How Often Should You Check Battery Voltage?

The year is nearly over, but many enthusiasts are still months away from bringing their boats, cars and trucks out of storage. Many of the batteries in these vehicles may not be maintained with a battery maintainer, so now would be a good time to check the battery voltage in your stored vehicle, to ensure that it is maintaining proper voltage while in storage.

If your battery isn't stored on a quality battery charger or maintainer, we would recommend initially checking battery voltage at least once a month. If it is maintaining voltage while in storage, you can extend that interval out, but if it is not maintaining proper voltage, you should take action accordingly.

Fully-charged, OPTIMA REDTOPs and most flooded lead-acid batteries should measure approximately 12.6-12.8 volts and YELLOWTOPs should measure approximately 13.0-13.2 volts. If the voltage of your OPTIMA battery is somewhere below these levels, it would be a good idea to charge your battery now with a quality battery charger or maintainer. When batteries are discharged below 12.4 volts and allowed to sit in that state for extended periods of time, sulfation begins to diminish capacity, performance and longevity.

If your boat or vehicle is stored in a location without electrical access, consider removing your battery for the winter and storing it in an area where you can keep it maintained with a battery maintainer. If that is not possible, disconnecting a fully-charged battery while in storage is the next best alternative.