Running in winter

[Gdwats]

I've read not to charge your batteries below 32F. Do we shut down production in winter? That just sounds wrong.

[BackwoodsEE]

That's only true of Lithium batteries. You can charge a lead-acid battery unless it's frozen, which will only happen if it's extremely cold and discharged pretty far down. If your battery's electrolyte has frozen, it's ruined, charging or no charging.

The freezing point is around -90 degrees Fahrenheit for a fully charged lead-acid battery and just a few degrees below water's freezing point for a fully discharged one. (That's because the electrolyte is mostly water at that high degree of discharge.) Lead-acid batteries should never be fully discharged, so that relatively high freezing point should never be reached.

If you aim for a minimum of 50% SOC, per best practices of lead-acid battery usage, the highest freezing point will be just under zero degrees F. In many places, the interior of a battery enclosure will never get that cold. If yours might, keep an eye on your state of charge. On the eve of that once-in-a-season bitterly cold night, you might find yourself firing up the generator to make sure your electrolyte is nice and acidic.

[Gdwats]

Music. Thanks!