Non-use battery maintenance

[Chuck4761]

Need advice on how to maintain good batteries while not in use. I bought used 16 deep cycle batteries for a solar sys.
I have not the installed the system or inverter/charger up yet and need to keep the batteries charged up. What is the best way?

[Mike90250]

The easiest way, is to wire them up as a massive 12V bank, and use a conventional 12V charger, run on a timer, for an hour or two each day.

Select the charger amps, to be a couple of % of the "massive 12V bank", and adjust the timer to keep the batteries at a happy voltage. (whatever their Float spec is). Make sure the charger you select will work with a timer, some you have to push a button to power it up.

Wire on the diagonal, and you only need about 10ga for this, since it's just a float maintenance charge. http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/batt_con.html

Or, if you like, we can come up with a real complicated system.

[Chuck4761]

Non-use batteries

Thanks. The batteries are "floorsweeper" 6volt each. Would it work if I placed a float charger on each one individually? Then tested and charged each one as needed?
Thanks

The easiest way, is to wire them up as a massive 12V bank, and use a conventional 12V charger, run on a timer, for an hour or two each day.

Select the charger amps, to be a couple of % of the "massive 12V bank", and adjust the timer to keep the batteries at a happy voltage. (whatever their Float spec is). Make sure the charger you select will work with a timer, some you have to push a button to power it up.

Wire on the diagonal, and you only need about 10ga for this, since it's just a float maintenance charge. http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/batt_con.html

Or, if you like, we can come up with a real complicated system.

[Sunking]

No best storage is to arrange then for what ever battery charger voltage you have like 12 volts and float them at 13.6 volts 24 x 7. Second choice is if you only have an automobile charger is like Mike said except only charge them about once a week.