What to do with my sla battery while on vacation?

[pengyou]

I will be gone for 6 weeks. Should I leave my battery continually attached to the charger? Maybe buy a timer so that the charger goes on for one hour our of 24?

Help...quick!

[bikingbrit]

Don't worry about it. Worst case, the self discharge rate is 20% per month so it would be 30% discharged in six weeks. Just recharge when you get back. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_acid_battery

[mike-on-da-bike]

i would not leave it on thats a good way to start a fire,just tuck him in bed with his dollies and kiss him goodnight

[pengyou]

Thanks!

[ken cummings]

Leave it somewhere cold or cool. Lower temps = lower discharge rates. A smart 3-stage charger can be left on but may cost more then the battery.

[meb]

i would not leave it on thats a good way to start a fire,just tuck him in bed with his dollies and kiss him goodnight

It would be beneficial to have the batteries charged up before departing, but the fire hazzard of leaving them charged on vacation far exceed any benefit of keeping them charged.

[dewdad]

Couldn't agree more...never leave SLA charging longer than 48 hours...Even with a smart charger it is not recommended. Best to charge it ahead of time and unplug before you go...charge it when you return...SLA loved to be charged but you don't want the charger to overheat if the fan motor burns out.

[Garandman]

I used to have a timer attached to a trickle charger. It came on for 10 minutes a day. Cheap and effective, but I just wouldn't leave it unattended.

[dumbass]

I think people over react on the SLA battery storage. Remember they say for months in a warehouse before you bought them. And when I was still working I traveled for several months at a time. My car ether sat in a cold Chicago garage or in the snow at the Chicago airport. I never had a problem starting my car when I returned and as I said it was always between 30 to 90 day trips.