Have you ever experienced that you got a dead car battery after long months of December and January until February? If you did, maybe the reason why is you forgot the steps on how to store a car battery for winter.
Do you know there are different ways on how to keep your car battery safe during the cold season?
Check the following tips on how to make sure that your battery is in excellent condition even if you cannot drive it thru the snow:
1. Make sure that the battery is dirt-free.
2. Remember to have it fully charged before putting it on the storage.
3. Never forget the cables; make sure the wires are disconnected from the car and the battery.
4. Make sure to have a charger that you can use in case you find out the battery suddenly drop its voltage.
5. Be sure to store it in a place where there will be no means of corrosions.
6. You can store it but don’t forget it throughout the season.
Aside from keeping yourself safe during snow season, it is also essential to keep your car and car batteries safe in a place where it will not discharge or experience any issues that may cause a more severe problem afterward.
Make Sure That The Battery Is Dirt-Free
You need to make sure that the battery is free from any dirt before putting it inside any storage or place for the winter. Corrosion might develop if the battery terminals or cables are not clean.
Battery corrosion can cause a battery to discharge; that is why it is critical to get it cleaned before performing anything like disconnecting the cables and storing it for the colder season.
You also need to make sure that the battery is not getting any dirt while being stored. Be mindful of the dust every day. To keep it clean, you can use a dry rag to clean the dirt or you can check our full guide.
Before Storing It, Be Sure That It Is Fully Charged
Since every car battery discharges even if you are not using it and it is their nature to self-discharge, it is a better thing to keep it fully charged before storing it somewhere during the winter.
If a car battery has not been charged for a long time before storing it, it would be a major problem after the season as it will affect the whole performance of the car battery. There are some dead batteries that you can no longer revive no matter what you do.
Never Forget The Cables
Some car owners prefer to store the car battery into a more secluded place (this is because they don’t have any garage at home) but some also opt to keep it inside the car (because apparently, they have a place to park the car on).
However, the problem is, a lot of people might forget the cables. In order not to face a more serious problem because it discharges faster, you need to make sure that the car battery cables are disconnected from any battery or car terminals.
You can follow this simple step to do so:
First, you need to free the negative cable terminal. This is to avoid any short circuit. Once you have completely removed the negative cable, you can start disconnected the positive one using the same method that you did with the negative cable.
Before putting it onto the storage box or wherever you decided to put it, make sure that all cables are detached and don’t have any dirt on it because that will cause corrosion.
Make Sure To Have A Charger Ready
Some people might think, “Why do I need a charger ready? I am not using my car batteries since I am not going anywhere – it’s winter!”
However, this is still needed if the car battery suddenly drops its voltage. Different things might happen while the battery is inside the storage box or room or wherever you put it.
Having a working charger for back-up is essential. However, how do you know if the battery charger that you have will adequately work with the car battery that you have?
Even though the car battery is inside the storage, you need to charge it from time to time if the needs arise. But, how do you know that the battery charger that you have is compatible with your car battery type?
If you are worrying that you need to get two battery chargers because you have two car battery types, fear no more.
You only need to get one battery charger. Even if your car battery is wet-cell, AGM, or maintenance free, it should work with one battery charger only.
Make Sure That The Storage Place Is Clean
Making the storage place clean is a whole lot different level. If you wish to remove it inside the car, you need to find a storage place wherein corrosion, and dirt is not present or will not be present during the season.
If there’s in case, the place got dirt or corrosion; it should be something light only that you can quickly clean it up to avoid problems in the car battery and the car engine when connected again.
You also need to pay attention to the temperature inside the storage place. A place with a temperature of 32°F to 80°F is an excellent choice to store your car batteries.
The reason why it is essential to check the temperature of the storage place is that a place with high-temperature level can cause your battery to self-discharge faster than the usual.
You Can Keep It Anywhere You Want But Don’t Forget It Throughout The Season
It is a good thing to charge the battery that is kept on the storage room now and then to save its battery life or the battery charge. This is the main reason why you need to have a battery charger to keep it ‘alive’ and prevent it from freezing during winter.
Car batteries need to be maintained and kept in the right place to prolong its battery life. A usual checkup for charging the battery is necessary throughout the season.
According to other car owners who owned a lead-acid battery for their car, these types of battery can last up to 2 years. You need to be mindful on how you charge the battery during any season because that will reflect on the performance of the car battery.
In getting a battery charger, you need to pay attention if the battery charger is retaining the charge range of a specific battery that has been on the user manual from the manufacturer.
Can Cold Weather Affect your Car Battery Performance?
A lot of friends has been asking us, what if I followed each step and tips that you have provided on ways to keep my car battery charged during winter, do you guarantee the cold weather won’t mess up my car battery itself?
Again, batteries will die eventually. We don’t know when – like how we are clueless about when we’ll die. However, there are also ways, and those are the steps provided above.
Given that the car owner or any mechanic already performed the steps and tips provided, then, the battery might need a replacement or a professional checkup from an auto shop who specializes on different car battery problems.
If you want to make sure that this won’t happen during the season, it is vital that you have a regular car checkup with a mechanic you know around your place.
Yes, it is kind of pricey to get it checked once in a while, but this will prevent you from buying another car battery that will soon experience the same issue (especially, if the problem you are experiencing is not really from the cell but other sources inside the car engine).
Conclusion
It is important that we know how to store a car battery for winter.
First, you need to make sure that the battery is clean as well as the car engine. The cleaning doesn’t stop there. You still need to regularly clean the battery even if it is already on the storage place.
Second, the car battery should be fully charged before putting it into storage. Putting it there not fully loaded will cause future troubles when the time comes that you need to use it for your car after the cold season.
Third, never forget your cables and make sure that you have a working battery charger that you can use anytime you want to charge the battery on storage.
We also know now that it is essential to check the temperature of the storage place as it will affect the moisture that will develop during the car battery’s stay on that specific storage place.
Moisture causes corrosion, and it is terrible for the battery’s health.
Lastly, do not let it sit there throughout the season. You also need to check it from time to time to prevent it from dying completely.
