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Battery Storage
Periods
of inactivity can be extremely harmful to lead acid batteries. When placing a
battery into storage, follow the recommendations below to insure that the
battery remains healthy and ready for use.
Important things to avoid
when storing batteries:
Freezing. Avoid locations where freezing temperature is expected.
Keeping a battery at a high state of charge will also prevent freezing. Freezing
results in irreparable damage to a battery's plates and container.
Heat. Avoid direct exposure to heat sources, such as radiators or space
heaters. Temperatures above 80° F (26.6°C) accelerate the battery's self-discharge characteristics.
For every additional 15 degrees of heat over 77 deg F (25°C) , lead acid battery life is
cut in half. Batteries self-destruct with time, you can only slow that
process.
Step by
step storage:
-
Completely charge the battery before storing.
-
Store the battery in a cool, dry location, protected from the elements.
-
During storage, monitor the specific gravity (flooded) or voltage. Batteries
in storage should be given a boost charge when they show a 70% charge or less.
-
Completely charge the battery before re-activating.
-
For optimum
performance, equalize the batteries before putting them
back into service. Refer to the Equalizing section for this procedure.
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