Winter Storage

[Sammy]

Originally Posted by NickCats

Sammy,

My garage must be some type of power sucking vortex

About a month ago, my Harley sat in the garage for two weeks.

I went to start it up and the battery was dead ( brand new battery, replaced the beginning of this year ).

Now if the bike sits more than two weeks, on the charger it goes...

My Box also sat for about two weeks.

When I went to use the key to open the trunk, no dice...

Then I tried to open the door with the remote, nada...

I opened the door with the key and thank goodness the car started.

So, now if the Box sits more than two weeks, on the charger it goes.

I will still drive the Box this winter if the roads are clean, so I am not going to put it in full storage mode.

I guess that's the price I pay for owning 3 vehicles

Nick

I also had a "motorcycle phase" (might I add this was phase 1 and I expect phase 2 sometime in the future) and I had the same issues I had that you are finding with your Harley. Whenever I was ready to pull my bike from winter storage I would hook up the battery directly to my car battery and let it sit overnight (el cheapo trickle charging method). I never once started the vehicle with the motorcycle battery hooked up as I don't think that it is good for it. The car battery has plenty of juice without the car running. I'm pretty sure bikes are a different animal than todays cars (carb vs. fuel injection) which makes after storage starting a little tricky.

I am surprised that you have trouble with your Boxster. I can leave my truck at O'Hare for weeks at a time in the dead cold of winter and it always starts right up. I finally bit the bullet and bought a new battery for my truck this evening as the battery that was in it was 6 years old. I figure my luck was running out and I'd rather spend a little money on a new battery than risk it dying on me...

Does the maintainer actually prolong the life of the battery if the battery would've lost its charge? Or does it prolong its lift regardless of the condition?

[NickCats]

Originally Posted by Sammy

Does the maintainer actually prolong the life of the battery if the battery would've lost its charge? Or does it prolong its lift regardless of the condition?

That's a good questions and I can't say I honestly know the answer. I would assume that it is not good for a battery to discharge to the point where it will not start the vehicle, so I assume a charger would be good since the battery would be kept fully charged.

I bought my bike brand new in June 2005. After this winter and the bike wouldn't start I took the battery to the dealer. They ran some tests and claimed the battery was shot and would no longer hold a charge so they gave me a new one ( free under warrantee ). My guess would be that if a battery discharges to a certain point it is no longer usable.

This is my 6th bike and my 3rd Harley and the first time I ever had battery problems. My current Harley has a radio and a bunch of other electronic gizmos which I think still puts a drain on the battery even when it is in storage.

As far as the Boxster and the charger I figure better safe than sorry...

MNBoxster, perhaps you could shed some light on the subject ?

Nick

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

I don't want to bore you with all the whys and wherefores, but a Wet Acid Cell battery is a pretty poor device for storing a charge longterm. they're much better at storing the charge for a short term, then discharging (doing work), then being recharged either by the Alternator or some outside source.

Inside the battery, substances actually change into other substances and release electrons (electricity) in the bargain. Adding more energy from an outside source allows this process to reverse itself. The chemistry is such, that it's better to keep these changes (reactions) occuring repeatedly over the short term rather than allowing the substances to remain in their present state for long.

This is why a maintainer is good, it keeps the chemistry going inside the battery during the storage period and can extend the life of the battery by 2-3 years. Also, a battery in poor condition will work the Alternator harder once the car is running again. In addition to using more Gas because the Alternator is constantly charging the battery, you also will shorten the Alternator's life.

With Batteries running anywhere from $40-$100, investing in a $25 maintainer and using $2-$3 per season to maintain and extend the life of the battery is a pretty good trade. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[Sammy]

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Hi,

I don't want to bore you with all the whys and wherefores, but a Wet Acid Cell battery is a pretty poor device for storing a charge longterm. they're much better at storing the charge for a short term, then discharging (doing work), then being recharged either by the Alternator or some outside source.

Inside the battery, substances actually change into other substances and release electrons (electricity) in the bargain. Adding more energy from an outside source allows this process to reverse itself. The chemistry is such, that it's better to keep these changes (reactions) occuring repeatedly over the short term rather than allowing the substances to remain in their present state for long.

This is why a maintainer is good, it keeps the chemistry going inside the battery during the storage period and can extend the life of the battery by 2-3 years. Also, a battery in poor condition will work the Alternator harder once the car is running again. In addition to using more Gas because the Alternator is constantly charging the battery, you also will shorten the Alternator's life.

With Batteries running anywhere from $40-$100, investing in a $25 maintainer and using $2-$3 per season to maintain and extend the life of the battery is a pretty good trade. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Yes, it helps tremendously! Thank you for the explanation and I'm planning a trip to the local auto store to pick one up!

I was kind of hoping for something referring to NickCats "power sucking vortex" but your explanation sounds just a tad more realistic.

Sammy

[z12358]

Jim,
You mentioned the "Car Cocoon" in your instructions, and something about it requiring only few $ electricity. What's the power used for (I have no power in my storage.) Can you point to which product exactly you are refering to?

Any opinions on this one:
http://www.classiccarcocoon.com/car.html ?
That VCI sounds a bit like mumbo-jumbo.

Thx,
Z.

Originally Posted by z12358

Jim,
You mentioned the "Car Cocoon" in your instructions, and something about it requiring only few $ electricity. What's the power used for (I have no power in my storage.) Can you point to which product exactly you are refering to?

Any opinions on this one:
http://www.classiccarcocoon.com/car.html ?
That VCI sounds a bit like mumbo-jumbo.

Thx,
Z.

I think the "Car- Cocoon" is an oversized electric blanket that you park your car in.

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by bmussatti

I think the "Car- Cocoon" is an oversized electric blanket that you park your car in.

Hi,

Not exactly, they're inflatable storage units which use a low-power consumption fan to keep it inflated so the air is contantly moving. They prevent accumulation of Dust and offer some protection to impacts as well. They're really quite good. Cost about $5/season to operate.

I'd own one in a heartbeat, but since I store 4 cars annually, it'd be cost prohibitive to do them all, and it'd be impossible to pick who's gonna be the Lucky Girl, though it'd probably be my Esprit since it's the most rare.

I think the best one is called the Car Capsule. I've seen these in use and they're really quite good. Check them out at: http://www.carcapsule.com/

Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99