How to Keep Car Battery from Dying in Cold Weather? 9 Helpful Tips

Have you experienced difficulties starting your vehicle in colder weather? Then you should not miss out on some helpful tips regarding “How to keep car battery from dying in cold weather? 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.

How to keep battery from dying in cold weather?

Why Does Cold Weather Kill Car Batteries?

Car batteries have to work harder in the cold to start your engine. The thickening of engine oil at cold temperatures causes the engine to run more slowly. 

This raises the amount of power your battery needs to initiate important processes. You can end up with a car that won't start if the cold weather has already diminished the quantity of charge in your battery.

Furthermore, when you power on your vehicle, a chemical process occurs inside the battery that is impacted by low temperatures. Your battery becomes more sluggish in the cold and takes longer to ignite.

Does cold weather affect car battery?

Lastly, the amount of electronics in your car can significantly reduce the battery's capacity. The battery is needed to start the radio, seat warmers, headlights, and chargers for electrical devices. 

If the battery is old and already having trouble holding a charge, this may be too much for it to handle and lead to its failure.

How to Keep Car Battery from Dying in Cold Weather?

Drive regularly

Driving regularly is one of the best ways to avoid car battery dying in cold weather. 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.

Drive your car regularly or for longer distances

Avoid short trips

Short travels need to offer your battery more time to recharge effectively throughout the winter, despite the need to run your errands as fast as possible. 

Besides, frequent short trips result in the discharge of your battery with less opportunity for a recharge because starting your automobile uses a significant amount of energy from this component. 

Whichever way, a dead battery is possible. Thus, avoid it if you can.

Park your car in a garage

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. 

Leaving your car outside in cold weather will kill your car’s battery for sure. 

So, how to keep car battery from dying in winter? If you plan to store it for a long period, consider how often you should start your car to maintain the battery's life.

Unless you have a garage, you can remove the battery and store it inside your house when not using your vehicle.

Wrap your car battery in a thermal blanket

How to keep your battery from dying in cold weather?

Regarding how to prevent car battery from dying in cold, it’s crucial to protect the battery from the cold by wrapping it in a corrosion-resistant heat blanket.

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.

More safety driving tips: 

• Tips for driving on snow and ice

• Wet weather driving tips

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.

Check the car battery

Charge up your car battery with more than a trickle charger

Ensuring you keep your car charged is 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, recharging the same battery will need more voltage or more hours.

Charge up your car battery with more than a trickle charger

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 looks 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. 

Keep the battery free of debris

Turn off & unplug accessories

Try turning off unnecessary features like the radio and seat warmers if you're experiencing problems starting your car in the winter. This will reduce the stress on your battery. 

When it's suitable, unplug devices like phone chargers as well, as they further divide the energy used by your battery and potentially cause a parasitic drain.

Turn off & unplug accessories

Visit a repair shop

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 suppose you tend to be scientific and mechanical and have a standard sealed lead-acid battery. In that case, 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.

Visit a repair shop

Tips on How to Maintain Vehicle Batteries

The life expectancy for your car battery is typically between 5 to 7 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

• Wiping away dirt and erosion

• Take a picture before removing your vehicle battery to ensure you reinstall it correctly

Tips to extend the life of the car battery

• Make sure all battery covers are in place. 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. Otherwise, you should plug the car into the power cord to activate the block heater. 

What to do if you have a frozen battery?

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.

Read next:

• How to keep your phone warm in cold weather?

• iPhone 5 battery dies in cold weather

Conclusion 

While following these suggestions of "how to keep car battery from dying in cold weather?" can help you prevent a dead battery, routine maintenance is the best way to keep your car battery operating throughout the winter. A skilled technician will examine your battery and inform you of any issues when you bring your car to a reputable auto repair facility. Have a safe trip!