robin craig Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 As a result of the purchase of a 432 with prodigious comms fit and a Stormer with same we are going to end up with about 5 pairs of batteries to store long term. Im proposing storing on wood in 50 degree C building with mains powered battery tender with over charge protection and fluid level check on a regular basis. Is there any other way of preserving these batteries as a resource without involving more cost outlay? R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff66 Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 apart from things like out of direct sunlight a good batt conditioner should keep them ticking over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk3iain Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Yes definately use a conditioner and do not leave on trickle charge for long term storage ! Whether in the vehicle or on a bench, a conditioner such as the Optimate 6 will maintain the batteries without gassing them dry or warping the plates etc and can be left connected indefinately. If you have them on a bench in your "batt shop" protected from frost, a regular (once a month ?) charge and level check should keep them happy. You just need one charger then! Hope thats of some use Iain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 If they're Hawker batteries (as I suspect they are), make sure you use a charger designed for AGM type batteries, not one intended for mainstream flooded cell lead-acid units. These aren't conventional lead-acid batteries! I'd recommend chargers manufactured by Pulsetech, which are in use by both the MOD and DOD. With the number of batteries you have something like the twin version of the Extreme charger would be good unless you want to splash out for something more comprehensive. Rotate the charger round the batteries once a week and check the OCVs of the off-charge units just to be sure. The US refer to these batteries as "Armasafe" - there's a lot of useful info, including PDF manuals, around if you Google for it. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 Andy, I will check back with you before we slap them on charge, thanks for the heads up. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 The US DOD have experienced lots of trouble with maintenance of these batteries due to failure of people to understand them. That's why there's a lot of helpful material on the 'net - if you know to look for "Armasafe"! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk3iain Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Robin Check this out, they are ok for all batt types inc gell or AGM types. http://www.optimate.co.uk/optimate%206.htm Iain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
protruck Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Hi Robin. If they are being stored in a seperate room or a cabinet make sure you have plenty of ventilation. for the acid fumes not to build up. i can remember when i was working a scammells them having an explosion in the battery room because or the build up of gases with the batteries being charge and not being correctly ventilated. hope this helps. Clive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Robin - Here's a couple of useful links - I won't post the actual documents for Copyright reasons: http://www.cerdec.army.mil/directorates/docs/c2d/TB9_6140_252_13.pdf http://www.enersys.com/defense/documents/Tank-manual.pdf I had a very interesting chat with one of Hawker's engineers a couple of months back, and although it has a different NSN and no vents, the US battery is identical internally to the UK ones. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 It continually amazes me the depth of the information that comes out of this forum. I will check the batteries out this week and post what I find before we put them on charge. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Also maybe worth checking ou Ring Smartchargers and Ctek chargers as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulob1 Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 ctek and optimate get my vote, use them all the time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.