One of the most frustrating automotive experiences is discovering you have a dead lead-acid car battery. It’s one of life’s little annoyances, and it often happens when you need to be somewhere in a hurry, the jumper cables are elsewhere and no Good Samaritans are around.
Even healthy batteries will lose their spark if idled for a long time, and long periods of discharge could kill your $80 to $200 investment. If your car is going to be out of use for a month or more, consider taking these fairly easy precautions to avoid the dead battery blues.
Tend the Battery
The easiest way to keep your car charged is with an inexpensive battery tender. Despite being available for less than $30 in many cases, tenders have become quite sophisticated. They will not only keep the battery topped off, they will also issue a warning if you don’t observe polarity (red positive to red, black negative to black).
If the battery is near the end of its life, many tenders will issue a heads-up. Some of the more expensive units (still under $100) claim to be able to repair battery plates damaged by sulfation (the buildup of lead sulfate crystals on the plates). In most cases with tenders, you can set it and forget it—though occasionally checking in to make sure all is well is a good idea. Sometimes the clips pop off.
Take it Out
If it’s going to be a while and you’re good with a wrench, consider removing the battery from the car and bringing it into the house. Wearing gloves and goggles for this is a good idea. The optimum temperature for car batteries is around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Inside storage is a good practice in very cold climates during the winter months. The basement is OK, but not if it’s damp and not on the concrete floor—prop it up—very level—on plywood instead. While the battery is out, inspect it carefully for leaks or case damage.
Make sure the battery is fully charged, then attach a battery tender. If this sounds like too much work (batteries are heavy, and sometimes hard to access!) you can avoid some possible discharge by simply removing the cables in place. When reattaching the battery, triple check to see that the positive cable is attached to the positive terminal, and negative to negative. The consequences of getting this wrong can include an exploding battery. A properly stored lead-acid battery can be maintained for up to two years.
Stay Level Headed
Before putting your battery away, two maintenance items are recommended. Clean the terminals of debris and buildup (using a small brush and a mixture of water and baking soda), and add a dollop of dielectric grease as preventative maintenance. And in batteries that allow the addition of electrolyte, carefully remove the covers (usually two) with a pry bar or screwdriver and, using a small funnel or turkey baster, add distilled, deionized or demineralized water (never tap) until you see the liquid covering the metal plates. Do not put your fingers down the fill holes! Today, though, many newer batteries are maintenance-free flat tops that don’t permit refilling.
Take Your Chances
If your away time will be relatively short, you can probably leave your battery connected without a tender, but make sure all power drains are shut off. The alarm system is one such drain, but there are very good reasons to leave it switched on—that’s why it’s there! You can have peace of mind by installing an under-hood battery kill switch, usually around $15. These simple on-off devices isolate the electric system and guarantee against any power drain.
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