[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference vicki::boats

Title:Powerboats
Notice:Introductions 2 /Classifieds 3 / '97 Ski Season 1267
Moderator:KWLITY::SUTER
Created:Thu May 12 1988
Last Modified:Wed Jun 04 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1275
Total number of notes:18109

217.0. "Battery storage on concrete floors" by BTO::JPETERS (John Peters, DTN 266-4391) Mon Dec 12 1988 08:51

    This is the closest I have ever seen to a rational reason not to
    store your battery on a concrete floor...
    
    J
        <<< CSOA1::DISK$SYSTEM02:[NOTES$LIBRARY]ELECTRO_HOBBY.NOTE;1 >>>
                 -< Electro_Hobby. Digital Internal Use Only >-
================================================================================
Note 481.12  What kills a storage battery stored on the basement floor  12 of 15
HAZEL::THOMAS "Rich Thomas"                          15 lines   8-DEC-1988 09:08
                         -< Temperature differential >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The reason a battery shouldn't be kept on a cement floor is because
    of the temperature differential between the floor and the surrounding
    air. The voltage of a battery changes with temperature. When a battery
    sits on a cold floor, the bottom is colder than the top. This causes
    the top to try to maintain a higher voltage than the bottom and
    the resulting current flow will discharge the battery. A similar
    problem may arise when batteries are connected in parallel, although
    GM got away with it on their diesel cars.
    
    The recommended way to store batteries is off the floor with a
    cardboard box placed over them upside down. The insulation helps
    to minimize the temperature fluctuations.
    
    - Rich
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
217.1ARCHER::SUTERWater is meant to ski on!Mon Dec 12 1988 09:2011
    
    re: .0
    
    	Thanks John.... I guess I never really gave much thought about
    whether there was another reason for the cardboard box other than
    just packaging..
    
    	BTW: A battery sitting on the cement floor will certainly die
    in much less time than the entire winter.....
    
    Rick
217.2How well is YOUR garage organized ?MENTOR::REGLet&#039;s invent self referential image enhancing softwareMon Dec 12 1988 11:288
    
    	Another good reason for a box over the battery is to protect
    whatever MIGHT get stacked on top of it from getting vaporized
    if it happens to short out the terminals.  Like, lotsa stored energy
    in that little plastic box of acid and lead.
    
    	R	{whose battery is still in the boat}
    
217.3CURIE::THACKERAYRay Thackeray MR03 DTN 297-5622Mon Dec 12 1988 17:3011
    I agree with note -.1
    
    Ever seen what happens when a wrnch is dropped across battery
    terminals? A few years ago, I got a nice big hole in my hood that
    way.
    
    Never did find the wrench.
    
    Tally-ho,
    
    Ray
217.4What about storing below sea level.PILOU::ZEEMulti-Processing pure SchizophreniaWed Dec 14 1988 04:1110
    
    I have a almost brand new battery with went a while ago just a 
    little bit below sea level, it got filled up with salt water
    and complete discharged. I tried to charge it again but am not
    sure about the results.
    Does anybody has a clu , throw it away straight away or can I
    fixed it ?
    
    Harrie from the south of France..
    
217.5Can't stor'em thereGENRAL::NORVELLWed Dec 14 1988 14:0716
         You can have them checked to see if they are any good,
         but like the two I tried to store below, sea level, the
         only thing I could do is drag out the bucks and buy
         new ones.  

         The old one's make great paper weights, not a total loss.

         Mike






    

217.6stay well upwind!HAL900::STEWARTTue Dec 27 1988 09:168
    Getting salt water in a battery is a bad idea. First, the sodium
    chloride mixing with the sulphuric acid will produce Chlorine gas,
    extremely extremely extremely poisonous. The other byproduct would be
    sodium sulphate, which is useless for producing electricity. Even if
    you could wash the sodium sulphate out, I suspect that the lead
    compounds that the battery requires for operation would have been
    destroyed also. I would get a new one.