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The problem with storing a car battery on concrete is not discharging the battery. The acid vapors eat the concrete.
My father left a 6-volt battery from a '57 Chevy on the garage floor and when he put it back in the car, the surface of the floor was eaten away down to the aggregate.
Interesting, because I have used battery acid to clean concrete and it never attacked it.
You can put it on wood blocks( not concrete) then use a maintainer like Battery Tender constantly. I use one for my lawn mower battery when not in use. Guys I know with motorcycles and limited use hot rods do same. Do not forget check water; if not maintenance free.
Where do you plug in the maintainer on the street corner?
Even disconnected, the battery will eventually go dead. If you battery goes dead and freezes, it is almost always destroyed. Every time it goes dead, there is a chance it will be ruined, even if it does not freeze (freezing just basically guarantees it will be ruined). A solar maintainer is a good option, but it will draw attention the the fact the car is sitting for long periods. Eventually, someone will steal your battery and or your solar maintainer.
If you have even basic tool knowledge you can just remove the battery, take it home and put it on a trickle charger/maintainer in your house. The trickle chargers (maintainers) that are plug in are very very cheap. Sometimes you find them at Harbor Freight for under $5. The problem is you have to bring the battery back to the car and install it every time you go to use the car, and your clock, radio settings etc will all be reset. Your alarm is also non-functional with the battery removed. Another option is for you or someone you trust to go start it for ten minutes every few days. You or they could also move it for you so it is not so obviously unattended.
For about three years, I had a car I kept in California for work while I lived in Michigan. Often periods of two or more months went by when I did not need to be in California. At first I had access to a secured parking garage, but later, it sat in a public parking lot, that is when I had problems. Leaving it out in one place, it eventually gets noticed by kids, homeless people etc. Kids will let the air out of the tires, they apparently think that is funny. Thieves may take the battery or the wheels and they may damage the car doing so. At one point I had a homeless guy break into my car and live in it for an unknown period of time. The battery was dead, so the alarm did not sound. The police found him sleeping it and called me. He claimed I gave him permission to live in my car. I had go get the interior detailed to get the smell out. He also stole all the change I throw into my console.
For a while I had someone go move the car every five or so days. That kept the battery charged and prevented people from seeing it constantly in the same place covered in dust and obviously not moving. Later, my friend was unable to move it for me, so I gave up, brought it home and just rented a car when I needed one. Car rental prices dropped so low it did not make sense to keep it there anymore. Unfortunately, a while later, rental prices shot way way up. Uber also makes a good alternative to the cost of keeping a car you do not use for months at a time.
The battery was leaking. Probably of the old "tar-top" design which has been obsolete for some time.
Don in Austin
This happened in 1963. and actually it was just the vapor escaping from the vents that condensed on the side of the battery and then ran down. The garage was heated and cooled by sun and night.
But it is the reason for the Popular Science auto tip from the 1930s, which said:
"Leaving a car battery on a concrete floor will ruin it."
Too many antecedents for that "it". It ruins the concrete floor, not the battery.
Too many people read that tip and thought it ruined the battery.
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