Ever have a battery freeze?

[Matlock]

I'm reading that you should never try to charge a frozen battery. That warning is brought up with many battery types, in the fine print, but what does it really mean?
I'm currently using 2- 6 volt golf cart batteries w/220 Amp Hour capacity. I'm stuck in the Northern Mid-West where it can get down to -15 or so on occasion and not looking to have any frozen battery issues I started searching.
Manufacturers agree generally, that a battery at 40% state of charge, the electrolyte will freeze if the temperature drops to approximately -16 degrees F. When a battery is fully charged the electrolyte will not freeze until the temperature drops to approximately -92 degrees F.
Using approx. 55ah of the 220ah batteries, I'm at about 75-80% state of charge (12.4 Volts) so, freezing, not as long as I keep the solar turned on.

 

[ssminnow]

Just keep them charged! If they freeze they're shot!!

 

[John61CT]

Should be keeping them charged anyway, sitting unused at anything less than 100% Full is very harmful to longevity even in warm weather.

Keeping them inside the living space insulation envelope just like your plumbing, is a good idea in cold climates.

Getting everything warmed up before starting the engine is the original design purpose of those parking heaters

 

[bullfrog]

I have seen old dead batterries freeze. I also believe the do not attempt to charge warnings are there because they are prone to explode if you try to charge them. I have seen the results of an exploded battery. It is enough to make me want to wear safety glasses and a face shield when dealing with dead batteries and I'm not normally that safety minded. Don't doubt that when a battery explodes it can maim and kill you with large chunks of battery case and plentiful amounts of flying acid to coat everything.

 

[MrNoodly]

When I lived in central Saskatchewan it was common to remove vehicle batteries at night.

 

[Moxadox]

Yep--keep them plugged in or take them out. Grew up in New England, and that's what we did. I've seen the results of battery explosions--just don't go there, that's the best cure.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[Seminole Wind]

had an interesting thing along these lines happen recently. had a battery that inadvertently got drained way down. it was a group 29 "rv" battery used as the starting battery (not in an RV). key got left on for a week or so before being noticed. tried to start the engine but nothing. i didnt have any other way to deal with it so i clipped on a 25 watt solar panel and very old PWM controller and left it. a month later (yesterday) i returned to deal with it. temp around 30 degrees daytime and 15 degrees F at night. i had brough a charger and when i connected it the battery showed only 11.24 volts. then i turned on the charger and the volts went quickly to 14 but would only accept .7 amp. i put the battery which was not "frozen" as in the electrolyte was purely liquid, not iced up in the cab of my ride with the heater on fro the ride down the hill. this evening after the battery had warmed it is now accepting about 20 amps from the same source and the volts are climbing slowly as the amps fall off ( not a constant current charger) i am sure i have taken some life out of the battery but we will see if it recharges enough to continue in service.

i am not asking for an explanation, just sharing an experience showing that cold on a deeply discharged battery, even when not sufficient to "freeze" the electrolyte is still not helpful to the life and use of the battery. i hope it recovers, if not, back to wally world for an exchange

 

[MrNoodly]

...that's the best cure.

Or relocating to a region that doesn't get that cold. 

 

[Weight]

Yes. sometimes a very dead lead acid battery can recover some with a slow long charge. But if it froze during its dead time it would stay dead as there would be irreversible damage to the plates and containment. Same with a battery left to work while dry.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I've had a 'brain freeze' a few times....

Ouch.