Battery in or out?
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 717
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From: Michigan
Battery in or out?
I usually take the battery out and put it in my basement when I store the Vette for the winter. Would it make any difference if I just disconnected the negative cable and didn't screw around with taking it out?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: center of Kalifornia
I would just put on a good charger like Cetek or Battery tender and leave it in the car. I don't like to let the car just sit with all those computers. Good chance to have something go wrong when you hook up and they have to re learn it all again. I even keep my bg block 56 Chev plugged in for the off season.
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If the car is kept in a garage and the temps do not get too low, then disconnecting the negative cable should work just fine. Or just do like you've always done and take the battery out of the car. I would prefer to keep the battery in the car just in case you need to move the car in a hurry (emergency scenario).
1/4 mile/AutoX
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 11,441
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From: Buffalo Texas
and make sure it is not leaking !! I have had my 99 for three years plus, the first year I took it out to make sure everything under the batt. was good. Cleaned and painted all under the batt. Last year left it on the tender, this winter I am pulling it again and checking all under !!
Pro
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: near Newburypot MA
Ideally, you should bring a stored battery up to full charge at least once a month. So long as you keep your batteries fully charged, you shouldn’t have to worry about electrolyte freezing.
A fully charged, lead-acid battery will withstand temperatures of 75 degrees below zero without freezing.
However, electrolyte in a discharged battery will start freezing at 32 degrees, just like water.
Once the electrolyte freezes, you can pretty much kiss your battery goodbye.
http://www.practical-sailor.com/blog/-10697-1.html
A fully charged, lead-acid battery will withstand temperatures of 75 degrees below zero without freezing.
However, electrolyte in a discharged battery will start freezing at 32 degrees, just like water.
Once the electrolyte freezes, you can pretty much kiss your battery goodbye.
http://www.practical-sailor.com/blog/-10697-1.html
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Le Mans Master
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From: Rotonda West, FL 2015 Z51 M7 3LT
Oldtimer
My Vettes sat outside (covered of course) in the winters of upstate NY for years. Battery in the car - no cables disconnected and hooked up to a Battery Tender Plus. Zero problems.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
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From: Wisconsin
A guy down the street stored his car in an attached garage over the winter with a battery tender connected. One day his house burned down. The investigator determined the cause of the fire was a malfunction with the battery charger.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2014
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From: Michigan
Taking the battery out solves that problem. Might be overkill on my end...
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2014
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A guy down the street from me got on an airplane and it crashed.
Last edited by norcalace; Nov 11, 2016 at 07:17 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2012
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From: Fort Myers Beach Florida
The battery will last longer if you leave it in the cold car instead of inside. Heat is the worst environment for reducing battery life. As previously stated, make sure it is healthy and fully charged when you put it away so it won't freeze.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2013
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Taking the battery out of a C5 is pretty easy and certainly not worth the risk of the battery freezing and cracking the case. Don't forget that all batteries self discharge, the older the quicker so Cosmic Charlie is absolutely correct in what happens to the electrolyte as it is absorbed into the negative plates.
I have left mine in the unheated garage on the Battery Tender for the entire winter and never had an issue.
Simply a risk that is not worth taking. Lots of expensive equipment right under the battery in a C5.
I have left mine in the unheated garage on the Battery Tender for the entire winter and never had an issue.
Simply a risk that is not worth taking. Lots of expensive equipment right under the battery in a C5.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 1999
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From: Lacey WA RVN 68-69
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I think it's a much better deal to simply leave the battery in the car.I have had the Battery Tender Junior hooked up to both my C4 and C5 over the winter months and never had a problem with either one. The batteries in the cars stay at a full charge are can be started anytime.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
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From: Wisconsin
Battery tender manufacturers recommendations:
3. How long can I leave the Battery Tender® Plus battery charger connected to a battery?
In theory, you can leave the Battery Tender® Plus battery charger connected to a battery forever. That’s a really long time. Sales people like to say, “Just plug it in and forget about it!” However, practically speaking, it is a good idea to check on the battery at least once every couple of weeks. Strange things can happen. Sometimes a battery can have a weak cell that won’t show up until the worst possible time. Of course, that time is usually when the battery is connected to a charger, and you are out of town on vacation.
If something goes wrong, then you have to deal with the question of the chicken and the egg. Which came first? Did the battery fail because it was connected to the charger or did the charger fail because it was connected to the battery? Good luck sorting that one out.
With a battery and a charger connected together, it’s a much better idea to be proactive and anticipate problems, however unlikely they may be. In more than 99.9% of cases, nothing will go wrong. That still leaves about 0.1% where something might. Learn to respect electricity. A little common sense can go a long way.
Also consider this. No matter how good a product is, anything can break. In fact, everything will break, eventually. There are only 2 questions to be answered. 1) When will it fail? & more importantly 2) How will it fail? If a product is designed and built well, a manufacturer will set a long warranty period, usually several years, to support that notion. Deltran, and other responsible manufacturers, invest a tremendous amount of time, effort, and money to ensure that their products will fail in a relatively safe manner. For electronic products, at the very least that means no electrical shock or fire hazard.
In theory, you can leave the Battery Tender® Plus battery charger connected to a battery forever. That’s a really long time. Sales people like to say, “Just plug it in and forget about it!” However, practically speaking, it is a good idea to check on the battery at least once every couple of weeks. Strange things can happen. Sometimes a battery can have a weak cell that won’t show up until the worst possible time. Of course, that time is usually when the battery is connected to a charger, and you are out of town on vacation.
If something goes wrong, then you have to deal with the question of the chicken and the egg. Which came first? Did the battery fail because it was connected to the charger or did the charger fail because it was connected to the battery? Good luck sorting that one out.
With a battery and a charger connected together, it’s a much better idea to be proactive and anticipate problems, however unlikely they may be. In more than 99.9% of cases, nothing will go wrong. That still leaves about 0.1% where something might. Learn to respect electricity. A little common sense can go a long way.
Also consider this. No matter how good a product is, anything can break. In fact, everything will break, eventually. There are only 2 questions to be answered. 1) When will it fail? & more importantly 2) How will it fail? If a product is designed and built well, a manufacturer will set a long warranty period, usually several years, to support that notion. Deltran, and other responsible manufacturers, invest a tremendous amount of time, effort, and money to ensure that their products will fail in a relatively safe manner. For electronic products, at the very least that means no electrical shock or fire hazard.
Last edited by JR-01; Nov 11, 2016 at 09:51 AM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2014
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From: The Rainy Side of Washington State
^^^ This is why if I had to store my Vette over the winter (which thankfully I don't have to), I wouldn't leave a tender connected to my battery 24/7 for the entire storage period. I would connect it up for 24 hours every 3 weeks or so (if it was left in the Vette hooked up to the electrical system, less frequently if it wasn't hooked up) just to make sure the battery stays at or near full charge. There's no reason a battery needs to be on a tender 24/7. Has there ever been a time when you saw a battery retailer with a rack of batteries on tenders? I've never seen that, and I bet you haven't either.
Racer
Joined: May 2013
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From: Hugo MN
Others do things differently and there is no definitive right or wrong. You need to do what you're comfortable with!