Picture taking all the effort to clear the snow off your car and the driveway to have your car battery leave you stuck in your driveway. A dead battery is never a fun experience, especially when you have somewhere to be, and it’s cold outside. What’s more, is that this problem (car battery dying in winter) could affect anyone without a warning. Whether you’ve faced it or not it’s a good idea to stay informed about this problem.

The best way to get a grasp of the car battery dying in winter is by learning what causes it and what you can do to avoid it. In this guide, we aim to cover all that and more to help you make sure you never have battery troubles in the colder months. 

Understanding Your Car Battery

To overcome your car battery dying in winter, we need to understand the basics of a car battery. While a car battery shares the same fundamental principle as the conventional ones we use in appliances, there are some differences.

Basics of a Battery

The differences are to be expected when you consider the greater need for electrical power in a vehicle. That being said, the basic principle — which is, a device that turns chemical energy into electrical power — remains the same. 

A battery does this through the use of cells. The cells in batteries are designed to store energy thanks to their chemical composition. The battery can convert chemical energy into electrical energy when required. This supply of energy is what the car uses for several purposes.

What’s Inside a Car Battery?

The majority of car batteries are of the lead-acid type. They are called lead-acid batteries because they make use of electrodes made of lead. In addition to this, a car battery also features sulfuric acid. The car batteries we are talking about belong to the SLI category. SLI is short for starting, lighting, and ignition. Keep in mind, this type of car battery delivers its power in bursts.

A common misconception is that SLI batteries are responsible for constantly supplying power to keep the car running, but that isn’t true. The SLI battery only helps start the car. It’s the alternator that’s responsible for supplying everything with power after that moment. 

How Does a Car Battery Work?

The majority of SLI batteries meant for cars use six cells. Each cell has two plates. As mentioned above these plates are made of lead. One of the plates is regular lead while the other is lead dioxide. Interestingly, it’s these cells that give a battery its 12-volt architecture as each cell is designed to produce 2 volts.

When it comes to the workings, the aforementioned plates are positioned in sulfuric acid. And it’s this pairing of chemicals that triggers a reaction between the two plates. The acid then reacts with the lead dioxide plate leading to the production of ions and lead sulfate. The ions produced by the lead dioxide plate go on to react with the adjacent plate to create hydrogen and lead sulfate, and it’s this reaction that leads to the production of electrons.

The electrons are what is responsible for the creation of electricity. This electricity then makes its way out of the battery and to your car to be consumed by many systems. This interesting reaction of chemicals is reversible too. That’s what allows for the battery to be jump-started and charged regularly. 

What Leads to Car Battery Dying in Winter?

“Car battery dying in winter” is highly looked-up and for good reason. It’s a common problem. When the weather is warm, it leads to a higher temperature under the hood which in turn increases the temperature of the battery. A direct consequence of the battery being warmer is a higher rate of chemical reactions. 

On the flip side, when the battery temperature is lower the reaction rate is slower. As a result, a warm battery will have the sufficient voltage required to power the starter, while a cold one would have too weak of voltage to get the car started.

Estimates have shown that a car battery can lose around 35% of its voltage-producing capacity at 32 Fahrenheit. It gets even worse as the temperatures drop below freezing. At around 1.5 Fahrenheit, the average car battery loses around 60% of its strength. In addition to this, one also has to account for the natural degradation a battery goes through. Like most car parts, it has a limited lifespan. The battery’s capacity can decrease significantly if it’s old and exposed to winter weather. Such conditions lead to a car battery dying in winter.

Tips to Stop Car Battery Dying in Winter

With winter upon us, we may likely be faced with a car battery dying in winter. Luckily, certain tips or methods can stop or decelerate the death of your car battery. Before we get to those, check if there are any obvious signs of trouble with the battery. Look for corroded terminals, and make sure that the cables are establishing a firm connection with the terminals. If everything checks out, here’s what you can do to keep your battery alive through the winter. 

Proper Warm Up

One of the biggest mistakes we make while warming up a car is just letting it idle. Yes, it’s a good idea to let it idle for a few minutes to get everything up to temperature, but a little more is required. When idling, the alternator is only able to charge the battery by around 4 amps in 15 minutes. While that may seem better than nothing, it’s nowhere near enough as a car battery loses around 100 amps while starting up.

The best way to achieve a sufficient charge is by taking the car for a short drive. On the move, the alternator will be able to produce a lot more current and give the battery the juice it requires. Sometimes, excessive snow can come in the way of going for a short drive which is when we recommend giving your car a few revs and even maintaining higher revs for a bit to ensure the battery gets the power it needs.

Check Your Battery

Another tip to stop your car battery from dying in winter is to check your battery. Despite being quite obvious, car battery maintenance is often overlooked. While older lead-acid batteries have individual sections that would allow users to top off battery fluid, modern ones don’t need such maintenance. 

Some modern batteries have a small screen that indicates the health of the battery. In most cases, green is good, and black is bad when it comes to this indicator. If you inspect this from time to time, you will know the condition of your battery ahead of time.

Plug It In

One of the best ways to avoid your car battery dying in winter is by leaving it plugged in. In other words, use a battery charger. This is highly recommended if you live in areas with extreme weather or if the car isn’t frequently used. Battery chargers connect to the terminals of your car battery and can be left connected with your hood closed in most cases. This adds to the convenience as one can leave it plugged in and keep the battery in top shape.

Indoor Parking

Our final tip to avoid your car battery dying in winter is to park indoors. This is a straightforward solution as garages are usually much warmer than the driveway or the street in cold weather. Parking in a garage will keep the battery at a slightly higher temperature, making it more potent. Not everyone has the option to park in a garage, but if you do, it’s recommended over parking on the driveway.

Always Choose High-Quality Replacement Parts!

Whether it’s a car battery, suspension components, or brakes, it’s always a good idea to choose high-quality replacement parts. Opting for lower-quality alternatives might save you a little money initially, but it’s always more expensive in the long run. 

High-quality replacement parts like the ones we sell on Newparts.com will last and perform as the manufacturer intended. That’s why the next time you need spares, don’t forget to look through our shop. In fact, a little window shopping would do no harm. Head to our Shop now!