[SWEETJUDGE]

Well, the first signs of spring are coming... so i decided to clean up the garage to get back to getting my judge together for this season. big mess too many parts & no room to work.
After cleaning a shelf off i noticed something wierd looking on the floor.. what the heck is this?????? i look up & notice my NEW battery (used 1 season, stored for 2) was all blown out cracked & disintergrated........
WTF?????

this is a HD 59 style from here or ames.. i dont remeber....
why would this happen????? caps were on but they breathe dont they????

i know we had a cold winter but THAT COLD? to split my battery.

seems i can never get ahead

[Larry P]

It must of froze, a undercharged battery even down just a little will freeze at at a higher temp then a fully charged battery. A fully charged battery can take temps down to -80F and a discharged battery can freeze at 32F.

[paint guy]

agree with Larry P,I've heard a battery will lose 1/2-1% of its charge every day,and undercharged or discharged batteries can freeze.I like to remove them to a warmer spot,or if thats not possible,at least put them on a small "smart-charger"that will keep them charged but will cycle off so that they won't overcharge.Keeping a constant charge on a battery that is only used seasonally will,from my experience,GREATLY increase its life by helping to prevent a process called "sulphation".The battery in my bike is 7+years old,I have never removed it,just used a smart-charger during the winter(frequent -0 temps)and it still works great.Hope this helps.

[Mark Simiele]

Paintguy is right and sorry about your troubles Scott. I have had a smart charger on mine for a few years now in the winter and no issues. Really helps extend the life of the battery. Sure beats taking the battery out and keeping in a warm area. I also dont use the old type repro R59 batteries where they have to be filled wth acid, they are prone to premature failure just like the original designs even when they are the new repros. I have the sealed R59 that requires no topping off of acid and I think thats the better way to go.

[PLAY400]

I had a new battery short out in my Bird while it was parked in a heated garage and disconnected. Got lucky and noticed a little puddle under the car and traced it to a "hot" battery. That was about 3-4 years ago and I now have the opportunity to pull the fender extension and repaint it as the acid did get at it as it is starting to rust on the seam. Talked to our power guys and they have seen it but far and few between and these guys deal with 48v battery strings in all our telco exchanges.

[napster]

Sweet,

I use a battery tender for my cars. I have no problems with my batteries since they are always charged. Like Mark said it greatly extends the life of the battery.

As an example, my 1999 30th Anniv. Trans Am stills has it's original battery in it. Still going strong. The car will be 10 years old on April, 15th. Granted it only has 2,200 miles on the odometer, it still goes to show you that keeping the battery charged with one of those devices really helps. The nice thing about the battery tender is it will not overcharge the battery.

Jim

[GT182]

SJ, I hope you didn't have it sitting on the cement floor. That will ruin a battery too. It'll make it lose it's charge and if it freezes, cause what you found to happen. Aways set it on a piece of wood or rigid foam so it's not directly on a cement floor.

[1971/455/HO/4-SPD]

The "Battery Tender" is the only way to go!!! For less then $30 (JR), you won't have that problem again!!!

[SWEETJUDGE]

i have the tender,.... didnt think to hook it up..... (YEAH IM A DUMMY) didnt think it would freeze.
It was on a shelf with a rubber mat.

NOW, i have heard of the batteries loosing charge on cement, BUT IS THERE ACTUAL PHYISICAL PROOF??????? i cant see how

[OhMyGoat]

Originally Posted by SWEETJUDGE

i have the tender,.... didnt think to hook it up..... (YEAH IM A DUMMY) didnt think it would freeze.
It was on a shelf with a rubber mat.

NOW, i have heard of the batteries loosing charge on cement, BUT IS THERE ACTUAL PHYISICAL PROOF??????? i cant see how

I have never seen proof. I think they go dead because they are placed on the floor and ignored. I'll bet if you put it on a wood shelf in a closet and forgot about it would also go dead. Out of the way, out of mind.

[GT182]

SJ, all the mechanics I know over the years have all told me not to set a battery on a cement floor, that they will lose thier charge. Why that happens I've no idea. Tho I do know it happens. Wish I could say I have a valid reason why it happens but I don't.

Have one of your kids or grand kids.... sorry but don't know if you have either one.... ask a science teacher at school. Maybe they'd know the reason why. I'll have my grand daughter ask and see if her's would know.

[69geeto]

Batteries placed on cement, which is often hotter or colder that the surrounding air temperature, can develop a deferential between the top and bottom of the battery which affect the batteries chemistry, and will in some cases accelerated discharge and plate sulfation. Or at least that's my .02 worth.
Stu

[Heybuck]

An auto elec told me once to never store my battery on the concrete floor as it sets up a chemical reaction within the battery. The lime in the concrete has an opposing effect to the acid in the battery. So you get a failed battery and a stained floor....

Must be something to do with osmosis?? I don't know anything about that - I'm not a chemist or an engineer.

Point is, I store my battery (when its out of the car) on a wooden shelf with a battery tender connected at all times when the car is in the garage. My Optimax battery dates from 1996 and it runs my '66 Grand Prix perfectly.

[lockec]

Batteries lose capacity as their temperature drops. Concrete is a good conductor of cold and aids in the capacity drop when in contact with the battery. As the battery capacity is reduced, sulphation crystals begin to grow and will eventally puncture the seperators shorting the positive and negative plates. The cold concrete floor may accerate this process due the the temperature remaining lower than on a board or a shelf. I'm not convinced of most other theories I've heard on this. Just my 2 cents.

[Flatfish]

While doing some internet research on boat batteries i found a battery info site that said the battery-on-concrete problem was a myth that has been repeated so many times it is regarded as gospel. Off season, I keep my car and boat batteries on an automatic charger and have never had a problem with them.

[Larry P]

I hope this helps, this is from some of my Batteries,Starting and Charging class I teach to my students.

Concrete will NOT discharge a battery more quickly. Years ago, wooden battery cases were used to encase a glass jar with the battery in it. Moisture on the floor would cause the wood to swell and possibly fracture the glass, causing it to leak.
Then battery cases were made of a porous,hard rubber. A current could be conducted through the carbon content that the battery case was made of, if the moist concrete floor permitted the current to find an electrical ground.
These problems are less likely to exist today becasue battery cases are dielectric and nonporous.

Batterys should be stored in a cool dry place and fully charged, as a partially discharged battery may freeze,become sulfated,or self discharge completely.

[The Boss]

Scott, you are not alone. Today I pulled my repop 59 out of my 72 and it had a conspicuously portly appearance to it.

[gloryrestoparts]

The repro R59 that you have to add acid too are JUNK!!!!!! DO NOT USE THEM unless it is a trailer queen pushed onto and off a trailer with NO ACID in it. I've heard countless stories and have first hand experience of them 1) lasting 3 years if that 2) blowing the sides out and leaking acid all over. Mine didn't leak or blow out, but after 3 years had trouble turning over my car. I swapped it out on the show field because I wasn't sure where I was supposed to park and the car wouldn't restart. Put in a spare parts store battery I had with me, problem solved. I now have a $180 door stop. Not happy, but at least I won't make that same mistake twice. The maintenance free version of the R-59 is another story.