A while ago, I had to travel to the west for something work-related. Before leaving, I made sure to run the car for a considerable time, yet I returned to a dead battery.
Like everybody, I looked it up on what to do next, and I wasn’t shocked to see how many people go through the same problem.
So here is some legit research on avoiding a dead battery when you haven’t used it in a while.
Before getting into the cure, let’s talk about the real problem.
Here is a quick fact: batteries in winter last longer when unused than in summer. So the life expectancy in cold weather may go up to 51months whereas in summers it’s about 30months.
However, the chances of getting a dead battery in winter might be higher due to reduced usage. If you want to keep car batteries from dying when not in use in winter, keep on reading as you’ll find some helpful tips to tackle this problem.
Having an O.E.M battery can also lead to a similar problem as these have an avg life span of about 3-5 years and might go dead if you don’t use it for an extended period.
A battery that isn’t used for about two weeks should only have drainage of a 1% per week charge if it’s in good condition.
A dead battery within a short span of not using it indicates a problem with the battery.
What’s the solution?
If your car has a higher voltage battery than a 12v one, it’ll last longer, but if you have an A.C. charger, leaving it plugged in would save your battery from dying over that period.
If it’s an I.C.E. vehicle, a 12v battery should work fine; however, sometimes, you might have to empty the gas tank and keep the engine running for a while or at least until the fuel dies out. This method is proper when you want to leave your car unoperated for a more extended period.
Remember, if your battery is between the state of 40-80%, leaving it unused won’t kill it.
FOR EVS CARS
EVC cars are far easier to handle in such a case. Even if you leave one unused for several; months indefinitely, you won’t be needing a tender charger or anything to revive it.
A high voltage pack will provide a sufficient top-up charge similar to what a trickle charger would do.
Even though an E.V. requires no additional efforts to keep the battery alive while you are away, you can still team it with a tender for your satisfaction. It works fine otherwise, too.
How to Keep the Car Batteries Charged When Not in Use?
For simple cars, you can use the push method. First, push the car a foot back or forth. It’ll get it going in no time.
FOR EVS CARS and other Cars
An external charger is what most experts, including Jensen Bay in Viking (Marketing Director, Sjur), recommend.
The leading cause is the drainage of electricity through various electric components in an E.V. car, leading to a drained starter that is usually the leading cause of the dead battery.
Charging the battery four times a year will improve life and keep the battery alive even when you are away.
Nonetheless, if you prevent the charge from draining via electric parts of the car like the heater, it would prevent the car battery from dying when not in use.
Best way to keep the car battery charged when not in use?
The most effective way to keep a car battery from dying when not used is a battery charger. It can’t get any simpler than that.
Here is one that I have used in the past, and it kept my car batteries perfectly fine even when I was away for three weeks.
CTEK – 40-206 MXS 5.0
It is a complete automatic 4.3amp charger along with a 12V maintainer. In addition, it provides shockproofing and polarity protection, which is perfect if you are a rookie.
The best feature is the ease of use. It does an 8-step process to charge as well as conditions your battery, including de-sulfating.
See the Latest Price of CTEK – Fully Automatic Battery Charger and Maintainer
A light indicates each step on the charger. For example, the first step is desulfation, which ensures the battery is dead to pick charge; the first light on the charger indicated that.
It then does a test to check the amount of charge left in the battery. Finally, the third step is bulk charging, where the battery is provided with enough charge to get going again.
It continues to go on until all eight steps of reconditioning are completed.
All you need to do is plug the charger in the battery and wait a couple of hours. Then, if the light goes from red to yellow, it means it’s working.
Once it reaches the green light, your work is done. Plug out the charger, and your battery will be good as new.
This charger works great on batteries that have been dead for 4-5month which makes it handy for reviving old batteries that lie somewhere in your garage.
So now you’ll be able to keep the car battery charged when not driving for a long time.