Question: What's the best way to store a wheelchair so that it doesn't need to be charged every night? ~Helen

Answer: - When storing your wheelchair you should always fully charge the batteries before storing it. You should then check all batteries once a month and recharge them if needed. Wet batteries should be able to hold a charge for up to three months and sealed batteries should be able to hold a charge for up to six months. If you're storing your wheelchair or scooter for more than two weeks you should charge the batteries and then disconnect them. You should also avoid hot and cold extremes when storing a wheelchair, scooter and batteries. However you can store MK Gel batteries in temperatures as low as -25ºF without freezing, as long as they are fully charged. The self-discharge rate of fully-charged wheelchair batteries is very low in these conditions and they usually won't need to be recharged for a few months. If your gel batteries become frozen though, they won't always recover. Remember you should never use an automotive or wet type charger on gel/sealed batteries as they will eventually ruin your battery.