Battery life

[jx2mad]

What is the shelf life of a new lead acid battery?

[drivesafe]

Hi Jim and what form of shelf life are you talking about.


If you are referring to a battery you bought new but sat it on a shelf untouched for 6 months before using it, then the outcome for the battery is probably not that good, depending on the type of battery.


If, on the other hand, you bought a new battery 12 months ago and regularly charged and maintained it over that period, then it is more likely going to be in as good a condition as when you first bought it.


So can you elaborate a bit more on what info you are after?

[Gordie]

Interesting question, what he may be alluding to, but if not, I would like to know anyway...so if the battery has sat in the shop for 6months before you buy it, you might be buying a less than ideal battery?? I have bought new motorbike batteries where they send the acid separately, which I like, as I know that the battery is getting it's first kick into life when I add the acid.

[PAT303]

I went through three batteries in four years driving on corrigations up north.

[jx2mad]

I purchased a deep cycle battery two months ago and our situation for using it has changed. Should I give it an occasional charge?

[LandyAndy]

I purchased a deep cycle battery two months ago and our situation for using it has changed. Should I give it an occasional charge?

Definitely.Use it or loose it with batteries.
Use a decent charger,the old fashioned ones will kill it.
Andrew

[1950landy]

Buy your self a Solar Charger off Ebay they are not expensive , I keep booth my 80" & 1964 BMW on on Solar Chargers .[smilebigeye] The last battery I had in the 80" lasted 16 years before I had to replace it[smilebigeye] & when I had my MGBGT I was only getting 1 year out of the 2 x 6v batteries & I replaced them twice before I bought a Solar charger for it as well . The batteries were 3 years old when I sold the car & it has been a year since I sold it & the guy who bought has not had to replace the batteries . I had bought an expensive trickle charger for the MG after I replaced the 1st lot of batteries but it only lasted just over the life of the warranty [bigsad]so replaced it with the solar charger.
The solar panels sit on the roof of the garage & the wires just hang down through the roof . On the BMW i have a water proof accessories plug hidden behind the bump bar with a cigarette lighter plug attached to the wire from the solar panel & the 80" the wire has alligator clips that i clip onto the battery terminals. The only problem I have had with the solar panels is during a hail storm one of the panels was hit with a cricket ball size hail stone . [bigsad]

[AndyG]

Buy your self a Solar Charger off Ebay they are not expensive , I keep booth my 80" & 1964 BMW on on Solar Chargers .[smilebigeye] The last battery I had in the 80" lasted 16 years before I had to replace it[smilebigeye] & when I had my MGBGT I was only getting 1 year out of the 2 x 6v batteries & I replaced them twice before I bought a Solar charger for it as well . The batteries were 3 years old when I sold the car & it has been a year since I sold it & the guy who bought has not had to replace the batteries . I had bought an expensive trickle charger for the MG after I replaced the 1st lot of batteries but it only lasted just over the life of the warranty [bigsad]so replaced it with the solar charger.
The solar panels sit on the roof of the garage & the wires just hang down through the roof . On the BMW i have a water proof accessories plug hidden behind the bump bar with a cigarette lighter plug attached to the wire from the solar panel & the 80" the wire has alligator clips that i clip onto the battery terminals. The only problem I have had with the solar panels is during a hail storm one of the panels was hit with a cricket ball size hail stone . [bigsad]
I drive infrequently being out of the country mostly, so i have a ctec charger attached to an Arlec timer. The LR gets a 24 hour charge weekly. So far so good

[1950landy]

I drive infrequently being out of the country mostly, so i have a ctec charger attached to an Arlec timer. The LR gets a 24 hour charge weekly. So far so good
I had a Ctec charger that cost me twice as much as a new battery & it failed when it was just out of warranty & I didn,t realise it wasn't working causing the battery to fail. With the solar chargers I just check the level in the battery when ever I think of it but have never had to top it up yet. I do have a Aldi brand Ctec charger that I use ocasionally & it works well but I prefer the solar ones because they don't cost anything to run. [smilebigeye] I also have a fast charger but can't remember the last time I used it.

[AndyG]

I had a Ctec charger that cost me twice as much as a new battery & it failed when it was just out of warranty & I didn,t realise it wasn't working causing the battery to fail. With the solar chargers I just check the level in the battery when ever I think of it but have never had to top it up yet. I do have a Aldi brand Ctec charger that I use ocasionally & it works well but I prefer the solar ones because they don't cost anything to run. [smilebigeye] I also have a fast charger but can't remember the last time I used it.
I think the main thing isyou dont overcharge, Solar does this automatically by having a rest everynight.
If starting from scratch, i would probably go with a small solar panel

[AndyG]

I think the main thing isyou dont overcharge, Solar does this automatically by having a rest everynight.
If starting from scratch, i would probably go with a small solar panel
I also use the ctek to give the daily VW a full 48 hour maintenance charge every 3-4 months

[Homestar]

My deep cycles stay hooked up to my caravans 140 watt solar panel at all times - they stay in tip top condition. :)

[1950landy]

I think the main thing isyou dont overcharge, Solar does this automatically by having a rest everynight.
If starting from scratch, i would probably go with a small solar panel


Yes it is a small panel designed for keeping boat batteries charged . About as big as a computer key board . Only cost around $25 on Ebay.

[DiscoMick]

Yes, I use a 15 watt solar panel to condition batteries.