Electronic – Are sealed lead acid batteries water-resistant

batterieslead-acidwaterproof

I am going on a climbing trip in the Canadian Rockies for 20 days starting this weekend. I am bringing a 12volt 7Ah SLA battery that I am going to use to charge my GPS, iPod, Camera, and Sat Phone.

I ordered this Yuasa battery. Will using this in a wet environment, and possibly getting rained on be bad for the cell? Will the water be able to get inside? I figured if the Lead Acid and HCl can't get out, then water can't get in. Is that true?

Also, I know that cold weather makes the life of Alkaline's and even Li batteries shorter, does the cold have a negative effect on Lead Acid batteries?

Best Answer

Water shouldn't be able to get inside sealed lead-acid cells. The terminals are not environmentally sealed, though. If you backpack gets soaked, they battery could discharge through the wet cloth.

Cold increases the internal resistance of the batteries. As a result, you lose more energy on the internal resistance. You will get less charge back from the battery. Max output current also decreases*. At 00C, you should still be able to get few amperes necessary for charging your gear.

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* BTW, vehicle starter batteries are rated for Cold Cranking Amperes. So, they are rated for the worst case.