Cold weather affects car batteries negatively. Starting your car in the winter takes excessive cranking power and can be hard on the battery. The harsh cold weather reduces the rate of reaction in the battery and causes it to have a low performance level. While new batteries tend to perform so poorly in cold conditions, old batteries are usually completely unusable.
The first step to ensure that you always have a charged battery in the winter is to get a battery with high cold cranking amps (CCA). Using a battery with a high CCA helps the battery fire away even in very cold conditions. Also, the battery should have a high reserve capacity (RC). The reserve capacity of a battery comes in handy when certain car accessories need to be kept running even when the car is not running. In circumstances when the alternator fails to work because of the weather, the battery continues to produce power for various car functions and so prevents the battery from draining totally.
To prevent your car battery from freezing up on you, there are certain steps you can take.
Check the Battery
Old and weak batteries are usually the most badly hit during the winter. This is because the batteries are unable to withstand the effects the cold weather has, and they are not likely to be able to produce enough power to start the car. You can contact Fawkner Towing and have our technicians perform battery diagnostics to see if your battery can hold up against the cold.
Park Inside
Parking your car outside in the winter is not going to be helping matters at all, while fully charged batteries can resist cold, half-charged batteries can freeze overnight. One of the best ways to prevent that from happening is to park your car anywhere that is warmer than the outside temperature. That can be in your garage, near hot equipment or if possible whenever you can get it in direct contact with sunlight.
Keep Driving
Driving the car every day helps prevent the battery from freezing up. Your battery warms when you drive the car, this is necessary even for new batteries. Make sure that you drive the car every day for at least 30 minutes to ensure that the battery gets recharged after starting. If the battery begins to take a while to start, then you should reach out to Fawkner Towing.
Battery Blanket
Batteries have blankets or thermal wraps that are available in auto stores. These blankets help prevent the battery terminal from being corroded. If you cannot get the battery blankets, you can use a regular blanket to cover the battery when you come back from a drive. This helps to retain the engine heat and prevent the battery from freezing
Keep the battery charged
As already stated, it is easier for fully charged batteries to resist the cold weather than half-charged ones. So it is important you keep your battery fully charged. During harsh weather conditions like the winter, it is harder to charge the battery so it is going to be difficult for the alternator to give it all the power it needs. This means that you may have to take the battery out and charge it at a repair shop. Give Fawkner Towing a call for help with a flat battery, our team will be with you within 30 minutes.
If you are in Reservoir, Victoria 3073, and looking for a Roadside Assistance Fawkner, below is the best way to visit us.
Fawkner Towing
18 Emma St, Fawkner VIC 3060
(03) 4050 4989
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