Maintaining your Battery over the Winter

As Winter begins to close in and we look at protecting our boats, caravans and motorhomes against inclement weather and colder temperatures over the coming months, make sure that you also look after your battery.

There’s no need to panic as these easy and common-sense tips will enable you to maintain the performance of your battery for when you start using it again as we move into Spring (and hopefully, some brighter weather!).

Firstly, start the Winter with your battery fully charged in case of any discharge over time. You also need to disconnect from any other power source – unless there’s a hook-up system where it’s permanently connected to the mains or an adapter. Lastly, it’s vital to store your battery in a dry place. If it’s in a potentially damp environment, the top of the battery could get wet, electricity could still flow between the terminals and the battery could drain.

Research from Leoch has shown that modern batteries will retain 90 per cent of their charge over six months of winter. Even if it’s cold, self-discharge is minimal – at 10 degrees, battery will only lose 20 per cent of capacity over 12 months.

So, no myths to bust here, just some simple advice to follow for peace of mind while your vehicle’s inactive or stowed away for a Winter break!