The battery in our 1999 Accord was in the car when we bought it 5 1/2 years ago and the little indicator still shows green ("ok") but I wonder how old it may be. There is no manufacturer's label, just a sticker saying Automotive NS70MF, on which is written in felt pen the figures 63. There are no voltmeters in modern cars. I guess it will die a sudden death some time but I wonder if I should take advantage of any sale price bargains available and buy a new one to have on hand. Do modern batteries keep well, fully charged and unused? Should I buy a conventional lead or the new calcium compound type? Any expert advice gratefully accepted! (I have just replaced the battery in one of our old cars, which suddenly failed while I was in the process of tuning the engine: several normal starts then nothing! It wouldn't hold a charge and was pronounced deceased. It did last a long time, my last battery purchase recorded in the car's log book was in 2001. 20% discount at the red shed today prompted me to rush in and buy the last one in the correct size.)
You may as well wait till it fails then simply replace with at least the same size. I tend to replace with the biggest that will fit in the hole and clamp down. Modern batteries last approx. 3 years with all the electrics in the modern vehicle. I would stick with lead / acid for your car as it is the cheaper option.
intrade,
Mar 13, 4:52am
if you have a non calcium battery in the car then if you can you should try and get a normal lead battery, but i doubt there is much non calcium ones available now. Wait till it fails then buy one with 36 month warranty but do your research now that is a good thing your doing , there is a thread where i explained why you need a special charger for a calcium battery and why a old one is still seeming to charge a calcium ok when it is not.
elect70,
Mar 13, 5:09am
Modern batteries last 5 years at least , you will know when its on way out when have trouble starting on cold mornings . Me i just drive into the w house & buy new Exide to match & fit it in the car park. They have always been good ,there is so many unknown brands out there & dont know where they are made
skull,
Mar 13, 5:14am
So you're the guy that leaves the dead batteries in the bushes at the Warehouse. Stubbed my toe on it short cutting thru the garden.
dublo,
Mar 13, 7:20am
Thanks, ceebee 2 (now I know what brand it is) and intrade (yes, I read your previous entry about battery charging .)
But no-one, yet, has mentioned anything about storing new, fully charged batteries.
I shall watch this space!
mack77,
Mar 13, 10:04am
Calcium lead acid batteries (yes they're still lead acid) have one big advantage over the old style batteries. It is that they have very low self discharge rates. Supercharge say even if they're not being used you would only need to recharge them after three months and perhaps even longer depending on the ambient temperature.
martin11,
Mar 13, 7:00pm
Sit them on a concrete floor and you will find the self discharge rate goes up and they destroy them selves quickly .
ceebee2,
Mar 13, 7:08pm
To store a fully charged brand new battery for an extended period of time will require it to be connected to a "smart" charger so that it will be kept at full charge always. Even new batteries will drain over time. The "Gel cell" battery is one unit that can have a shelf life of up to 12 months without discharging but require a special charger!
intrade,
Mar 13, 7:28pm
actuarly that is a myth from similar people who think plains make chemtrails . the battery wont be destroyed when they sit on the floor the concreet is cold acting as a heat sink that is the only reason you dont store them on concrete floor, The myth came from back in the day when a battery consited of a wooden box and some glass cilinders. Modern battery are not made like this so the problem form back then dont exist but the myths made it in to the future
here is the myth busted Can I Store My Battery on a Concrete Floor?
Battery Storage on Concrete
This one is an often heard ???old wives tale??
tintop,
Mar 13, 7:37pm
No - Its sitting on cold concrete that gives you piles that you are getting confused with.
dublo,
Mar 13, 8:07pm
Love these replies, especially the last one! Thank you, gentlemen.
martin11,
Mar 14, 1:29am
Strange had a brand new battery stored in my garage and 6 months later it when installed it was dead . Battery place told me it was because I had stored it on a concrete floor . This happened last xmas 2014
gmphil,
Mar 14, 2:51am
same had a good battey and son used to jump start a car in didn't stick back on shelf ! just left on floor and was flat when I went to use and now wont take a full charge .
ceebee2,
Mar 14, 2:57am
It will be "sulphated" which can be partially reversed by completely discharging and recharging the battery several times.
elect70,
Mar 14, 6:24am
tip toeing through the tulips were we ?
jason_247,
Mar 15, 11:16am
an ns70 is a huge battery for that car so should last really well.
concrete floor thing is a myth. leaving it anywhere will allow it to discharge, just luck that its final months were on the floor.
almost all batteries available are not calcium batteries. calcium require a higher charge voltage so you should stick with what you have factory
Another thing to look out for on a stored battery is stratification. where the acid becomes more dense and reactive at the bottom and less so at the top. drops voltage and can eat the plates. best to slosh it around every now and then if its not getting movement in a car. Deep cycles dont have this issue as the bubbles of hydrogen gas from charging mix up the liquid densities. only a battery doing nothing is at risk
dublo,
Mar 15, 8:48pm
Thank you, Jason. The Century application guide lists the NS70 for both 4 cylinder and V6 1998-2002 Honda Accords. The car's handbook says "12V - 55 AH/5 HR" . I can understand the 55 amp/hours bit but not the 5 HRT!
pauldw,
Mar 15, 8:49pm
I wouldn't count on that. Maybe from older factories but calcium allows a cheaper continuous plate making process that just happens to have some benefit for the battery user.
dublo,
Mar 15, 8:50pm
Thank you, Jason. The Century application guide lists the NS70 for both 4 cylinder and V6 1998-2002 Honda Accords. The car's handbook says "12V - 55 AH/5 HR" for the V6. I can understand the 55 amp/hours bit but not the 5 HRT!
mechnificent,
Mar 15, 9:13pm
HRT is how long the battery will keep delivering for. Some batteries they test/quote a figure for for twelve or more hours.
mechnificent,
Mar 15, 9:19pm
And batteries do deteriorate on concrete floors, not because they are concrete, but because they are cold. Put a battery on damp cold earth and they will deteriorate quickly as well, and that goes for standing them in cold water too.
If you want to put them near the floor, put them on a board at least, and a board raised on two battens is better.
gmphil,
Mar 15, 9:25pm
this is wot my dad taught me to do ^^^^
mechnificent,
Apr 28, 4:14pm
Ask any alternative power user(or commercial battery user) and they will tell you it's vital to keep your batteries warm enough and at a steady temperature.
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