In a message dated 12/27/01 3:19:44 PM Eastern Standard Time,
vafred@erols.com writes:
> Today I called 5 different battery companys to inquire about storage of wet
> cell car batteries for the winter, all 5 said never store a battery on a
> cement floor, when I asked why, they said it would not only help to
> discharge
> it but also was very harmful to the lead/acid insides. I am not a chemist
> and
> have no idea as to how this effects wet cells, I just know 5 companys said
> "no". This is for whatever it's worth to whom, I had always been taught the
> same thing over the years, myth or not, I store them on wood. "FT"
I'm no expert on batteries, but I do recall my grandfather explaining the
"don't store it on concrete" phenomenon. Apparently, it had to do with the
casings of the batteries of old, which were made of rubber. (My grandfather
was a tire builder for BFGoodrich here in Akron for better than 30 years, so
he knew a thing or two about rubber.) Anyway, the rubber casings allowed the
battery to discharge over time when placed on concrete. Apparently, as all
or virtually all automotive batteries are now encased in plastic, the threat
of discharge has been drastically reduced. Still, why take the chance? If
you remove it from the car, put it on a couple of 2x4s and be done with it.
On the other hand, I have never done any more than simply unhook the battery
terminals and leave it in the car (always stored in an unheated garage in
Ohio, which means as low as 25 below zero one winter), and I've never had to
recharge one in the spring. However, I do bring the motorcycle batteries
indoors for the winter, as they seem to be far less durable in the cold.
My $0.02. YMMV, etc.
Chris Eck
59 Bugeye
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