Leaving Battery Charger & Heater Running Full Time

[Rob & Karen]

We are going to look at an open slip at a nearby lake this weekend. If all goes well, we will lease it for the next 12 months. I am hoping this will allow us to use the boat more often, but it is conceivable that we could be away from the boat for a month or more at a time. The slip comes with electric and I am wondering if there is any issue with leaving the battery charger plugged in full time when we are not there. We have the standard 5-5-10 Guest charger that C-Dory installs, and the batteries are regular flooded lead acid type. Also, I have an electric heater from west marine that has an anti-freeze setting. This setting starts the heater when the temp reaches 38F. I was thinking that if I am going to have the shore power connected for the battery charger, I may as well plug in the heater.

Are there any concerns with this?

Thanks,

Rob

[thataway]

Check the water on in the batteries, to be sure that the charger does not boil the cells dry (should not happen, but can). Also I would drain the water tank and lines. The anti freeze setting may not keep the boat from reaching freezing temperatures by the tank and lines. Even here in Pensacola, we keep the tanks drained and a heater on at night (only 20 degrees here last night).

[jennykatz]

HI guys what lake are you on ? We own property up in lake Tellico,tenn. I was wondering what the temp was up there . We live in Naples fl. It was in the 30's last night and this evening . I don't think I would leave the boat without some kind of canvas to keep water out of the cockpit . I think you might fry the batteries with a charger on all the time . You might want to charge up the batteries and then put a little solar battery trickle charger on it . We used to have that on our c-22 and we never had a battery problem . Leaving a boat in the winter and not checking once a week or so might be a problem just my 2 cents

[Rob & Karen]

The slip is on Tim's Ford in Winchester, TN. The slip is covered and comes with a lift. The boat has always been stored outside on the trailer. I have a full cover than I am planning to use in the slip to keep the boat clean.

I have never had any trouble with the batteries going dead, but the place where it is currently stored has no electric, so there was no option. The availability of electric has me wondering. I am a bit concerned about what might happen over a longer period of time.

Maybe I will just go with the heater for now. It has been pretty cold this Winter. Many nights in the teens and a few nights in the low single digits. Each Winter I drain the water tank and put in a gallon of the pink RV antifreeze. I will leave that in until it gets warmer.

Rob

[jennykatz]

where's Winchester tenn what lake is that in eastern tenn or near Nashville? Lake Tellico is in eastern tenn. It's SE of Knoxville

[JT]

Hi,
You might check out :"Batteryminder" a maintenance charge 1.3 amp. charger with conditioning to de-sulphate batteries. $50 bucks at Northern tool. I've had good experience using them. Will not overcharge. Plugs in.
I also like the solar chargers as mentioned above.

JT

[416rigby]

We keep the boat on the trailer under an RV-type shelter. I leave the boat plugged in at all times and have never had a problem. I don't drain the water tank, just run a ceramic heater set to keep it above 40 degrees in the cabin. I set the heater on the deck at the entrence of the berth and point it aft. We use our boat year round and I don't feel like messing with water every time we go out. I do, however keep the porta-poti supply tank empty in winter, since we keep it in the cockpit under the splashwell. That's an easy thing to take care of since you have to do it anyway when you use the boat.

We've had quite a few days of below freezing temps this winter...more so than last. It's been in the mid to upper teens several times here this winter...I thought the south was supposed to be warm????

Rick