Originally Posted by scott357

My grandpa used to always caution me against leaving a battery sitting directly on concrete. He said it ruined them to do that. He always yelled at me to put a piece of plywood between the garage floor and the battery if I had to set it down.

I hadnt given that much thought until the past week. I bought a used battery at a junk yard and it would just not hold a charge. Guess what? It was sitting on the concrete floor when I bought it. Maybe grandpa was right?

Originally Posted by truckntractorhick

i do that in case of the acid drippin!

Originally Posted by www.interstatebatteries.com

This myth does have some historical basis. Many years ago, wooden battery cases encased a glass jar with the battery in it. Any moisture on the floor could cause the wood to swell and possibly fracture the glass, causing it to leak. Later came the introduction of the "hard rubber" cases, which were somewhat porous. A current could be conducted through this container, which had a high carbon content, if the moist concrete floor permitted the current to find an electrical ground. The wise advise of the old days to "not store batteries on concrete" has apparently been passed down to us today, but it no longer applies