In of feb 2001 I had purchased a reproduction style battery delco with screw in caps for my car (1966 b/b roadster).Its cold in my garage and it seems this battery will not keep a charge during prolonged non use.Should I be storing this battery in my warm house for the winter? Should I get one of those trickle chargers and leave on trickel all winter in the basement? Or should I just put it in the basement and let it go dead then recharge it next spring?.I actually am going to sears today to get a cheap battery to keep in the car to start it up and take for a spin every now and then.I have another collector car 1967 Caddilac Deville Convertable that has a Sears deep cycle marine battery(Because of a amplified aftermarket stereo) and this battery never seems to go dead I can start this car if its 0 degrees outside.As always thank you for your input.I also will be starting my front suspention replacement and rebuild(I now have a aftermarket eklers mono spring in it) with in the next week or so I have collected all the parts needed and am just rebuilding the front control arms now.

 

I would remove it from the car during periods of prolonged non use. I would bring it inside. This would allow me to check electrolyte levels, wipe off any dirt and corrosion, inspect the battery, easily test the state of the battery, etc.. I would then store the battery in a cold dry place, but not below 32° F (0° C). I would then buy a battery tender (http://www.batterytender.com) instead of letting it go dead. A battery will sulfate if left alone too long and will quickly become garbage.

Here is a good site about batteries that should answer your questions: http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/

 

Check the archives for advice on some of your issues. I'll give you my take. Repro batteries have a bad reputation for stamina. Leaving the battery in the cold with no charging is about the toughest stress you can put on it. A robust deep cycle marine battery will stand that, but not a smaller auto starting battery. Deep cycle marine batteries are built different from automotive starting batteries. The "deep cycle" is designed to hold a charge longer and to withstand discharges that would kill a starter battery.

A battery will self discharge by just sitting around. An automotive starting battery will self discharge quicker than a marine deep cycle battery. When the battery discharges, the specific gravity of the electrolyte will approach that of water. If it's in the cold, it could freeze. Once it freezes, it's kaput.

Because of that, most people who store cars in cold climates either regularly charge the battery or disconnect it and bring it inside. Even inside, the battery should be charged regularly. Once a month'll do. Or, you could keep the battery hooked up to a self regulating charger. Distinguish between a trickle charger and a small self regulating charger. Most trickle chargers are not self regulating. They just keep pumping a small amount of juice into the battery whether it needs it or not. There is a brand of small self regulating chargers that posters here usually recommend. I can't think of the name, but it contains the word, "tender."

I live in the Northeast, and used to bring my battery indoors every Winter until I got lazy and until I got a battery disconnect switch. Now I leave the battery in the car (in the unheated garage), disconnected, and put a regular self regulating charger (Sears) on it about once a month. Most people leave the battery in the car, disconnected, and put the smaller self regulating battery tender on it at all times. I don't do that because I'm afraid to leave electrical things hooked up for long periods of time when I'm not around. You decide. Do you unplug your coffee maker and toaster when you're through with them? Or, leave them plugged in on the kitchen counter at all times?

Finally, if you do take the battery out of the car, don't store it on a concrete floor. At least put a piece of wood under it. It's probably an old spouse's tale about not leaving batteries on concrete floors. But I still won't do it. Just because it's a myth, doesn't mean it's wrong.