How to Keep Your Car Battery in Good Condition

Undergoing enormous temperature fluctuations during its lifespan can make a car battery rapidly lose its charge and make it vulnerable to sudden breakdown. To avoid such a situation, you need to maintain your car battery health with proper arrangements. Here are some tips to keep your car battery healthy and in good condition.

The lifespan of a car largely depends on its battery. The enormous heat produced in a vehicle’s engine while driving can rapidly deteriorate its battery capacity. This is why a car battery lasts twice as long in colder weather conditions as that in warmer climates. Moreover, the battery loses its charge if your car is left idle for long.

Keeping these pointers in mind will help in maintaining a healthy condition for your car battery. So now, to understand how to keep your car battery healthy, follow the tips given below.

Cleaning the Battery

One of the standard tips to keep your car battery healthy and in good condition is to avoid letting dirt sit in your car battery. It leads to draining of battery charge due to dust in the casing.

Moreover, it can also cause a short circuit, ultimately leading to a dead battery. Here, regularly cleaning battery terminals using a brush to avoid dirt-related corrosion in your car battery is a good idea.

Switching the Car Battery On

You can keep any car battery in good health by charging it regularly. Its power drains rapidly when it is not used for an extended period. The remedy is simple: drive your car more often.

Your vehicle uses its battery for ignition, which helps the battery recharge itself with the help of the engine. Thus, it is recommended that you start your car and go for a ride at least once a week.

Reduce Heat Exposure

Heat exposure can drastically reduce the car battery life and evaporate the fluid within it. In addition, while driving the car, the engine produces heat. It can cause harm to the car battery.

Thus, the risk of heat exposure naturally increases in the summer seasons. This is why it is essential that you park your car in a closed garage. If not possible, look for a tree and park it in a shady area.

Checking the Battery Voltage

Your car's battery life reduces when left uncharged or half-charged for a long time. Thus, you need to check your battery voltage with a voltmeter at least once a month. You should maintain a minimum charge of 12.7 volts or above for keeping a car battery in a healthy form.

If you find the charge around 12.5 or lower, you should recharge it immediately, or it might die soon. Thus, regularly checking your battery voltage can be one of the essential tips to keep your car battery healthy and in good condition.

Conducting Battery Load Test

Another vital tip can be conducting comprehensive battery load tests regularly to analyse the condition of your car battery. A mechanic is usually responsible for examining the battery condition and analysing its voltage. Such a service can be helpful to ensure that your device functions properly even in fluctuating temperatures.

Adding Distilled Water

Car battery requires distilled water to function effectively, especially while absorbing the heat of the car engine. Mixing distilled water to the car battery helps maintain a healthy equilibrium by extending its life. The extreme hot temperature can cause severe harm during summer by evaporating the essential fluids inside a car battery. Thus, adding distilled water helps reduce cell damage caused because of overheating.

Minimising Battery Usage

If you are looking for tips to keep your car battery healthy and in good condition, you need to consider the damages caused by its overuse. Car batteries often discharge quickly when the car engine is not running. For instance, the internal music systems and lights can drain significant power, hampering its overall lifespan. Therefore, you should switch off the lights and music system while exiting the car or when you are not riding it.

Keeping the Battery Insulated

While protecting your car batteries, use insulated covers for more extended protection. As car companies develop fuel efficiency and aerodynamics in new car models, there is significant shrinkage in the hood space. It results in engine airflow, with the battery being more susceptible to heat and a shorter life span. An insulation wrap can protect the battery from both extreme heat and cold.

Car batteries typically last between 3 and 6 years. However, some of the following factors can reduce this lifespan.

• Temperature: Car batteries tend to last longer in cold climates than in hot tropical ones. On the other hand, batteries tend to become more active when they are hot and therefore need to work harder. Moreover, extreme heat can cause the battery fluid to evaporate. Hence, a hot temperature can be wrong for battery conditions.
• Charging Routine: Every battery works on a proper charging routine. A poor charging system can drain your battery while driving the car. Furthermore, the battery drains quicker than usual if the alternator fails to give out ample voltage. If the lights and music system are left turned on, the battery again drains quickly.
• Dirt and Grease: When the battery is not cleaned for a long time, it causes harm to its life. As it remains within the car's internal parts, dirt and grease can settle easily. These drain the battery power, and the corrosion reduces the current flow. As a result, such a battery can turn out to be faulty in the future.
• Alternator Diode: Poor diodes in an alternator can seriously reduce car battery performance. A suitable diode can help the current flow move in a uniform direction. However, if the diode is defective, it can keep changing circuit functions even when the car engine is shut. As a result, the car battery will naturally drain out.

Thus, as you can see, this article gave you all the major tips to keep your car battery healthy and in good condition. Various things can cause harm to your car battery, and it is essential to protect it for sustaining the car longer. Following the tips mentioned here will help you improve your car battery life and avoid repairing it.