How to Keep Car Battery from Dying in Cold Weather?

Have you experienced difficulties starting your vehicle in colder weather? Are you finding the answer to the question “How to keep a car battery from dying in cold weather? Congrats, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll provide easy ways to help prevent this annoying problem and discuss several reasons your battery won’t start your vehicle.

Why Your Vehicle Battery Dies in Cold Weather

In cold weather, vehicle batteries produce much less electrical current, resulting in a slower chemical reaction. 

Moreover, frigid weather also slows down the flow of your engine oil, putting a great amount of strain on your battery. As a result, your battery performance gets poorer. \

Best tips on how to keep a car battery from dying in cold weather

When in its pristine state, the battery should be able to provide enough power even at -58 ° F, but if the overall charge level of the battery is low, even 20 to 30 ° F will cause the battery to freeze. Therefore, it is clear that temperature has an effect on battery life, so how to keep a car battery from dying in cold weather?

How to Keep Car Battery from Dying in Cold Weather?

There are several ways to keep your car battery from dying in cold weather:

#1. Drive regularly.

Driving is one of the best ways to maintain the capacity of a car. Thus, it’s advisable to go for a drive from time to time if possible. This helps retain the charge of the battery, meaning that you should face less trouble starting your car in low temperatures. If the battery is dead, drive for at least 30 - 60 minutes.

#2. Park your car in a garage.

The temperature can freeze the battery. Thus, When not in use, you should park your car in a garage, places with lots of direct sunlight or any warmer spaces. 

How to keep a car battery from dying in cold weather

Leaving your car outside in cold weather will kill your car’s battery for sure. If you plan to store it for a long period, consider how often you should start your car to maintain the battery's life. If you don't have a garage, you can remove the battery and store it inside your house when not using your vehicle.

#3. Wrap your car battery in a thermal blanket.

Regarding how to keep a car battery from dying in cold weather, it’s crucial to protect the battery from the cold by wrapping it in a corrosion-resistant heat blanket
In a trouble, you can use a thick, dry towel on the battery after you've driven enough to warm the engine. As soon as you park your car, wrap the towel on the battery pack - and the extra coating will keep the engine warm. Just be sure to remove the towel before you restart the engine.

Read also: 15 must-know tips for driving on snow and ice

#4. Check the car battery 

You do not have to take your car to the auto shop to check the status of your car battery. A multimeter, which costs around $ 200, will allow you to do it yourself in the comfort of your own home. This is also a good time to clean the corrosive poles of the car battery, which can negatively affect the life of the device.

#5. Charge up your car battery with more than a trickle charger

Make sure you keep your car charged. That’s the most important thing.
When the weather is too cold, a battery maintainer or trickle charger may not be capable of protecting your battery from dying.

Hence, to extend the battery life, it’s a good idea to recharge your battery at any time of the year to extend its life. However, an important note is that at the temperature of 32 F, a typical battery is only 65% efficient, both at recharging and giving power. So you recharging the same battery will need more voltage or more hours.

Do you know how to keep a car battery from dying in cold weather?

How to keep a car battery from dying in cold weather?

It’s best to visit a repair shop. If a battery test result shows a significant weakness, the shop will have the equipment to recharge your battery’s life.

Or if you tend to be scientific and mechanical and have a standard sealed lead-acid battery, you can take out the hydrometer and check the specific gravity to see if your battery needs recharging.

In a nutshell, unplug your car battery, open the vent cover and add deionized distilled water. Then, check the specific gravity of the battery acid-water mixture to see if the battery is fully charged.

Read also: 10 Awesome Wet Weather DrivingTips and Hacks

#6. Keep your battery free of dirt and debris.

Low temperatures increase the resistance and thicken the engine oil, making it harder for the battery to operate. Dirt, and corrosion on your battery terminals can add to this resistance. If you notice a layer of white powder around the terminals that look like dead skin on dry winter hands, you have encountered a corrosive case.

Luckily, you don't need special cleaning sprays or fancy tools to refresh things. Keep your battery sparkling with a damp cloth, some baking soda, water, and a toothbrush. 

So that’s all about how to keep a car battery from dying in cold weather. Now let’s take a look at tips to prolong the battery life. 

Handy tips: How to keep a car battery from dying in cold weather

Tips on How to Maintain Vehicle Batteries

The life expectancy for your car battery is typically between five to seven years. 

If your battery is well maintained, it can last longer. Here are some handy tips:

• Follow the maintenance schedule to help keep your battery in good working order. 

• Check your battery frequently is one of the best tips on how to keep a car battery from dying in cold weather.

• Wiping away dirt, erosion.

• Take a picture before removing your vehicle battery. This ensures you reinstall it correctly.

• Make sure all battery covers are in place. You can do it yourself, always use distilled water. Use a funnel and never overfill. Never open a frosted glass battery that has absorbed.

• Clean the battery terminals to aid in rust and corrosion protection.

• Check the battery voltage regularly is a great idea. 

• Check the battery insulator for damage and correct positioning.

What to Do if You Have a Frozen Battery

The first thing to do is to determine if it is actually frozen or not. If there is still liquid, the battery may simply be depleted. If that is not the case, however, you should plug the car into the power cord to activate the block heater. 

Car maintenance: How to keep a car battery from dying in cold weather

If this isn't enough to get the job done, you can drag the car to a heated garage or remove the battery and store it in a warm place to defrost. Once it has been properly defrosted, you will need to charge the battery. 

Without the charger, you can start the car and drive on a long, uninterrupted drive to recharge the cells. However, keep in mind that whenever the battery freezes, its overall lifespan and charging capacity will be seriously affected.

Conclusion 

Sure, cold weather has a significant impact on your car battery. This post on “How to Keep Car Battery from Dying in Cold Weather?” will be definitely helpful for you in some ways.