8 month old 6V battery dead

[Daves55Sedan]

I bought this Exide model CT1, 6 volt battery, 625 CCA at Rural King on July 11, 2018. For the last couple months, it has been out of the car and sitting on the floor in the laundry room while my instruments were in for repair. Now that the rebuilt instruments have been installed, I went out to re-install the car battery (after having charged it the previous day).
So I go to start the car and the battery wont even click the starter solenoid. Headlights are very dim. I get the battery checked. It has two real good cells and one dead cell. The battery was 8 months old and was only used full time for 5 months, and well cared for during that time.
So I go back to Rural King with the old battery and they no longer carry the Exide CT1, but they have a slightly larger model CTF2, also 625 CCA. But it costs $64.99. So I'm thinking I will need to shell out about $20 to make up the difference, since the CT1 only costed $44.99.
Not having any other choice, I brought the CTF2 up to the counter and the cashier made the exchange for me at no charge $00.00.
Both these battery's have 24 month warranty.
BTW, the CTF2 fits perfectly into the battery tray in the car and my homemade hold-down mount fits perfectly around the perimeter (unbeknownst to me at the time of exchange). On the way home from Rural King, I thought I might need to swap all that out. Nope !

[JeffB2]

Us old guys remember being told not to do this: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index....e-floor-drain/

[54vicky]

I agree with what Jeff said it was an urban myth even so when ever I take a battery out of anything I make sure to keep it off concrete.the quality of to-days (last 10 years)batteries is total shyt .I have one in my 54 that I have had for more than 10 years I keep it on a battery tender and check the water level often works as it did when I put it in.I bought it from a friend that builds batteries for a living and has for over 40 years.you could write a book on the battery problems to-day the makers have dropped down to 1 or 2 from years ago the production of lead and the smelters is one reason if not the only one.

[JimNNN]

I (prematurely) bought a large 12 volt battery for a '72 Thunderbird I was about to buy last year...but the deal went south when the seller gave me a song and dance about the title status of the car (and fibbed a couple of times) so I'M stuck with the battery, and the only place to store it is on the floor of my storage unit. My head knows that the concrete floor vs. battery life thing is a myth, but my heart doesn't, as legends die hard for me. I have the battery on the floor, but it's resting on a half inch thick plastic grate (might've been a license plate holder of some sort) and have some black sheet poly material under that. I'll probably eventually put the battery in my '65 T-Bird or my '06 T&C minivan, whichever gives out first.

[rotorwrench]

Sulfation kills a lot of batteries. The crystals will get larger and harder the longer a battery stays dormant. A person has to draw some current out to clean the plates and then recharge it on a regular basis or its life will be a short one. Some battery tenders do this but they can also have longevity problems and can ruin a battery if they go bad and over charge or over draw.

[5851a]

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Goodyear finally stepped up to the plate and started manufacturing RV tires again. Hasn't been a choice other than China or Taiwan for quite awhile. Maybe there is some hope someone will make a good battery again.

[Daves55Sedan]

Actually, all the flooring in my house is 1 x 4 tongue and groove wood above a deep crawlspace. Yes I have heard the old wives-tale about not setting a lead-acid battery on a concrete floor. Never heard any actual proof it would ruin a battery, but never wanted to test it either.
During the 2-1/2 months the battery was out of the car, I did intermittently run a 2 amp trickle charge on it, around once every couple weeks (with the battery caps un-screwed and a paper towel over the filling holes. Also topped off with water to the split ring before charging.
My battery charger is an ancient cheapo Schaumacher 6/12v, 2/6amp charger. I am pretty sure it does not have auto shutoff at full charge, so I never leave the charger on longer than overnight, then I always test the voltage at the battery terminals (with the charger disconnected of course) using a separate voltage meter. If the voltage shows 6 or a little better, I leave the charger disconnected for a while. If it shows less, I continue charging for a while and test the voltage again.

[dmsfrr]

Originally Posted by Daves55Sedan

... an ancient cheapo Schaumacher ...

This one still works better than some of the new automatic ones.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by dmsfrr

This one still works better than some of the new automatic ones.

Probably true but you don't want to leave a Battery Charger on a battery long term. Use a battery maintainer when in storage. I have a Battery Tender Jr. that I leave on my batteries while in storage and have never had a problem. Letting a battery sit with a low charge causes the plates to sulfate and kills the battery.

[Daves55Sedan]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

Letting a battery sit with a low charge causes the plates to sulfate and kills the battery.

That's why I didn't have my charger continuously charge on 2amp trickle charge during the two month period. I thought certain the battery would be good as new if I gave it a shot overnight once every week and a half or so, in some cases charging for only a few hours before disconnecting.
Is there any battery additive that can help increase longevity in these cheap batteries????

[54vicky]

checked the car battery today still good to go by the way the charger I mentioned I use on it is called accumate 6-12 it has the same colours as accumeter gauges may be under their umbrella it was recommended by my battery guy

[bobss396]

I drive my car all year, but it sat in late 2016 while I was working on it. I bought a battery tender to keep the battery up for a couple of months. This past winter, my car sat in the garage for a couple of weeks, very cold weeks. No tender on it, it started but slow-cranked when I started it.