Winterizing Beats Boat Battery Burnout (NAPSA)—While winter weather maynot be ideal for boating, with proper winterization, your boat will be ready to go when the frost thaws in the spring. Battery experts offer the following tips to ensure a fully charged battery after seven or eight monthsof storage: * Disconnect the batteries from any potential electrical load. Electrical devices, on or off, can draw poweroff the batteries, which over the course of an off-season may be enough to fully discharge them. Disconnect terminal connections to remove any threat of electrical draw throughout theoff-season. Store batteries in a cool place. Heat kills batteries, but cold temperatures preserve them. Storing batteries in the boat is fine, but make sure that they are accessible if you plan to apply a periodic charge throughout the winter. * Take the time to perform proper maintenance to batteries prior to storing. If you have traditional batteries with removable vent caps, they may require maintenance. Simply top off with distilled water. Most sealed batteries, such as OPTIMAbatteries, do not have removable vent caps and require no maintenance. Also, clean any corrosion from the terminals and cable connections. Most importantly, put a full charge on the battery. Batteries stored at less than full charge may not be able to be recharged fully come spring. It’s recommended to provide a periodic charge to your batteries throughout the winter. This helps ensure a fully charged battery Proper winterization can protect a boat’s battery. when the boat comes out of storage. A trickle charger can be used or any automatic charger can be applied at regular intervals. Once a monthfor a few hours should be sufficient. One solution to concerns about traditional battery storage life is to consider an advanced technology battery such as the OPTIMA BlueTop marine batteries. When stored with a full charge, they can be stored for up to a year andstill retain starting voltage. These batteries are leak-proof and spillproof so there is no threat of acid burns to skin, clothes or boat upholstery when removing them and putting them into storage. They can be safely stored in locations where traditional batteries may be a hazardor create a mess, including boats stored at marinas in an angled position to drain. Traditional batteries cannot be stored at greater than a 45 angle without leaking acid. For more information on proper battery care, visit www.optimabatteries.com or call (888) 8-OPTIMA.
