New 12v Car battery shelf life

[Martin Page]

When you buy a new car battery its usually good to go.

I want to have a 12v60Ah to store and available to use, unused, for anything up to say 5 years,
What is the best option to achieve this...

Are all new batteries ready to use or do they need to be filled and charged before use.
How do battery sales distributers keep them in store?

[chrissiehope]

"Computers..." ??? Shouldn't this be under "Motoring.."?

[costakid]

Some batteries are dry or gell and last for ages. The old type have acid put in them before they are sold, these are called wet cell batteries. Even a gell battery would be flat after 5 years. Not sure why you would buy a battery that far in advance. You must have a very good reason.

[Miro]

"Computers..." ??? Shouldn't this be under "Motoring.."?

Batteries - electronics....I can see that!

I think it depends very much on the battery. I was puzzled when I first had to change the battery on my car, having bought the car new 9 years previously and done very little mileage. I'd never owned any car that long so was surprised when the garage was surprised that it was the original battery. They told me 3 years is a normal lifespan. Sure enough, the replacement gave up 3 years later! It hadn't been "used" any more than the original.

[TorreDelAguila]

New car batteries are always sold charged, but it's no bad idea to put a brand new one on charge (if you have the time), because all rechargeable batteries lose some of their charge while standing ("self-discharge").

Standard car batteries do not like being left in a discharged state - the plates deteriorate. Advisable to put them into storage fully charged, and to recharge at least every three months or so.

An alternative is to invest in one of these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CTEK-MXS-3-8-F ... s=ctek+3.8
which can be left connected to the battery indefinitely. An excellent piece of kit; avoid cheap imitations.
Standard chargers should not be left in permanent charge, as they over-charge and can evaporate the battery contents.

One type of 'car' battery that can be stored long-term, and will not damage itself by being left discharged is the "leisure battery". These usually cost a tad more than normal car batteries, by have a special plate design that allows deep discharge without damage. Battery of choice for boaters and caravanners. Available in big sizes, too - up to 120Ah.

[Martin Page]

Its not for a car ... its for a boat. Since there is no boat section I chose this one since its electronics, and this is an electronics question?

I want to have a stand by wet lead acid battery always available and charged in case the Old battery doesn't hold its recharge again in the future.

Battery suppliers have them on the shelves for ages and they are ready to use straight away
Do you have to add the 'acid' yourself and can you buy them not 'activated' and keep them stored like that for some time ?

[Enrique]

Hi Martin Page,
A car battery will discharge over time, the rate depending on the Temperature and battery quality.
A solution for you is to have a charger connected...............like this............

http://accumate.co.uk/accumate.htm

The small size Motor cycle batteries are available with acid capsules that you can add when you're ready to use the battery.

[TorreDelAguila]

If for a boat, I take it you're not needing to start some vast marine diesel?
Just for lighting/audio/appliance use?
Mains available?

If you're keeping your backup battery on board, couple it up to the first battery (like a jump-start, but with decent cables and connectors) so that it gets a charge when the boat is in use. Disconnect when not, and don't use the second battery for starting, etc. A better solution is to buy and install a "split charger", which senses when the generator is running, and connects in the second battery, automatically disconnecting it when the generator (engine) stops. Lots of models available.

I don't think motor factors/battery stockists do anything to their stock of batteries these days, neither adding fluid nor charging.
New batteries are usually labelled with a manufacturing date, and a "best before" date signifying how long the factory initial charge is good for.
When this date is reached, I think the stockist simply returns unsold items to the wholesaler, probably for refilling/charging/whatever.
Try googling the topic.

[El Cid]

Gel batteries hold their charge much longer than conventional batteries. We had 10 main batteries on our boat, but always kept one isolated in reserve for emergency engine starting. Occasionally would connect it into the battery charging circuit, but it held its charge for months.

Sid

[spanish_lad]

how about using a solar drip charger ?