Understanding Marine Batteries
This is a type of battery that powers watercraft such as yachts, but due to special treatment, it is less affected by humidity, extreme cold, and other environments than ordinary batteries.
Is it possible to leave a marine battery on board in winter?
Yes, but it is not recommended to leave marine batteries on the boat in winter. This is because when the temperature is extremely cold, the battery is likely to freeze, with irreversible consequences.
However, if you insist on leaving the batteries on board, you will need to disconnect the batteries completely from the electrical system and regularly service the boat and check the condition of the batteries, otherwise the life of the batteries will be greatly reduced.
What happens when a boat battery freezes up?
If your boat uses lithium batteries, you don’t have to worry too much about the batteries freezing because lithium batteries won’t be damaged at lower temperatures (minus 20 degrees Celsius or so). However, it is necessary for those using lead-acid batteries to find out what happens to the batteries at low temperatures and how they are protected.
Since some batteries have a high water content in the electrolyte, when the battery freezes it may expand, which can cause rupture of the battery casing, for example. Secondly, freezing can cause a loss of battery power, reducing the performance and life of the battery.
Winter Marine Battery Maintenance
Batteries can be affected by the weather, especially in winter, and careful maintenance of batteries can extend their service life.
(1) Regularly check the batteries, measure the voltage, and ensure the cleanliness of the batteries to prevent them from malfunctioning;
(2) Since the battery may still consume a small amount of power when it is turned off, it may damage the battery after a long time, so we should remove all electrical systems of the battery.
(3) Regularly charge and discharge the batteries in the right amount to prevent the batteries from being harmed by not running for a long time.
Storage of marine batteries in winter
1. Regular cleaning: After winter comes, we will not use the marine battery for a long time. But if we don’t clean the batteries for a long time, the batteries may leave stains or be corroded, at this time, in order to avoid the batteries being damaged, we need to clean these stains.
2. Keep dry: in a humid environment, it will accelerate the corrosion of the metal shell of the battery, so when we store the battery we need to make sure that the battery is dry in order to extend the service life of the battery.
3. Disconnect the power supply: in order to prevent the battery from losing too much power, we can choose to disconnect the battery from all electrical systems, which not only improves the performance of the battery, but also extends the service life.
4. Place in a suitable location: in order to prevent the battery from being damaged, you should try to store the battery in a cool and dry place.
5. Regular inspection and charging: In order to normalize the use of the battery in the coming year, it is necessary to carry out regular inspection and maintenance of the battery, etc. If the battery is found to be insufficient, it should also be charged in time so as not to shorten the service life of the battery.
6. How to charge the marine battery in winter
(1) The use of the correct charger is the main point of charging the battery;
(2) Always supervise the charging to prevent damage to the battery from overcharging;
(3) Since some batteries cannot be charged when the charge is too low, we should focus on the battery charge and try to make sure the battery is fully charged.
Conclusion
To summarize, in winter, if you can’t do a reasonable job of maintaining your marine batteries, try not to leave them on the boat through the winter to avoid irreparable damage to the batteries.
