new battery storage time limit?

[llamakc]

I bought a battery for my buddy's 79 XS because I could get it for twenty bucks cheaper. However, I don't think he can get up to me (or me to him) until Thanksgiving weekend.

Do you think the battery will be just fine? My plan is to stick it on a shelf in the closet away from the heat/cold/outside.

Any advice?

[Jerry]

Should be just fine. I am guessing from your note that the electrolyte has already been put in the battery? If so, don't put it close to any synthetic material, as even at rest the battery could vent fumes that would damage near-by materials. If the electrolyte has not been added youu should have no problems.

[llamakc]

Thanks for noting about the electrolyte. Yeah they added it. I'll make sure to give it a wide berth.

[DiverRay]

You may want to give it a charge BEFORE you store it. 1 or 2 amps for about 6 hours, and then put it on again just before you install it.

[cueball]

do not store on metal or concrete, charge will leach out thru case.

[RUSH]

I leave mine on a battery maintainer. Its about .5 amps or less, depending on the state of the battery.
The last time I checked it was at full capacity. We'll see how it is after 5 months.

[prometheus578]

A friendly challenge

Ok, Cueball... I'll play.
I assert that batteries do not discharge from sitting on metal or concrete.
Yes, I've heard that rumor before... from my ex father-in-law, paragon of wisdom that he was. Twas also he that informed my sons that hiccups are caused by not wiping your a$$ adequately, and that you'll get a sty in your eye from watching a dog poop in the yard. Now, these last two witticisms I hold to be true, but I do question the one about the batteries.
Several factors concerning batteries and their discharge are involved, but I feel that the conclusion based from them is incorrectly drawn.
It is known that batteries have a self discharge rate.
It is also known that a warm battery will put out more power than a cold battery.
That being said....
A battery remove from a vehicle and placed somewhere for storage will discharge over time.
A battery placed on metal or concrete will be colder than a battery placed on a wooden shelf, do to the heat absorbsion properties of the materials.
A partially discharged warm battery has a better chance of starting a machine than a similarily partially discharged cold battery (due to the slowing down of the chemical reactions involved)
Electricity will not pass through plastic and discharge a battery. Where's the circuit? Where's the load?
So, for fathers-in-law everywhere... Try taking the cold battery offa the floor and warming it up before using it. Better still... get a trickle charger that will keep the battery tended whilst in storage.
As always... I welcome opposing arguements (it's how I learn new things), or comments about my ex-wife's family.

[prometheus578]

Hhmmm?

do to the heat absorbsion properties

Should read: due to the heat...

[chevy45412001]

?

Does father in law have furry palms also?

[prometheus578]

furry palms.

Never shook hands with him, so I can't say.
His sons do wear glasses, so I guess they all stopped before they went blind.
Another trivial battery tip: Keep the battery clean and free from grimey, wet, oily crap that coats the outside. Voltage can pass across it from teminal to terminal for a slow drain.
Doubt that? Place a probe from a voltmeter on one terminal and stick the other one in the grime between the two posts and watch the needle move.

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

My two cents worth, if you don't plan on starting the bike over the winter, either store the bike in a heated garage or take the battery in the house (SWMBO loves to see my collection lined up in the shelf in the laundry room, lets her know the Honey -Do list will see some progress...). I figured that out after having to replace the battery in my XT nearly every year. Turns out they were freezing since there was absolutely no activity on them for four months during sub-zero temps here in Ohio.

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

I should have added that a trickle charger is really the hot set-up here...

[cueball]

Got that one from associating with auto electricians while driving or fixing trucks, lots of them will put either rubber mat or plywood under batteries. They all say it works, they are supposedly the experts. X is an unknown quantity, spurt is a drip under pressure.

[prometheus578]

I use a little rubber mat, but that's just for vibration

[2fast]

Here's some battery info of interest, lifted from this web site. batterystuff
Battery life and performance - Average battery life has become shorter as energy requirements have increased. Two phrases I hear most often are "my battery won't take a charge, and my battery won't hold a charge". Only 30% of batteries sold today reach the 48-month mark. In fact 80% of all battery failure is related to sulfation build-up. This build up occurs when the sulfur molecules in the electrolyte (battery acid) become so deeply discharged that they begin to coat the battery's lead plates. Before long the plates become so coated that the battery dies. The causes of sulfation are numerous. Let me list some for you.


Batteries sit too long between charges. As little as 24 hours in hot weather and several days in cooler weather.
Battery is stored without some type of energy input.
"Deep cycling" an engine starting battery. Remember these batteries can't stand deep discharge.
Undercharging of a battery, to charge a battery (letÕs say) to 90% of capacity will allow sulfation of the battery using the 10% of battery chemistry not reactivated by the incomplete charging cycle.
Heat of 100 plus F., increases internal discharge. As temperatures increase so does internal discharge. A new fully charged battery left sitting 24 hours a day at 110 degrees F for 30 days would most likely not start an engine.
Low electrolyte level - battery plates exposed to air will immediately sulfate.
Incorrect charging levels and settings. Most cheap battery chargers can do more harm than good. See the section on battery charging.
Cold weather is also hard on the battery. The chemistry does not make the same amount of energy as a warm battery. A deeply discharged battery can freeze solid in sub zero weather.
Parasitic drain is a load put on a battery with the key off. More info on parasitic drain will follow in this document.