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.