Battery Life

[RayRay]

I have a battery in my other truck that sat all winter and died. I hooked the charger to it (while in the truck) and it wouldn't really take so I got a replacement. Took it inside and got really good connections with my charger. I was figuring that even if not at full strength I could use for tailgating. I charged it to 100% and decided to go back next day and hook it back up to check...down to 50% range. Not knowing the mechanics here, is it possible for a battery to lose charge when not in use?

[lotus]

Well, after a long enough time and environmental stress they just lose their ability to hold a charge in general, whether it's under load or not.

[YEM]

When you say you got a replacement, what do you mean? A new battery or just another old battery?

As for it not holding charge, it could be several things. Could be a bad alternator, damaged battery casing, or a bad battery cable connection. It could be Earth leakage (leakage from an active circuit to ground)
If it's a newer vehicle, the key-off load could be draining it (lights remaining on, computer modules that won't shut off, etc.) or as lotus mentioned, the battery could just be past its prime.....when a car battery loses charge several times it eventually loses its ability to recover from the low voltage condition.

[RayRay]

I bought a brand new battery.

This is the culprit here and it's totally my fault:
when a car battery loses charge several times it eventually loses its ability to recover from the low voltage condition.

The truck is a gas hog and I only drove it once to take it to emissions. I just want it to power my TV in the parking lot for a few hours. I'll have to just try it to see how long it gives me.

[Elwood]

You should be able to use it for tailgating. Just charge it every once in a while then place it on a trickle charge prior to tailgating and you should be good to go for a few hours.

[lotus]

Seriously, do what I told you. What normally gets those things is acid stratification. After many partial charges over time from short trips, the reactive acid never gets to fully circulate through the body of the battery, so it settles near the bottom. That means the part that actually gets the charge first, the upper part, is less able to take and maintain a charge.

The more you do those short-distance trips, the worse the stratification gets and pretty soon you just end up losing it. So before you trade another one in, turn that thing upside down and shake the hell out of it. Seriously. It help counteract the stratification. Then just make sure you either give it a 16 volt topping charge or just drive it on longer distances periodically to allow it to fully charge. It will make all the difference in the world.

[YEM]

Seriously, do what I told you. .

You didn't tell him to do anything

[lotus]

I did, but it was in private. I told him to do multiple things, in fact. Secret things. Things I can never speak of.

[YEM]

better hid those videos....

[RayRay]

better hid those videos....

Batterygate?