Effects of Weather on Car Battery
Batteries are made of several chemicals. General car batteries imply the usage of lead-acid and various electrolyte liquids in their making. The power to drive your vehicles is generated by the power-driven out of such chemically acting batteries. Since the reactions inside the battery are electro-chemical, one can directly relate it’s being affected by temperature factors.
According to Swift Battery specialist – a renowned car battery replacement service provider in Singapore, car batteries functions as normal when they have an ideal temperature. Battery experts often recommend keeping the car battery levels at a temperature of around 26.7 degrees Celsius or 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the optimal temperature at which the car batteries usually function at.
Be it the extreme heat or the shivering cold, car batteries are easily affected by temperatures. While the heat of summers speeds up the chemical reactions inside the batteries, the cold of winters tends to slow it down. The heat wears down the batteries while the cold makes the car battery sluggish.
Extreme exposure to such extreme weather conditions eventually leads to car battery replacement. To know what happens to car batteries in such extreme conditions, several studies were conducted. Here’s what was found from them:
Effect of cold weather on batteries:
Colds slow down people and make them lazy. Similar happens in the case of a car battery. This is the reason why car batteries are found to be working only half the time. What’s even weird is that despite the car battery is affected in this season, it shows less to no signs. This is true even when it’s the time for your car battery replacement.
Automobiles have their batteries rated in Cold Cranking Amperage (CCA). CCA defines that for any car battery to function properly, a car battery should be able to hold its charge for about 30 seconds under extreme weather conditions without falling to a certain charge cutting – off voltage. Batteries need to maintain a certain temperature to strike an electric current to light up the battery.
While a decently charged battery can save the battery in the shivering cold winters, a lowly powered battery can die instantly. A fully charged battery can last in temperatures as cold as -50 degrees Celsius, a moderately charged one would last till -18 degrees Celsius while a battery low on the charge would give up at temperatures as high as -1 degree Celsius.
While the solid metals in a car battery stay intact, it’s the watery chemicals that freeze up in the cold weather. Freezing of the liquids leads to battery expansion; leading to irreversible damage to the charge cells. If you are stuck on an icy road in the middle of the night; Swift Battery Specialists is there to offer you their quality 24 – hour service at your convenience.
Effect of hot weather on batteries:
While it might not be noticeable at first, but car batteries take a heavy toll from the summer heat than the winter’s chill. The heat effect is extreme in many places as opposed to just several cold places scattered around the world. The chemicals inside the battery act up badly in the presence of excessive heat. While moisture may just be the factor leading to battery degradation, it’s not the only factor that leads to car battery replacement. The majority of battery failures come up from the expansion of battery bodies. This is one of the primary reasons why most people are found stuck on highways.
If you get stuck on the highway due to bad battery, be sure to reach to Swift Battery Specialists. They offer 24-hour all-year-round service for the car battery replacement across Singapore. Almost a million battery-related service calls are handled on roads just in the summers alone. To ensure such kind of battery problems don’t happen in the middle of the journey, a regular car inspection is a must.
Car batteries, just like us humans face heavy dehydration due to heat. While humans avoid the frustrating heat by drinking water, cars survive too but they need a little extra care. This is even extreme when the charge on your battery is running low since the car batteries eat up the remaining charge due to excessive humidity. Try to drive a car with such a damaged battery is like playing with fires. Excessive heat that leads to battery expansion can also damage the nearby components severely. Heat in summers boosts the rate of lead corrosion inside the car batteries, wreaking hard havoc on the car battery.
What to do:
Be it the cold or the heat, while the extreme weathers are likely to hinder the functioning of your car battery, it still can be taken care of. Here are some of the best car battery tips to keep it going as the way it is:
- Ensure storing your car in the garage when not used. The lesser the exposure, the lesser the impact.
- Batteries take a big toll when they start the engines in extreme weather conditions. Lest we must avoid charging of mobile phones and power banks from the car batteries.
- Dust particles and other such kinds of dirt distort the battery performance substantially. Ensure that the battery stays clean at all times. A clean battery peaks at good performance levels.
- Batteries aren’t meant to last forever. they typically have a lifespan of 5 to 7 years. So if you are struggling due to battery in your old car, it’s probably the battery that’s in for replacement.
- Always prefer high-quality batteries while replacing them. Swift Battery Specialists have partnered with leading partners in Singapore to deliver high-quality batteries. You are rest assured of the battery quality when you get battery replacement done from them.
- Ensure that the battery connecting circuits are well aligned and are delivering a required amount of current rate. The absence of the right amount of current can lead to battery malfunction over a certain period.
Caring for your car is as important as taking your car for a drive. Keep inspecting and charging your car battery regularly and that will keep your car battery off the dangerous board. If you feel that your car battery is not running up to the mark, schedule an appointment at a Swift Battery Specialist today!