Ask the Experts | Winter Battery Care

[toneeees]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Man's best friend is his dog, right? If he's trying to crank up a pair of engines, boating man's best friends are his batteries. Unfortunately, batteries often get treated more like stray cats than favored family pets.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]One reason for this is that many boat batteries are installed in cramped, nearly inaccessible locations. But make no mistake, they need care and feeding to provide reliable long-term service. In season, this care includes checking that connections are tight, clean and greased and ensuring the acid isn't boiling away. The following tips offer great battery care guidelines ? for winter or any prolonged period of storage.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]If You Haul Your Boat for the Winter[/FONT]

1. [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Charge It Up: Charge the battery, and then remove the negative cable. Let it rest for several hours before verifying its status.[/FONT]
2. [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Use Specific Gravity: Each cell should have a specific gravity of between 1.21 and 1.28, if you are using a hydrometer.[/FONT]
3. [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Use a Voltmeter: If using a voltmeter, a fully charged battery should read 12.5 volts.[/FONT]
4. [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Be Vigilant: Dream of springtime and either use a trickle charger/maintainer or check the charge monthly.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]If You Store Your Boat in the Water[/FONT]

1. [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Stay Dry: Switch off all breakers except the one(s) for the bilge pump(s).[/FONT]
2. [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Make Rounds: Check the boat weekly, more frequently in rough weather and during power outages.[/FONT]
3. [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Keep It Up: Plug into shore power and keep the battery charged with your installed charger or a regulated battery maintainer.[/FONT]
4. [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Do Acid Test: Check the electrolyte level of flooded batteries and top off with distilled water ? just enough to cover the plates.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Myth Busted
Storing batteries on a concrete floor does not shorten their lives.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Article courtesy of Boating Magazine. To subscribe or view additional news from Boating Magazine, go to boatingmag.com.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif][EDITOR'S NOTE] Find boat batteries & chargers at iboats.com[/FONT]