Frequently Asked Questions

Will storing my car or motorcycle battery on a concrete floor ruin it?

This rule of thumb at one time used to ring true in the early days of automotive battery technology.

The earliest examples of automotive batteries were lead acid batteries that were composed of glass cells and encased in a wooden box. When these were left on the garage floor the moisture from the concrete would be absorbed by the wooden box causing it to swell or warp. This would cause the glass cells to move and eventually break leaving you with acid on the floor and a ruined battery – not good.

As technology evolved car batteries had changed, but the concrete issue still remained. Car batteries eventually progressed to being built using a hard rubber case. The problem was these cases were very porous, and as with the wooden cases they would absorb the moisture from the floor and allow current to flow between the cells discharging the battery.

But fear not! The batteries we find in our modern cars use cases that are made of hard plastics like polypropylene. These cases are able to block any moisture from coming through preventing the previously mentioned discharge issues.

We can finally put this age old myth to rest. Storing your car or motorcycle battery on a concrete floor will not ruin it. Keep in mind that a lead acid car battery will self-discharge if left sitting unmaintained over time. This, however, has nothing to do with where or what the battery is sitting on.