The cold is always the enemy of car batteries : in winter it would be good to be able to better protect the unused vehicles, whether they are old cars, campers or cars redundant.
To avoid having to replace the car battery at the end of the cold season, wasting money, follow our advice.
How to preserve the battery in winter?
In the winter cold, the accumulator is subjected to “overwork”, mainly due to the (often simultaneous) operation of various accessories that require a lot of energy: heating system, heated rear window, fog lights, fans, etc.
How to save your battery from the cold ? Here are the main precautions to take.
First of all, you need a dry place, at the right temperature and away from direct sunlight: be careful though! A minimum of humidity is enough to see the interior moldy, so always leave a small glimmer of light and air, and stop the car after having subjected it to a thorough internal cleaning (including steering wheel and gear knob).
Practical tips to save the car battery
However, to store the battery properly you need:
- as little humidity as possible
- a temperature of about 15 ° C: if lower (between 4 ° and 9 ° degrees), it would steal at least 10% of charge in 9 months of non-use), if higher (about 30 ° C) the accumulator will lose up to 50-60% charge
- little sun, only light
Note: to maximize the preservation of a battery that is losing a lot of charge, it is always good to recharge it, never leave it like this.
Car battery and cold: the tricks for everyone
Remember that storing the car battery in the right way will make you find it in good condition when you need it: this precaution will allow you to save money, as you will not have to replace it unnecessarily.
If by reading our advice you have realized that your car (normally in use) is not parked in a suitable place and is subjected to very cold, follow these precautions:
- start the car with all devices switched off in order to use the alternator charge and preserve the battery
- leave the car on for a while after turning off the devices and before it is parked, in this way there will remain a slight charge to the battery which will start more easily on the next occasion
Depending on the type of battery and how the car is used, the starter battery will last from 2 to 5 years: following our advice, it will last close to 5 years, instead of 2.
