On Tue, 10 Dec 2002, Chris Smith wrote:

> 3) Gell-cells are the greatest invention since sliced bread.  They don't
> spill, out-gas (noticeably) or rot your floor.  They are prone to plate
> dammage like a wet-cell though, so never store them on a cement floor.

Urban legend.  Storing a battery on a cement floor will not cause plate
damage.

Plate damage is caused by the battery sitting discharged for long periods
of time.  No matter what kind of floor the battery is on, it will
gradually self-discharge, and if you don't keep it charged the plates will
sulfate.

A cement floor does not affect the rate of discharge because the battery
is insulated from the floor by its plastic case.

             _ _
  __ _ _   _| | |  | David M. Brodbeck (N8SRE)              Ypsilanti, MI
 / _` | | | | | |  +-----------------------------------------------------
| (_| | |_| | | | @ cyberspace.org
 \__, |\__,_|_|_| "BSD is for people who like UNIX.  Linux is for people
 |___/             who hate Microsoft." -- Brendan Howes