkBlack]

Heat is bad for vehicle batteries.
Cold environments are actually good for longevity. It’s only detrimental if you leave the battery highly discharged in sub freezing temperatures.
If you keep your battery in a decent charged state, there’s nothing wrong with leaving it out in the cold.

 

[SARG]

I currently have six on 1.5 amp maintainers and will be on the machines all winter.

 

[SmallChange]

Heat is bad for vehicle batteries.
Cold environments are actually good for longevity.

This!

There are two issues that depend on temperature.

Aging of the battery is much worse when the battery is hotter. The colder the better, at least at common outdoor temperatures.

The ability of the battery to turn the engine over is much worse when the battery, and engine, are colder. Batteries work by chemical reactions that are faster at higher temperatures, so they deliver less power when they're cold. Moreover, colder engines are harder to turn, at least because lubricants are more viscous and maybe for other reasons (don't know).

So, ideal usage from the point of view of the battery would be to store it in the refrigerator, and take it out and warm it and the engine up to start the engine. Not that that is remotely practical -- just that this is the direction the dependencies on temperature exhibit.

 

[Oaktree]

Nope. All my batteries stay in whatever equipment they were installed in. BUT...every one has one of these battery maintainers connected to it. I went the extra step and installed quick connects to each battery so I don't have to raise a hood or remove a battery cover. Temperature compensated, and also a desulfator. I have at least a dozen of these, been using these for years and never had one fail. Since I've been using them my batteries seem to last forever. My ancient John Deere diesel is notoriously hard to start when the temperature is below 50 degrees yet the last cheap Walmart battery I installed in it lasted 13 years.

I do the same. I don't even keep the maintainers/trickle chargers on the full time. All my seasonal equipment is stored in the same shed, I'll just rotate the charger between equipment, couple weeks at a time. Charger's on a timer so it's only active a few hours a day. It's enough.
I really should install some sort of extension cable to my tractor...the battery terminals aren't very easy to get at, and the loader arms get in the way to connect to the starter.

 

[careyo63]

Grand father used a old light and blanket to wrap around the battery to keep the battery warm. Also bring it inside overnight when it was extremely cold. In Ga. it Rarely ever goes below 20 Deg. so they stay in the Tractors. Under a carport. When I shut the Ford down I do pull the + connection. Conv. to 12V. and points. The Diesel Yanmar I clean the Terminals and put a full Charge on it. My lawnmower so it sits mostly through the winter. Wally world also. I did raise the CCA, from 550 to 800. Biggest Battery that would actually fit in the lockdown plate! 3yr. Warrenty I replaced in 1/2021. 12.30 on the V.Meter was the lowest I've see it go!

 

[bdhsfz6]

All good info here.

I would probably bring batteries inside, but all mine are in equipment I use year round.

 

[Henro]

Being an old dog, I never considered bringing a battery inside! Never have and never will, but our temps in South Western PA are more temperate than many other locations in the North...I think the coldest we ever had over many decades was minus 17 or so, but that is like once every ten years or more, and only for a night or two.

Would be a real pain if wanting to use the tractor/equipment when it was really cold and there was no battery in it.

 

[deserteagle71]

I really should install some sort of extension cable to my tractor...the battery terminals aren't very easy to get at, and the loader arms get in the way to connect to the starter.

That's what I did. All of my rigs have ring terminal to SAE connectors installed on them because the battery maintainers have SAE ends. The ring terminals go to the battery terminals and the SAE end is attached somewhere out of the way but still easy to get to. So no lifting the hood or messing with battery clamps. Here's an example:

Amazon.com

 

[SARG]

I have these on all the batteries

 

[Hay Dude]

I always wonder if those maintainers aren’t a fire hazard
or they dry out/“boil” your batteries.

Probably unfounded worry, but I’ve seen plenty of electrical fires, too.

I have 3 or 4 maintainers, but never used them much.

 

[Henro]

I always wonder if those maintainers aren’t a fire hazard
or they dry out/“boil” your batteries.

Probably unfounded worry, but I’ve seen plenty of electrical fires, too.

I have 3 or 4 maintainers, but never used them much.

I agree, probably an unfounded concern. Maintianers are a different animal than chargers or trickle chargers...they seem to limit input current to the batter as needed to maintain charge but not add extra energy that could cause issues...