Battery question

Hey guys. So my heep had been having trouble starting lately, and I bought a new battery for it, an odyssey. Before I could put it in, I had to take it to a shop, where they diagnosed the problem as being with the fuel pressure and had that fixed. Now it starts fine, battery was ok. Prob a noob question, but now I have this extra battery. Can I just let it sit in my garage until my current one needs replacing? For how long? A year? 2?

thanks-

1991 4.0 sport 5sp.

I keep an extra battery in the garage hooked up to an electronic pulse charger. The charger only kicks in when the battery is low. It's been in the garage for years and only occasionally used as a jumper battery. My battery is the old style serviceable type, maybe twice a year I add a little water. I have no idea how this would work out for a non serviceable gel type battery.

The charger I have is neat, electronically controlled and turns itself on and off as needed.

I'd probably put the new one in the Jeep and move the old one to the garage. Be careful how you store it, I had one battery blow up in my garage and never did figure out exactly how it happened. Best guess is something metal fell across the poles.

If you have to store a battery, store it someplace dry and don't let it sit on the concrete floor. With some kind of cover that doesn't trap the gases from the battery. Batteries can vent explosive gases.

I wouldnt just store it, either install it and sell/donate your old one. Sell the new one. Or will be a good opportunity/ excuse to wire up a dual battery mod for winching or inverter power.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=battery+tender

This is similar to the one I bought.
http://www.amazon.com/CTEK-800-Smar...641&sr=8-5-spell&keywords=ctec+battery+tender

This is almost identical to the one I bought. But it used to be way cheaper.

http://www.amazon.com/CTEK-56-158-1...im_auto_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0PF7JYQ2PAF382RYFX4V

I'd install the new one if its a better battery and use your old one as a spare with a Battery Tender as suggested. For me I wouldn't want a brand new battery turned into a spare, I'd rather make the currently installed battery the spare and have the brand new one in the vehicle.

Which Odessey did you get? What was the original battery? You should only partner up similar types of batteries.

8Mud said:

....don't let it sit on the concrete floor. With some kind of cover that doesn't trap the gases from the battery. Batteries can vent explosive gases.

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This is very true. Electricity seeks ground, you wouldn't think the electricity would drain through the plastic body, but it does, and a battery will go dead fairly quick if leave it sit on concrete. Have it up on a shelf. When a car battery goes dead, you reduce its life, they are designed as a rapid partial discharge, rapid recharge battery, they are NOT deep cycle batteries.

You have to do something to keep a charge on the battery.

I once hooked up a generic old 12V plug in transformer for toys, like 50milliamps to a dead car battery and left there for a week, the battery was fully charged.

Rick Anderson said:

This is very true. Electricity seeks ground, you wouldn't think the electricity would drain through the plastic body, but it does, and a battery will go dead fairly quick if leave it sit on concrete. Have it up on a shelf. When a car battery goes dead, you reduce its life, they are designed as a rapid partial discharge, rapid recharge battery, they are NOT deep cycle batteries.

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What about storing batteries on like a rubber car mat setting on a concrete floor? Will the rubber be enough to insulate or no?

iwannadie said:

What about storing batteries on like a rubber car mat setting on a concrete floor? Will the rubber be enough to insulate or no?

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I think most of it is concrete sucks up and holds moisture and/or the air near the ground tends to be moisture heavy. The battery discharges through the moisture.

Only one way to know for sure and that is to try it.

I imagine in a climate with say 15% or less humidity, that sees little rain and it could be OK, unless it got too hot. I was always taught cool, dry and away from the floor was the way to store them. I always store mine on a table or shelf, in a plastic tray, with a cover that doesn't fit.

The higher the voltage the more likely it is to ground through moisture. It varies due to the contaminates in the moisture, dirty water conducts better than clean or evaporated water. Been my experience that the first few volts discharges quick and it slows down as the battery discharges. It may hold 5-6 volts for a long time, 14 volts not so long.

The acid vapor that vents from the battery can settle on the battery, especially in still air. It can be almost invisible or evident as a salt sometimes. It can mix with moisture and conducts pretty darned well. Periodically wiping down (or washing) the outside of the battery isn't a bad idea. I use Windex.

Thats awesome, thanks guys. Such good info. Got another question: So I put in the odyssey battery, and, well, its not a direct fit. I put it in anyway, and it starts great, but its definitely smaller than the tray. It also has contours on the top that don't allow for the tiedown bar to grab it well. Does anyone know of a jerry-rig or aftermarket solution for these. Or am I gonna have to weld something together. Or did I get the wrong size? (I dont think so) thx

Battery drain on a concrete floor is an old wives tale, just ask a battery manufacturer.

Ronbo said:

Battery drain on a concrete floor is an old wives tale, just ask a battery manufacturer.

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Maybe yes and maybe no. I think it depends more on the environment you find on a typical concrete floor. It tends to be moist and the closer to the ground you get, the colder it gets. Condensation will allow current to pass.

A discharged battery can freeze at around the same temperature as water. As the battery discharges the freezing point rises. Very cold batteries don't tend to work as well as those at moderate temperatures.

Concrete floors, in unheated garages in winter, tend to be a pretty hostile environment. If you have a choice why would you store your $60-$100 battery in a spot that is likely to stress it? If it does discharge over time why would you store it in the spot it is most likely to freeze first?

Wives tale or not, I'll stick with storing mine in a plastic pan or tub, just in case a seal fails. High enough to get it away from the moisture in the concrete floor and/or the coldest temperatures. You can do whatever you want with your battery.