R-pod Owners Forum : Battery http://www.rpod-owners.com/ This is an XML content feed of; R-pod Owners Forum : I need HELP!!! : Battery Copyright (c) 2006-2009 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Wed, 20 May 2026 21:45:36 +0000 Thu, 25 Oct 2018 14:21:00 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 9.64 360 www.rpod-owners.com/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=12344 R-pod Owners Forum http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_images/web_wiz_forums.png http://www.rpod-owners.com/ Battery : Ours is in the garage for the... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116904#116904 Author: crw8sr
Subject: 12344
Posted: 25 Oct 2018 at 2:21pm

Ours is in the garage for the winter on a trickle charger.]]> Thu, 25 Oct 2018 14:21:00 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116904#116904 Battery : Jato, its gotta be c-c-c-cold... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116882#116882 Author: offgrid
Subject: 12344
Posted: 25 Oct 2018 at 4:07am

Jato, its gotta be c-c-c-cold in your garageCry

jato and Leo B are both right. 

Contrary to urban legend, cold storage is good for lead acid batteries because it slows down chemical reactions so it reduces battery self discharge and corrosion rates. Cold storage is bad if the battery is or becomes discharged because that consumes the sulfuric acid leaving water which is of course subject to freezing.   jato's initial trickle charge takes care of that. A fully charged battery won't freeze until -70F or so.

But if jato moved to say Phoenix or Miami and tried the same approach he would probably have dead batteries from self discharge by spring. So bottom line is, if you don't live in a cold place and/or are unsure, leave the charger on or run it every few weeks and check the water level occasionally. Leaving it on won't hurt anything.

The main reason ppl think cold is bad for batteries is because their internal resistance goes up when its cold (same deal with slower chemical reactions), so they can't put out as much current as they do when they're warm.  A tired battery that was holding its own in summer will tend to fail at the first cold weather.  Cold is bad for battery performance, but good for battery longevity.
]]> Thu, 25 Oct 2018 04:07:48 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116882#116882 Battery : Our batteries (12 v deep cycle... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116881#116881 Author: jato
Subject: 12344
Posted: 24 Oct 2018 at 9:19pm

Our batteries (12 v deep cycle group 24) are nearly 8 years old and going strong.  We pull them out and place on a concrete floor in an unheated garage.  First thing is to check water level in cells and fill accordingly if necessary.  Next is a 2 amp trickle charge that takes about 24 hours to bring to full charge.  This was done just last week.  Now they will sit with nothing done to them until next April when I will repeat the above process.  Has worked well for us.]]> Wed, 24 Oct 2018 21:19:14 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116881#116881 Battery : +1, we bring ours in for the winter... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116874#116874 Author: Leo B
Subject: 12344
Posted: 24 Oct 2018 at 5:41pm

+1, we bring ours in for the winter and put it on a trickle charger. Had one in my snow machine freeze and crack once, makes a heck of a mess!]]> Wed, 24 Oct 2018 17:41:57 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116874#116874 Battery : One additional option if you have... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116873#116873 Author: offgrid
Subject: 12344
Posted: 24 Oct 2018 at 5:41pm

One additional option if you have no ac power but its sunny where you store your pod is to disconnect the battery from the pod and get a small solar module to put on the pod roof to trickle charge the battery. A small 5 or 10 watt module if OK without a charge controller if you have flooded type batteries. ]]> Wed, 24 Oct 2018 17:41:02 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116873#116873 Battery : At a minimum, I would not store... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116871#116871 Author: mcarter
Subject: 12344
Posted: 24 Oct 2018 at 5:31pm

At a minimum, I would not store Pod with battery connected and no charge capability. You have several options, trickle charge battery, disconnect battery, or remove battery and trickle charge elsewhere. Not charging battery will negatively effect the battery life. So unless you want to buy battery yearly it is best to care for it.]]> Wed, 24 Oct 2018 17:31:44 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116871#116871 Battery : +1.OIr, if you have ac power to... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116870#116870 Author: offgrid
Subject: 12344
Posted: 24 Oct 2018 at 5:27pm

+1.

OIr, if you have ac power to the pod over the winter the pod charger can do the job for you. 
]]> Wed, 24 Oct 2018 17:27:18 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116870#116870 Battery : If you're not going to leave... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116864#116864 Author: TheBum
Subject: 12344
Posted: 24 Oct 2018 at 4:51pm

If you're not going to leave it on a trickle charger, yes. It would be a good idea to put it on a trickle charger in the garage anyway.]]> Wed, 24 Oct 2018 16:51:16 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116864#116864 Battery : Do I need to pull battery and... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116863#116863 Author: Rod
Subject: 12344
Posted: 24 Oct 2018 at 4:39pm

Do I need to pull battery and store in garage during winter]]> Wed, 24 Oct 2018 16:39:33 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12344&PID=116863#116863