Having trouble with bad battery when you leave the car for days is really annoying. The batteries often die when you don’t use them regularly. So, how to keep car battery from dying when not in use?
You can just simply switch off the security system if the car is not in use for a long time, disconnect the negative battery terminal, use a trickle charger, Check if your battery is compatible or surpass the requirements and some extra precautions.
Here, I will share my research and tell you the things that you can do to keep your battery alive.
Why Do Batteries Die When Not In Use?
Before we talk about what you can do to prevent batteries from dying, let’s check out what causes car batteries to die quickly.
Parasitic Draw:
When you do not use your car, it can still drain the battery in other ways. Even if your automobile is turned off, your battery powers items like the clock, radio, and alarm system will drain battery charge in a small amount in couple of hours. This is called Parasitic drains or draw.
These factors should not have a significant influence on your battery. However, interior lighting, door lights, or even blown fuses may deplete a car battery while it is turned off. The discharge in amp hours is quite noticeable.
The charger (such as Battery Tender Junior) recharges the battery while your starter motor is running, which is why you usually don’t have to worry about the battery draining while you’re blasting the radio on your way to work! So, you will not find any Parasitic drains or flat battery.
However, while the motors are turned off, the alternator is unable to replenish the battery, allowing minor electrical accidents to completely deplete your battery or reduce the life expectancy remarkably. Hence, you should be careful about the Parasitic drains.
Loose or Corroded Connections:
The positive cable and negative cable attached to your batteries might occasionally become dislodged over the periods of time. Corrosion can also occur at these terminals. You will find battery strain.
If your negative connector or positive connector become loose or corroded, you may have difficulty starting your car since your battery is unable to deliver its power efficiently! You may even drain out while driving or cause harm to the vehicle’s electrical components.
Be sure to use protective gloves from your glove box for your safety.
Faulty Battery:
There is a chance that your car batteries are old or faulty. If that is true it may cause the draining of your battery. An old or faulty battery cannot function properly and have trouble powering up as intended. It cannot stop the unusual draining too.
Even if you use battery charger to charge a car battery it cannot charge battery properly. The bulk charging rate will drop significantly. Changing charging method will not help.
Extreme Temperatures:
Cold temperatures and scorching summer days may also cause issues with your vehicle’s battery and other stuffs like navigation systems, engines etc. Newer batteries are more resistant to significant seasonal temperature swings.
However, if your battery is older, extreme cold or heat may degrade its performance or even lead it to fail. Even newer batteries when not in use can die because of it and average battery struggles a lot.
The battery thermal will be disrupted by extreme weather like chilly winter weather. The winter season is not good for battery. Battery in winter might be damaged easily.
These are some common reasons behind battery failure when the car is not in use. Now let’s check how to keep car battery from dying when not in use.
Tips for Saving Battery While Your Car Is Not In Use
The length of time a vehicle rests before the battery dies is determined by the vehicle, but there are actions you can take with every vehicle to protect the battery’s health and save it from being a dead car battery. By gathering information from the Universal Technical Institute, Torque News and other sources I have found some solutions for your problem.
Check out the suggestions of 8-step process below to improve the performance of the battery and keep your battery alive when you are not using your car.
1. Switch off the Security System If the Car is Not in Use for a Long Time:
If your car is parked in a safe garage and has a surveillance system, you may want to simply switch off the alarm and disconnect the smart phones if linked. Leaving it on will simply cause the battery to deplete faster.
If you must park outdoors with the alarm on, drive the car for at least 30 minutes every week or in a regular basis to keep the battery charged. This will help you from getting a flat car battery.
2. Use a Trickle Charger or Battery Conditioner:
If you are not driving your automobile, battery trickle chargers or battery conditioners are excellent for maintaining your battery for extended period or prolonged period. They can also keep things that are known to deplete your car’s battery from doing so. It is like a battery maintainer for your automotive battery technology.
This way you can leave your car in a garage without any worry of battery damage and have a good battery healthy.
3. Stop Repeatedly Turning on and Off the Car:
You may believe that starting your starter motor a few times every few days and then instantly shutting it down is beneficial, but it really causes more problems.
When you turn on and repeatedly turn off the engine it hampers the circuits and lines’ normal functions. This will lead to battery loss, disturbance in voltage battery and other problems as well.
4. Disconnect the Negative Battery Terminal:
As previously stated, numerous components in your automobile, such as clocks, computers, and security alarms, continue to take energy from your car’s battery services even after it is switched off.
This is known as key-off battery drain or parasitic drains, and it might result in a dead battery after several weeks of no driving. You separate the batteries from the chassis ground by first removing the negative battery wire.
You should also unplug the battery charger and negative connector or negative battery cable using a socket wrench. Use a paper towel so that you won’t get any dirt on your hand.
If you detach the positive connection and inadvertently slip the wrench to another section of the car, you risk damaging electrical parts or components, which may be quite expensive.
Tips: be cautious with negative terminal and positive terminal while working.
5. Check for Corrosive Material:
Examine the battery terminals for corrosion beneath the hood. When a defective connection allows battery acid to leak, corrosive material forms around the terminals.
Check that the connections are securely fastened and that the batteries are correctly placed within its housing. To ensure a good clean connection with the battery, wipe any rust and dirt away from the wires.
6. If Possible, Keep the Car at Normal Temperature:
Extreme weather like chilling cold weather or places where it has cold climates etc. is harmful to your car battery. Hence, if it is possible keep your garage temperature normal all the times by using machines that have climate control settings. That way, you can save your battery as well as other components of your car.
7. Read Manuals of the Electric Vehicle (EV) and Plugin Hybrid (PHEV):
The manuals or vehicle handbook can give you some information on how to maintain a specific model engine or batteries. Thus, it is important to read them for a better understanding of your car’s batteries.
8. Check if your Battery is Compatible or Surpass the Requirements:
If your car battery is not compatible with your car then there can be issues with the batteries and engine when you try to use the car. Hence, when you have to buy a new car, it is best if you pick the best one for your car. Standard batteries are important for a good car condition.
Conclusion
Taking good care of your car and its components is necessary for a problem-free life. And the battery is a crucial element of your car. A flat car battery is always a hassle for everyone.
Thus, you should know what causes a car battery to die quickly and how to keep car batteries from dying when not in use. You should also check the battery condition time to time.
By following the instructions, I hope you can enjoy an extended battery life and worry-free driving experience. You should also follow the Torque News and automotive news or Universal Technical Institute for more information.
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