5 Tips to keep your battery working this summer

8 September 2016

5 Tips to keep your battery working this summer

If you think the summer weather is easier on your car battery, think again.

While warmer temperatures help to increase battery capacity, making it easier to turn over the engine, they also cause an increase in the rate at which the battery deteriorates. When the temperature is warmer, the current conducting grids corrode faster, which can reduce the life of your battery.

High temperatures, especially when combined with parasitic loads, will shorten the life of the battery. A common scenario is that a battery will fail during the first cold weather of the year, and it’s tempting to blame the cold weather, when in fact, it was the high temperatures of summer which deteriorated the battery to the point that it can’t start the first time it has to work a little harder in winter.

Knowing that the summer heat already speeds up the rate at which the battery deteriorates, and that the rate of deterioration is further accelerated by parasitic loads, it is clear that managing temperature and parasitic loads can increase the reliability of the battery.

To prevent excessive discharge and keep batteries from deteriorating in the summer, follow these tips:

1. Use a premium fit for purpose battery. Battery failures can be a major source of downtime. Using a high-quality battery is a way to keep a truck running. High quality maintenance free batteries require less maintenance and tend to survive high temperatures and parasitic loads better than traditional technologies.
2. Keep the battery cool. Battery life can be extended by parking in shaded or covered areas like a garage. If the battery is in storage, be sure to follow the battery manufacturer’s recommended specifications for storage temperature.
3. Turn off the electronics. Electronics, the main source of parasitic loads, play a significant role in draining the battery of its charge. Be sure to shut down all electronics before exiting the vehicle, especially if the engine will remain inactive for long periods. An inactive engine has more time to discharge an otherwise healthy battery.
4. Keep moving. As mentioned above, parasitic loads will drain the battery if the engine remains inactive long enough, so if possible, keep the vehicle on the road.
5. Stay charged. Proper charging of the battery is the single most important action in ensuring that the battery will last for its intended life. If needed, use a battery charger, which operates to the battery manufacturer’s charging recommendations to restore the battery to a fully charged state.

Proper maintenance of the battery, both while in use and in storage, will extend its service life. If there are signs that the battery is starting to fail, then contact Roadside Response and get your battery in shape for summer!