how do you store a battery?
 

i have a spare battery on one of those battery tender devices.

is that really good enough to keep it alive?

the problem is i just bought a 7 year battery from autozone. it will be a while until i need another one.

i guess i could swap them around once in a while but the thing is so darn heavy.

what are your opinions?

I'm not sure I would keep the tender on it 24x7. There are some good ones and some bad ones. I know of someone who has wasted two airplane batteries in the last two years. However, if it's not a cheapie, I would keep the battery OFF of concrete and NOT where it can freeze. Put the tender on and every month or so, check to see if the battery is warm. If it is, take it off the tender; it is overcharging.

The best way to store a lead-acid battery long-term is to remove the acid, but I don't recommend it.

Sell it. Then buy another one when you need it.

Why keep it OFF Concrete ?

Russ

From the tech section at BatteriesPlus:
What is the proper maintenance for a lawnmower, motorcycle, or marine battery during the off season?

The battery should be disconnected from the application and stored in a cool, dry place. It is extremely important to maintain voltage via a trickle charge (1-2 amps) for a maximum of 6 hours every 6 to 8 weeks.


Is it really true that it is bad for an automotive or motorcycle battery to be stored directly on concrete?

This is a myth. It did have some basis in fact with the very early designs of these types of batteries when the outside case material was somewhat porous and allowed minute amounts of electrolyte to seep through the case to the concrete. This would in turn react with conductive materials in concrete and cause a voltage drain thereby "killing" the battery. Today, all batteries of this type, have a polypropylene exterior case which is extremely resistant to any leaks unless damaged. Storage of a battery directly on concrete will not harm the battery.

I think the other gentleman was refering to the conductive nature of concrete and how it would work like a big heat sink when compared to being placed upon wood.

No, I was interested what myths and stories would be recanted about storing batteries on concrete floors. I already knew that the concern about storing them on concrete floors is an old myth that doesnt apply to modern batteries.

Russ

Sell the battery! Incidentally some of the new battery maintainance devices have microprocessors that monitor voltage and only charge when needed ceasing the charge cycle when the battery is topped off. They are supposed to be okay to use indefinitely. RT

storing
 

i would still keep it off the concrete. put it on a piece of plywood.

If it happened to leak it will ruin the concrete.

Re: storing
 

we always kept ours on wood..

batteries/chargers
 

Saw a great little charger at Menards awhile ago and bought one. It has new high frequency technology that speeds up the charging time with no overcharge. Seems to have a nice set of features, including a de-sulfating cycle and three-stage charge . I notice that JC Whitney has them too but Menards price was way better. I'd guess that this charger would monitor the battery and take care of it just right. Best upgrade in charger tech. in a long time.

You should be pretty safe with a decent quality battery tender. I have a couple of old cars with 7+/- year old batteries that are left on tenders almost constantly. You do need to keep an eye on the electrolyte levels though. If the tender is working right there should be almost zero loss of fluid but over 1-2 years time the level will go down slightly.

I knew of the myth but thought it better to advise so "just in case". I thought I would get more people respondint to keep it off contrete than that it was ok to do so.

I myself never paid attention to what I had the battery sitting on.

I thought that would stir a few up. Wanna talk about green anti-freeze now?:D