Battery care in winter

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   I’m interested in how forum members manage their batteries when the boat is winterised. I keep my 345 on a sheltered marina pontoon. I keep two heaters on board with thermostat set for a few degrees above freezing. Following advice from a professional marine electrician and since I visit the boat on average every week, I have been switching off my Chargemaster 12/35-3 and only topping up the batteries when I’m actually on the boat.Am I being too cautious? Should I have more faith in the Chargemaster to keep my batteries at optimum charge? Any advice would be very welcome.
Thank you.

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Magicol Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commander Joined: 16 June 2016 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 96	Post Options Post Reply Quote Magicol Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Battery care in winter Posted: 17 January 2024 at 19:11
	I’m interested in how forum members manage their batteries when the boat is winterised. I keep my 345 on a sheltered marina pontoon. I keep two heaters on board with thermostat set for a few degrees above freezing. Following advice from a professional marine electrician and since I visit the boat on average every week, I have been switching off my Chargemaster 12/35-3 and only topping up the batteries when I’m actually on the boat. Am I being too cautious? Should I have more faith in the Chargemaster to keep my batteries at optimum charge? Any advice would be very welcome. Thank you.
	Hanse 345 #237 based on the Clyde

Captain Cook Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral Joined: 23 May 2006 Location: Denmark Status: Offline Points: 1245	Post Options Post Reply Quote Captain Cook Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 January 2024 at 10:27
	I have my Sterling Pro Charge Ultra 60A connected all the time, and my batteries have a lifespan of 6-7 years. I also have a heater with thermostat in the engine compartment. For the eventuality that the shorepower fails in freezing temperatures, I have antifreeze in the saltwater/muffler and in the shower and toilet. My boat is in the water all winter with the seacocks open (greater risk of freezing when closed). Only with temperatures below -10 degrees (or more than 1cm of ice on the water) will I start another thermostat heater in the saloon. The copperpipes for hot & cold water are also in risk of freezing even if you have a heater in the saloon, because they are mounted close to the cold hull. In my boat, I use a compressor to blow out most of the water from the pipes before the winter. The water tank is also drained. :Kjeld Edited by Captain Cook - 18 January 2024 at 10:31
	Freya H400 #27 (2006),2-cabin, 40HP 3JH4E, 3-blade Flexofold, Aries LiftUp Windvane, Exturn 300, Jefa DD1,Simrad NX40,Icom M603(VHF)+M802(SSB)

H8jer Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral Joined: 14 September 2010 Location: Denmark Status: Offline Points: 1503	Post Options Post Reply Quote H8jer Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 January 2024 at 10:42
	Hi The 3x100ah Lifepo4 house batteries (13kg each) is removed from the boat and are storaged at home (at minimum 8 degrees celsius and they hold 100% SOC by themselves) Starterbattery and thrusterbatteries (Lead Acid) loves when it is cold, and does not need to be recharged. But be sure to disconnect any power consumer, also battery monitors and vhf if it is connected directly. My engine is winterized and all water is emtyed out. My harbour does not permit the 24/7 use of shorepower (I unstep the mast and put the boat ashore every year) With age that might change.... Edited by H8jer - 18 January 2024 at 10:43
	Hanse 370#487 30HP 3-cabin

Fendant Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral Joined: 03 November 2012 Location: Switzerland Status: Offline Points: 1671	Post Options Post Reply Quote Fendant Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 January 2024 at 16:11
	My 345 is stored in the hard over the winter. Engine and Fresh water system are winterized by the yard. We do not have electricityconnections in the boat storage area. I have 3 Victron 100 Ah LiFePo as service batteries. The remain on the boat Nov. - Apr. I have in addition to the main battery switch a "winter switch" disconnecting ALL negative connections from the service batteries. In addition I also disconnect the BMS. Bow thruster and starter batteries are AGM's. Here I disconnect via the battery switches in aft cabin and up front.
	Frank

Brufan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Rear Admiral Joined: 16 December 2010 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 672	Post Options Post Reply Quote Brufan Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 19 January 2024 at 09:18
	My AGM pack is simply switched off during winter. Just 2 small solar panels still on. Battery pack last 9 years this way. So I won't risk to break my back to remove 80 kg battery pack and store them ashore. My back worth a lot more than a potential 1 more year of battery lifespan. No heating aboard during winter (unless I'm aboard). In my harbour it freezes only approx 2 weeks/year during nights. Engine is winterised with fresh water & antifreeze. Fresh water system is simple left with taps opened and boiler drained.
	Bruno hanse 355 - 57 S/Y Spicy Ginger White hull, 2 cabins, Volvo D1-30, Selden rig, removable mainsheet track system, Simrad (now B&G)-Jefa autopilot.

Dubs2021 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Lieutenant Commander Joined: 04 October 2021 Location: Edmonds, WA Status: Offline Points: 77	Post Options Post Reply Quote Dubs2021 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 19 January 2024 at 17:11
	Dubs is in the water full time. I run the engine every few weeks with a load, and go sailing when the weather allows. Puget Sound is generally ~45 F water temperature year-round. Following dealer advice, trusting the battery charger, I leave Dubs connected to shore power in the marina. The house bank has 2 x 160 AGM batteries. Even connected to marina shore power full time, my first set of zincs lasted 18 months. The 348 is equiped with a galvonic isolator. We have a mild climate but did experience a blast of arctic air last week, where nighttime temps dropped into the mid teens F. I run low output heaters in the salon to circulate air. With the cold snap, cabin temp dropped to 18-20 F overnight, but the engine compartment was 50 F. Running a small heater in the engine room kept it over 60 F. We flush the fresh water system and refill the tanks, shower, drains and toilet with marine safe antifreeze.
	Hugh

Martin&Rene Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Vice Admiral Joined: 06 December 2009 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 967	Post Options Post Reply Quote Martin&Rene Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 19 January 2024 at 18:13
	Colin I think there are two aspects to the question. I think that what you are doing putting the charger on when you are on the yacht is fine. Others say leaving the batteries without being connected to a charger is fine. My yacht is out of the water for 5 months and I do not visit it as I live 250 miles away. To me, leaving the batteries on charge all that time just does not feel right, especially since I am not totally certain my 2003 battery charger is ideal for AGM batteries. My approach when the yacht is on shore can be seen in the picture. (It is an old photo and the power meter has now been changed to meet the requirements of the marina.) I bring the external shore power lead direct into the yacht and it is attached to the junction board. The timer with the black plug runs the heater overnight. The timer with the orange plug has a black lead on it that runs to the yacht's shore power connection. That timer is on for half an hour a day and so the batteries have a short top-up charge each day. I never leave the yacht in the water for a period with the shore power connected to the yacht. I know of one recent instance where a yacht (not a Hanse) needed the saildrive replacing because of excessive corrosion, with the view being that there was an electrical fault on the big motor boat moored alongside it. If the yacht is in the water early or late in the season and I want to leave a heater on, then I just use the set set up as above, only not putting in the connection back to the yacht. I feel the batteries can quite happily stand a month without being charged.
	Martin&Rene Hanse 341 Dipper Wheel steering, 3 cabin layout, normally based in Scotland

Magicol Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commander Joined: 16 June 2016 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 96	Post Options Post Reply Quote Magicol Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 19 January 2024 at 20:57
	Thank you everyone. It is always helpful to understand how others do these regular, basic but essential winter tasks. I am now more confident in how I manage my batteries during the off season. Martin, I really like your timer on the shore power system to provide a short daily charge for the batteries. Ingenious! How did you isolate the charger and connect via the 240v plug?
	Hanse 345 #237 based on the Clyde

Johan Hackman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral of the Fleet Joined: 24 August 2005 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 4361	Post Options Post Reply Quote Johan Hackman Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 20 January 2024 at 12:43
	I keep my boat in the water all year in a cold climate. During all of the winter I am connected to shore power with the charger on. I have experienced that the lifespan of my AGM batteries are alarmingly short, just a few years. Last year when they died yet another time I got the advice to replace the charger. There was nothing wrong with the charger I had but the charger I got (a Victron) has a charging stage the previous on did not - a storage mode. After being fully charged it goes into float charge (charging at 13.8V) for a fairly short time (just a few hours) before going into storage mood, when the charging voltage is 13.2V. I think the lower voltage during extended periods of time might make the life span of my batteries longer. It is too early to predict anything but I have noted that my battery monitor kept adding ampere hours with the previous charger while the new one makes the battery monitor stay at 0 Ah. I am making the conclusion that the batteries now don't get overcharged. I suspect that the reason for the batteries dying was that they got overcharged when using the previous charger. Johan
	http://www.johanhackman.se

Martin&Rene Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Vice Admiral Joined: 06 December 2009 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 967	Post Options Post Reply Quote Martin&Rene Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 20 January 2024 at 14:59
	Colin You are thinking I am more clever than I actually am. I only have the timer on the battery charger on when the yacht is out of the water. So the black cable from the orange plug just runs back onto the normal shore power yacht input socket and so the whole 240v system is on power when the timer is on. However, there should be an earth connection present all the time, which is why I do not use that practice when the yacht is in the water. I accept that others may think I am being over fussy. This diagram was drawn a long time ago, as the marina was not convinced I was monitoring my power supply. Interesting to read Johan's comments and they reflect my views on my battery charger. One breaker that I do leave on is the bilge pump on the automatic setting. A friend of mine in Scotland (not on a Hanse) had the cockpit drains freeze and crack and the subsequent rainfall and snow melt filled the yacht to above the wooden floor boards. ,
	Martin&Rene Hanse 341 Dipper Wheel steering, 3 cabin layout, normally based in Scotland



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