To Trickle Charge or Not?

[rgshafto]

It is getting close to car storage time up here in Maine and I am wondering whether or not to hook my 6v car up to a trickle charger for the winter in hopes of extending the battery life. (It's the kind that shuts off when the battery is fully charged.)

Is there any fire danger to these things? My battery is under the floor, so I'd have to hook it up through the starter terminal. I suppose it would be safest to disconnect the main wiring harness lead so only the battery is getting juice. A fire in the barn would really ruin my day so I don't want to do anything that increases that risk.

Appreciate any advice on the matter.

[Dave@Moon]

The only battery I ever lost over the winter was the only year I used a trickle charger. Unfortunately I bought a cheap one from <span style="font-style: italic">Harbor Freight</span>, and come the next April the battery was totally fried. If you buy one get a good one!

I'm able on warmer days in the winter to pull the cars out and let them run up to temperature about once a month. I find it's easier (and more fun) than "winterizing" a car of storage. I used to do the whole bit with fogging oil and the works, but this is better. It might not be an option in Maine, however.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

Bob,

I think you answered your own questions...

If it were my car (and all mine are jalopies, which is to say "not priceless"...), I would disconnect the battery from the rest of the electrical system before leaving a trickle-charger hooked-up and energized. Even if you have a new harness, and everything is "perfect", all it takes is one hungry critter to start chewing somewhere and cause big problems (which is not related to the trickle-charger itself...). Sometimes problems occur without the critter...

Another thought would be the off-gassing produced by the battery and any possible acid spatter through the vents...I believe that most trickle chargers produce about 1 amp, which is probably less than the car's generator furnishes while running...but leaving something hooked-up and un-attended does not sound attractive to me.

I think I would take the battery out of the car, charge it slowly and fully, clean the case with soap and warm water, dry it thoroughly, and store it in a cool, dry place in the garage or cellar, and perhaps once a month completely discharge it by connecting a spare headlight to it, then re-charge slowly, and put it back to sleep.

When spring arrives, carge the battery fully ( and slowly) again, and re-install in your car.

I have not completely mothballed my six-volt stuff for winter storage - I take them out on dry, salt-free days, and I give no special attention to the battery.

I've been using Sam's Club group 1 batteries for the last seven or eight years.

The cars get driven at least once a month.

I think leaving a trickle-charger hooked-up to the battery, in the car, all winter, is increasing your risk for a tragic loss (car, plus garage & contents)...IMHO. A few years back, a local car collector lost several cars in a garage fire, a '33 Dodge among them, due to short in the wiring of one of the stored cars.

If I know one of my vehicles is going to be inactive for a prolonged period of time (more than a month), I disconnect the battery, "just in case"...

Good luck !

[Oxnard Montalvo]

Aren't the winters a little LONG up in Maine?

Maintaining a full charge will prolong battery life and it's capacity to withstand subzero temperatures. Why not just pull the battery and hook up the charger?

The battery should be vented while charging. That way any fumes will dissipate.

[rgshafto]

Yup, we got winter like Florida's got sunshine, and they're loooong. Also beautiful and a lot of fun, if you like snow. Normally, I would pull the battery, but it's so damn inconvenient on a '36 Pontiac that I'd rather not. You've got to pull the floor mat out of the way (with the chance of it ripping), unscrew six floorboard screws and remove that piece (carefully), then pull the battery, hoping you keep it clear of windlace, uphostery, etc. You've also left a big hole for animals to get in (in spite of the mothballs I use). I've been leaving the battery in for the 40 yrs I've owned the coupe, but disconnecting it. I rarely get more than 2-3 years out of them. Now that I've bought a good original style (expensive) battery, I want to keep it as long as I can.

I suppose I could run the car now and again - we do get 40+ degree days even in mid-winter - but all I could do is idle them. Too much snow between barn and driveway to get them on the road, which I wouldn't do anyway because of the salt. I did drive it through one winter in college, 120 miles north of here. Often on bitter cold days it was the only car in the lot to start with out a push or jump.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Oxnard Montalvo]

If you're too stubborn after forty years...don't pull it then.

Want to borrow a snow shovel? I'm not going to need mine this year.We're not getting any snow.

Hook up a quality trickle charger and keep an eye on it. Open the vent windows for air flow. the battery must be kept fully charged to prevent lead sulfation. Check this link for all the FAQs about batteries. Battery FAQs

To just idle a car does not bring it up to true operating temperature. The combustion by-products created by idling are destructive to an engine.

Water

Combustion produces water vapor, or steam. When engine tempera­tures are high, most of the water remains in vapor form and goes out through the exhaust. However, when engine temperatures are low, such as at start-up, warm-up and short trip operation in low ambient tempera­tures, the water vapor condenses on cylinder walls and is picked up in the crankcase oil. Here it leads to the formation of sludge, rust and corrosion.

Acids

The combustion process produces acidic gases which, like water vapor, condense on cylinder walls at cold engine temperatures and also find their way into the crankcase oil. These combine with water to cause rust and corrosion.

Soot and Carbon

Incomplete combustion produces soot, carbon and other deposit-form­ing materials. An engine running too ?rich,? or with too much fuel, increases the amount of contaminants. In gasoline engines, light ­load and low-speed operations increase these combustion by-prod­ucts more than high-load, high-speed operations. Diesel engines produce more of the by-products with low ­speed, high-load operations.

Dilution

When and engine is started or run­ning abnormally, some unburned fuel in liquid form is deposited on cylinder walls. That means raw fuel leaks past the rings into the crankcase, where it reduces the vis­cosity of the oil. Dilution lowers the film strength of the oil and increases oil consumption. Usually this is a minor problem when engine opera­tion is at high-speed, high-temper­atures, but it can be a problem in vehicles consistently used for short ­trip driving.

[Guest imported_JPIndusi]

I typically get 6 years or more out of my collector car batteries (both 6 volts) and daily driver cars. Right now my 48 Buick has an Interstae that is 6+ years old and seems just fine.

Here is what I recommend:

1. Go buy a disconnect terminal and install it on the negative battery post and during times when you are not running the car, loosen the knob to disconnect the battery from the vehicle.

2. Make sure all the cables and connectors are the correct size and are clean, bright and tight.

3. Buy some distilled water and keep the electrolyte at the proper level.

4. Buy a Battery Tender or equivalent and connect to the battery terminals after each use to bring the battery slowly up to full charge, then disconnect it.

5. If you are not going to use the car for a month or so, buy a light timer from a discount store. Plug the Battery Tender into the timer and set the timer for 1 hour each day "on time". This will energize the Battery Tender for just one hour each day and will keep the charge up without drying out the battery electrolyte.

6. If possible, find a dry day during the winter every 3-4 weeks and drive the car for 20-30 minutes on the road.

Joe, AACA, BCA

[Guest]

I have a battery tenor in my '57 Airsteam trailer, which keeps the 12v battery up when not connect to the car.

I use it on the 12v and 6v and move it around car, to car, after a few days of use when I get the green light.

It works well, and dose not heat the battery.

The unit is cool when not charging.

[DizzyDale]

Dear Bob,HERES the plan.Remove the battery,hook it up to one of those float chargers and forget about it till April.DO NOT start the car every couple of weeks unless you wanna be puttin on an entire exhaust system and thats only the start of you problems.I pull the distributor and prime the engine before i start it every Spring.Thats just me,i cant imagine what those cylinder walls look like after ALL those DRY starts after sitting for a couple of weeks.diz

[Guest ZondaC12]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have a battery tenor in my '57 Airsteam trailer, which keeps the 12v battery up when not connect to the car.

</div></div>

yup Battery T <span style="font-style: italic">ender</span>s are great. J/K just couldn't resist. But they are the best chargers you can buy really, good choice. Everyone should know about them. Ive got a few, my dad bought em so he could keep up the several batteries in total in our household all at once. They work well and <span style="font-weight: bold">do not heat up a lot</span> even when charging, and have no chance of doing a battery any harm. foolproof, basically

[Dave@Moon]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> DO NOT start the car every couple of weeks unless you wanna be puttin on an entire exhaust system and thats only the start of you problems. </div></div>

I allow mine to run up to operating temperature, and then for about 15 minutes, for that very reason. The exhaust system is hot to the touch (and therefore bone dry) before I shut it down. The only condensation inside after that is exactly what was in there before I started it (actually less, because humidity in the winter is much lower). I haven't seen any exhaust deterioration after many years of doing this. (My LeSabre's current system is 12 year old mild steel.)

I also allow the car to at least idle in Drive, Low, and Reverse for a few minutes to pump up the converter and keep the seals soft and lubricated. If conditions allow at all I back the car out and pull it back in (which also means that the brakes are used, keeping them loose). Before I did that I'd loose about 1.5 quarts of Type A every winter. (You could write a brief history of drip pans without leaving my garage.) Now, nada!

[WaltD]

[color:\\"blue\\"] My father always dosconnected the battery on all his stored vehicles. Too much can go wrong with the harness while stored. The idea of having a battery carger running unattended sounds risky also. The lead acid battery is going to vent gas while charging. Boom!

Cleaning the battery is also a good idea. When cleaning you need to neutralize the acid that is on the battery case and the battery box. Baking soda and water works well.

Lead acid batteries start to degrade the day they are made. The more you charge them the more the plates sulfate. A couple of years on a 6v batt sounds ok. We just replace when needed and move on.

One day there will new batts available that are much more robust ie Nickel Metal Hydride, NiMH. That is what the GOOD hybrid vehicles use. They take a beating and keep on working.

Walt

1916 Ahrens Fox

1920 Stutz

1940 Ahrens Fox

1930 Pierce Arrow

1937 Pierce Arrow

1929 Duesenberg (for now)

1967 Pontiac Beast!

[Guest imported_JPIndusi]

I have noticed that a battery under charge with a garden variety battery charger will give off a fair quantity of gas. The automatic battery chargers will taper off the charge rate as the battery reaches full charge and the battery will give off little gas. The Battery Tenders have a current limit of 1.25 amps which does not seem to cause the battery to generate much gas at all.

I have never noticed any significant gas generation from a battery connected to a Battery Tender. A garage big enough to hold a car would not likely reach an explosive level of gas concentration with a Battery Tender connected.

However, I cannot say it would be impossible.

I personally have never had a problem. However I always keep a watch when charging a battery with a regular charger that can put out 4 amps or more.

Joe, AACA, BCA