Topic: battery in or out?

[ateamsam]

Hey Guys,

I've had my 1974 CB 550 resting in the garage for the last couple of months with a battery tender hooked up.  Here is my question:  Does it make much of a difference if the battery is still on the bike in the unheated garage while its being charged or should it be in a warm place being charged? 

Thanks for the help,
Sam

[myhondas]

I always prefer the warm location. Cold kills batteries. Why not just take it out and keep it warm. I also store on a wood bench or on some wood on the floor. Found out the hard way that if you set it down on a cement basement floor, it helps kill the battery.

[johnny_from_bel]

Its about 10-13°C in my garage and that is fine.
Batteries keep their charge longer in a cool place.
I do not charge over winter and come spring I just change oil start and drive away.

Johnny-from-belgium

[Johnie]

I always prefer the warm location. Cold kills batteries. Why not just take it out and keep it warm. I also storn on a wood bench or on some wood on the floor. Found out the hard way that if you set it down on a cement basement floor, it helps kill the battery.

I agree...take it inside and keep it in a cool place...not cold place. You do not want it below freezing. That type cold is hard on a battery and the longevity of it.

[Deltarider]

I've had my 1974 CB 550 resting in the garage for the last couple of months with a battery tender hooked up.

There's no need to. All together tenders consume a lot of power worldwide and there's always a risk of fire. I know, I had one that started smoking within a day. If insurance companies find out, you might have a problem. A well charged battery doesn't need a chargecycle in 6 weeks. If there's a little consumer on board like a digital clock, make it 4.
If you allow me: they've calculated that in all of Europe two coalburning powerplants work around the clock just to generate the electricity for... our doorbelltrafos! I repeat: our doorbelltrafos, two coalburning powerplants. They only ring a few seconds a day (if at all) and all that time, 24 hours per day valuable energy is lost in... heat. It's the same with all these tenders.

 

Here is my question:  Does it make much of a difference if the battery is still on the bike in the unheated garage while its being charged or should it be in a warm place being charged?

 
May I suggest you follow your motherly instinct and take it in bed with you and make sure you cover it well with your blanket. Why not sing a lullaby?
I mean: did you do a search? There's a simple chemical proces going on in your battery. The warmer the faster it goes. Warm kept a well charged battery actually lives shorter.

[Porscheguy912]

how about the AGM batteries?
can i leave it in the cold?
Chicago can get pretty cold...

[Johnie]

I've had my 1974 CB 550 resting in the garage for the last couple of months with a battery tender hooked up.

There's no need to. All together tenders consume a lot of power worldwide and there's always a risk of fire. I know, I had one that started smoking within a day. If insurance companies find out, you might have a problem. A well charged battery doesn't need a chargecycle in 6 weeks. If there's a little consumer on board like a digital clock, make it a 4.
If you allow me: they've calculated that in all of Europe two coalburning powerplants work around the clock just to generate the electricity for... our doorbelltrafos! I repeat: our doorbelltrafos, two coalburning powerplants. They only ring a few seconds a day (if at all) and all that time, 24 hours per day valuable energy is lost in... heat. It's the same with all these tenders.

 

Here is my question:  Does it make much of a difference if the battery is still on the bike in the unheated garage while its being charged or should it be in a warm place being charged?

 
May I suggest you follow your motherly instinct and take it in bed with you and make sure you cover it well with your blanket. Why not sing a lullaby?
I mean: did you do a search? There's a simple chemical proces going on in your battery. The warmer the faster it goes. Warm kept a well charged battery actually lives shorter.

Well, I must be doing something right then by keeping it on the tender in the cool basement. After 7 years of waiting for it to die I just decided to buy a new one for the heck of it. Either I was lucky or it liked my singing...

[TwoTired]

The battery is a chemically reactive device.  As such, its chemical activity is accelerated by higher heat.  Acids are more aggressive when heated. So technically, batteries last longer in the cold so long as the electrolyte doesn't freeze.
The freezing point of the electrolyte depends on its state of charge.  With a depleted battery's electrolyte freezing near the same temp as ordinary water.  A fully charged battery will not freeze until about -45.9C or -50F.

But, that only speaks to storage.  Charging is another matter.  Because of less activity in the cold, fully charged cold batteries make less voltage than warm ones.  If your battery charger does not compensate for temperature, it assumes operation is conducted at 20-25C or 68-77F.  If you use such a charger on a cold battery, it will overcharge it, even if it is a tender type, and this will shorten the life of the battery.

For longest life, keep the battery cold and chose a battery maintainer that adjusts its output with temperature.

If you only have a non-temperature compensated batter tender/charger, then keep the battery warm so the charger will treat the battery properly.  Or, store the battery in the cold without the charger/maintainer connected.  But, do recharge the battery before service, after the battery as come up to the charger's designed temperature operation point.

[Johnie]

The battery is a chemically reactive device.  As such, its chemical activity is accelerated by higher heat.  Acids are more aggressive when heated. So technically, batteries last longer in the cold so long as the electrolyte doesn't freeze.
The freezing point of the electrolyte depends on its state of charge.  With a depleted battery's electrolyte freezing near the same temp as ordinary water.  A fully charged battery will not freeze until about -45.9C or -50F.

But, that only speaks to storage.  Charging is another matter.  Because of less activity in the cold, fully charged cold batteries make less voltage than warm ones.  If your battery charger does not compensate for temperature, it assumes operation is conducted at 20-25C or 68-77F.  If you use such a charger on a cold battery, it will overcharge it, even if it is a tender type, and this will shorten the life of the battery.

For longest life, keep the battery cold and chose a battery maintainer that adjusts its output with temperature.

If you only have a non-temperature compensated batter tender/charger, then keep the battery warm so the charger will treat the battery properly.  Or, store the battery in the cold without the charger/maintainer connected.  But, do recharge the battery before service, after the battery as come up to the charger's designed temperature operation point.

The God's have spoken...thanks for the input TT.

[Don R]

I'm taking out the doorbell so I can keep my batt. tender. Thinkin green ya know.

[dave500]

hey delta the generators are spinning anyway,,they dont put them on cruise control,they take a day to stop them!!,dont worry about your door bell,,mobile phones and ipods would be doing more damage,as well as recharging your lap top,and other batteries like nicads,i think were all meant to feel bad now,,,ok,,off with all those big screen plasma tvs,oh and that computer,,,i think its time for the dark ages again.

[Deltarider]

hey delta the generators are spinning anyway,,they dont put them on cruise control,they take a day to stop them!!,dont worry about your door bell,,mobile phones and ipods would be doing more damage,as well as recharging your lap top,and other batteries like nicads,i think were all meant to feel bad now,,,ok,,off with all those big screen plasma tvs,oh and that computer,,,i think its time for the dark ages again.

Around 70% of Dutch territory is below sealevel. We think it's about time we do some energysaving...

[dave500]

or swimming lessons,so ,if too many people ring the door bell you drown??im not following,,do you need massive pumps running night and day to stop flooding?surley those in charge can direct electricity to urgent needs.?and order all those wastefull consumers to use such wide screen tvs to use as a sand bag,,hey ,,i was watching the dam busters!!

[Gordon]

Around 70% of Dutch territory is below sealevel. We think it's about time we do some energysaving...

Or moving!

[gmonkey]

I've had my 1974 CB 550 resting in the garage for the last couple of months with a battery tender hooked up.

There's no need to. All together tenders consume a lot of power worldwide and there's always a risk of fire. I know, I had one that started smoking within a day. If insurance companies find out, you might have a problem. A well charged battery doesn't need a chargecycle in 6 weeks. If there's a little consumer on board like a digital clock, make it 4.
If you allow me: they've calculated that in all of Europe two coalburning powerplants work around the clock just to generate the electricity for... our doorbelltrafos! I repeat: our doorbelltrafos, two coalburning powerplants. They only ring a few seconds a day (if at all) and all that time, 24 hours per day valuable energy is lost in... heat. It's the same with all these tenders.

I'm doing my part to help by putting off fixing my doorbell.  Hasn't worked for as long as I remember living here.  Oh and keeping the heat turned down to 55 no matter how much the wife complains. 

[754]

I dont know what uses more.. door bells, or BC HYDRO..leaving their big building litup in Vancouver all night long....(maybe not anymore)

 I had a Yuasa battert that sat in the shed for about 4 yrs or longer,, it was flat.. charged it up, then ran it for about a month on a bike with total loss..ie no charging system, charge battery run till the bike misses.. .. good battery that YUASA..

[lone*X]

I'm taking out the doorbell so I can keep my batt. tender. Thinkin green ya know.

This thread has me very confused     CB's don't have doors!  Why would you put a doorbell on it?