WINTER SEASON BATTERY CARE TIPS

TWIN-FIN · Since 24 May 2006 805 Posts Portland, OR Hot Monkey

I wanted to thank everone who has purchased a battery from me this year.

I also wanted to pass on some very important information to help keep your batteries healthy.

To ensure that you car, rv, boat, jet ski, motorcycle, solar back up and other batteries starts dependably, no matter how outrageous the weather, Interstate Batteries of Portland cold weather expert Jeff Paul offers some simple tips to protect your car battery against severe cold conditions.

RULE # 1: CHARGE YOUR BATTERY!
Use a battery charger to maintain charge levels and keep the battery in good condition. If the battery is more than three years old, it should be tested to make sure it can survive the coldest winter months.

Batteries are alot like the human body. They like to excerise and they like to eat. When you get off the water you need to feed your body because you just expended alot of energy. Batteries are really no different. If you use them (excerise) then feed them (charge them). If you dont charge your batteries they will die. Its up to you? Its as simple as pluging a cord into the wall socket.
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A fully charged battery is the best defense against cold weather and vehicle non-starts because engine require more cranking amps in colder weather. The cold also reduces a battery's effieiency, reducing its charge acceptance and ability to start an engine. An engine at 32 degrees Fahrenheit often demands more than 150 percent cranking power from the battery than it does at 80 degrees. At 0 degrees Farenheit, it can be 250 percent.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns or have a battery problem, please call me on my cell phone: Jeff at 503-720-0160

Just a reminder that all wind junkies receive special pricing on purchases through Interstate All Battery Center of Portland.

ldhr · Since 21 Jul 2009 1489 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

Hey!
What about putting smaller batteries for boat, jet ski, motorcycle on a float charger for the winter?

Bettyboarder · Wed Dec 01, 10 2:20 pm

He's basically saying that you should put them on a float or Trickle charger during winter.

Go see JP for sure if you need batt's he hooked us up with a crazy deal on some for our ambulance.

TWIN-FIN · Since 24 May 2006 805 Posts Portland, OR Hot Monkey

Yes Idhr as Bettyboarder said.
Keep your batteries (Large, Medium, and Small) on a trickle charger all the time. Its the only thing that will make them last. If you ignor the #1 Rule CHARGE YOUR BATTERY, it will die, trust me I know what Im talking about.

All you need is a "Smart charger" it has to be for the correct battery chemistry (newer models will do just about all the chemistries, flooded lead acid, AGM, and Gel)
Theses "Smart chargers" have a micro chip that allows the batteries voltage to be monitored. When the battery reaches 13.2 Volts the charger shuts down and waits for the battery voltage to drop below 12.6 volts and then starts up again untill it reaches 13.2 Volts. I will do that all winter long all by itself and you dont need to do anything but pay the electric bill.

jackZ · Since 13 Apr 2008 355 Posts Devon Alberta ca. Obsessed

Hi all ,
2cts to add .
Keep your battery fully charged as stated . I do not think it necessary or wise to leave the charger on it full time as youll most likely forget to check it for water after time . Unless you have the smart unit . The battery will not discharge itself if you , disconnect it , keep it on a piece of wood off the concrete as some cases will allow a slow discharge to the concrete believe it or not but it's true . Keep the battery case very clean and dry ! Use a volt meter and check for volt loss across the battery case not touching the terminals ! Put the probes directly on the case near the terminals , there should be NO volts indicated on your meter . If volts present , clean the case with baking soda and warm water thoroughly and after check it for V-loss again .
Even when the battery is in use in whatever keep it clean and dry . The gasses produced by the battery leave a film and that is enough to complete the circuit using up your needed electrons !
Keep the cable clamps clean inside and out and also the posts using the right tool . Battery post cleaner .
Due to the chemical reaction , deposits fall from the plates inside a battery , there is a built in reservoir for these . when a battery is old these could build up enough to allow two cells internally to connect and short out the battery . Junk .
Another test is a load test . With a fully charged battery , test the voltage then use all the vehicles resistors , heater , wipers radio etc. and even crank it ( not starting it ) for 15-20 seconds then recheck the voltage , it should not drop below 9 volts and should recover back to 12v fairly quickly . Dont panic if this test fails you may be able to save it for one more seasons use by trickle charging it for several days to get a deeper charge as the battery is sulphated and only has a surface charge . Usually better to get a new one but if your strapped for cash .
Also go down the line making sure all the cable connections are clean at the starter too ! Also at the alternator output . Newer vehicles are very dependent on proper voltage and can have some strange things happen with low voltage . Buy a new one if it's sulphated !
One more thing , You may have a reading of 12v but even a dead battery will give a 12v reading . Look at the V meter when an engine is cranking does it maintain the 12v or drop to way below that ?
Do Not let the starter crank real slow ( low battery maybe ) as the amps going through the starter windings are heating things fast ( lots of amperage ) and extreme heat causing the solder to melt and burning out the windings of the starter .
For those with campers it's a good idea to use 2 six volt batteries in series rather than one 12v as you will have way more amps to play games longer , lights on , etc.
A series connection means to connect the positive of one battery to the negative of the second battery ( with a short little cable ) then connect the regularly used cables to the left over posts of the two batteries one pos and one neg. this gives 12v
Hope this helps a little guys

chanson · Since 31 Jan 2006 1873 Posts WISCONSIN Chimey

lots of type-y for me eyes!

JEFF DA MAN!!

SUPER ROCKED IT WITH MY BOAT!!!
CALL THIS GUY UP FOR SOME BATTERY SERVICE!!!

HE WENT DOWN TO MY BOAT AND DID ALL THE WORK FOR ME!
AND HE DIDN'T EVEN DRINK ALL MY BEER
Laughing

no seriously he hooked it up! and A+++++ customer service!!

Cool

Jeff,
how about a small solar panel that runs a trickle charger to top off my battery's...?
good idea?

THANKS MAN!!!!!!

ldhr · Since 21 Jul 2009 1489 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

You should have seen Jeff's campsite in San Carlos,,,, totally decked out with deep cycle batteries powering the red hot chilly pepper tiki lights! 12volt converters for all the toys.
and he rips strapless!
Jeff Da Man!

Chooch · Thu Dec 02, 10 7:19 pm

My WRX is running strong up at the mountain thanks to a new battery from Jeff Thumb's Up