How to keep a car battery from dying is a common question in winter and when the battery is not in use.
Your car battery keeps dying for several reasons, but you can prevent the car battery from going flat by following some tips.
As a mechanic, we try various methods to stop a car battery from dying, but these are the most useful ways we found.
Before getting signs of a dead car battery in your car, you should maintain your car battery properly to keep it from dying.
So, let’s find your car battery drain solution and keep your car battery healthy. We also show you how to keep a car battery from dying when not in use and in winter here.
How To Keep Car Battery From Dying
In most cases, by only avoiding parasitic drains on the battery and keeping the car from extreme temperatures will keep your car battery from dying. Also, it would be best if you considered charging the car battery fully, not using any unnecessary car accessories, and keeping the car battery clean to stop the car battery from dying.
Here are some tips to keep car battery from dying:
- Charge Car Battery Regularly
- Aware of Parasitic Drain
- Keep The Battery Clean
- Avoid Driving Short Distances
- Keep Car Battery In Normal Temperatures
- Do Not Use Unnecessary Car Accessories
- Choose The Right Battery
- Charge The Car Battery Using A Trickle Charger
- Check for Corrosion or Loose Cable Connection
1. Charge Car Battery Regularly
Automobile batteries need to charge regularly and properly to mobilize a vehicle’s electrical system.
From engine cranking to headlights on, vehicles need battery charge to do all of them.
A car battery can charge in two different ways. The car battery can recharge by an alternator and also with an external charger.
An alternator is only going to recharge the battery when the car is running. So, by driving your car battery regularly, you can charge your car battery which keeps your car battery from dying.
But, recharging your car battery from an external charger is always the best and most effective way to keep the car battery from dying.
Using your car battery charger, you should charge your car battery on a regular basis. When you read 12.4 to 12.8 volts, it means your car battery is fully charged.
A compatible car battery charger needs around 10 to 14 hours to charge your car battery fully. And a car battery should be charged every four or six weeks.
You better be aware, when your car sits for a long time, the battery starts losing the capacity to hold charge to operate. And eventually, the battery died completely.
You can charge your car battery in several ways. You can even charge your car battery without a charger. So charge your car battery regularly.
2. Aware of Parasitic Drain
Most of us car owners are already familiar with parasitic drain. The parasitic drain is also known as a parasitic draw.
Parasitic draw on your car battery means when your car’s electrical system continues to drain power or energy from the battery, even when your car is shut off completely.
Over time parasitic drain makes a car battery dead by consuming unnecessary charge from the battery.
To keep your car battery from going flat, you must be aware of the parasitic drain on your car battery.
Make sure you turn off every electrical component, such as the radio, the internal clock, power mirrors, interior lights, and exterior lights, before leaving your car.
Run parasitic drain tests in your car on a regular basis to ensure the car’s electrical components are not drawing unnecessary electricity.
If you haven’t performed a parasitic drain test on your car battery before, then you can contact your nearest auto repair shop.
Learn More: Things To Do When Car Battery Dies
3. Keep The Battery Clean
By following a variety of ways, you can clean your car battery in a little bit of time.
When the battery does not clean for a long time, car battery leaking acids and dirt make corrosion all over the battery, which is a major reason why your car battery keeps dying.
Dirt and corrosion on your car battery also cause dead cells in the car battery and makes the battery obsolete.
You also should not forget to clean the battery terminal because the battery terminal is responsible for supplying and receiving the energy.
A neat and clean battery terminal will help your car battery stay in good health and extend its lifespan.
Also, the car battery does not need to be cleaned too often, and cleaning the car battery is easy to work on compared to washing the car.
Ensure your car battery is clean if you want to keep the car battery from dying when not in use also.
4. Avoid Driving Short Distances
Sometimes it’s become necessary to drive a car short distances, but often short distance driving is harmful to car batteries.
Driving short distances is not only bad for your car battery, but it also can cause bad motor oil in the car.
But, for short-distance driving, the alternator affects the most, which is leading to your car battery dying.
The car battery gets recharged by the alternator. An alternator can only recharge the battery when the car runs at optimal speed.
So, when you are driving too short distances for lack of enough car running time and speed, the alternator won’t be able to recharge the battery.
If you constantly drive too short distances, the car battery will keep dying because the battery is not getting sufficient charge to operate the car’s electrical system.
To prevent your car battery from dying, you should avoid driving short distances.
Ensure you drive your car at least 10 or more miles at 30-40 mph speed to recharge the battery.
Related: Is it possible to recharge a completely dead car battery?
5. Keep Car Battery In Normal Temperatures
Too cold or hot are both equally capable of keeping your car battery dying in anywhere and every situation.
Vehicle owners often ignore parking their cars in suitable and normal temperatures.
The best car battery drain solution is packing or storing your car battery at normal or home temperature.
Avoid parking your car in extreme temperatures. At home, you should park your car in the garage.
If you are outside of your home, make sure you park your car away from the sun or extreme heat.
Storing your car battery at home temperature is necessary if you need to keep the car battery from dying when not in use.
6. Do Not Use Unnecessary Car Accessories
The car battery supplies energy to every electrical component in a car. So, as you can imagine, the battery has a crucial role in operating the whole vehicle.
Every electrical component drains a certain level of charge from the battery to function.
But, the car battery keeps dying when you use unnecessary car accessories that also draw energy from the battery.
Unnecessary car accessories like a starling headliner, popcorn maker, Drivemocion Car LED Sign, and more accessories are not necessary for your car.
These accessories always draw unnecessary battery charges and lead the car battery to recharge frequently.
Unplugging all unnecessary accessories from your car to save your car battery from going flat.
7. Choose The Right Battery
Before buying a battery for your car, make sure the battery is the right size and has the ideal capacity for your car’s electrical system.
In Particular, you must see the battery’s reserve capacity before buying a car battery.
Improper and wrong size of the battery cannot be able to operate the car’s electrical system in the right way.
Therefore, the battery gradually leads to dying and causes the car’s electrical difficulty.
Take guidance from an automobile battery professional before buying the battery for your car if needed.
More: Dead Car Battery Tricks
8. Charge The Car Battery With A Trickle Charger
Like a typical car battery charger, a trickle charger is also a car battery used for charging the car battery.
A trickle charger’s main purpose is to charge the battery slowly and prevent overcharging the battery simultaneously.
Car batteries are made by lead-acid battery technology. That’s why charging the car battery slowly is better than charging quickly, which is what a trickle charger does.
Especially a trickle charger is very handy for storing car batteries, which keep your car battery from dying when not in use.
Although a trickle charger is not necessary for every driver, if you have the budget, you should invest in a trickle charger because this will keep your car battery healthy.
9. Check for Loose Cable Connection
As a mechanic, I couldn’t stress enough how important it is to check the car battery cable connection on a regular basis.
Every battery connection must be tightened and connected properly to the car’s functional electrical systems.
Although loose battery connections do not make a car battery dead, loose connections prevent the battery from being charged.
When the car battery isn’t recharged for loose connections, eventually, the battery is going to be drained completely.
Also, loose battery connections will prevent the car’s electrical system from operating properly.
Therefore, I recommend car owners check their car battery connections at least twice a year.
Related Article: Reasons Why New Car Battery Dead
How To Keep Car Battery From Dying When Not In Use
Using a trickle charger is a great way to keep a car battery from dying when not in use.
Tips to keep a car battery from dying when not in use:
- Disconnect The Battery Completely
- Use A Trickle Charger
- Remove Car Battery Entirely
- Store Car Battery In Natural Temperature
Disconnect The Battery Completely
The most useful and simple way to keep your car battery from dying when not in use is disconnecting the battery completely.
But, you must keep in mind that you should disconnect the battery completely when you need to store your battery, not for a long-time.
Use A Trickle Charger
The Trickle charger is the most commonly used battery maintainer for automobiles.
A trickle charger will prevent your car battery from losing enough charge to stop them from working.
A trickle charger slowly charges a car battery and prevents overcharging. That’s what you need to keep your car battery from dying when not in use.
Remove Car Battery Entirely
You might need to store your car battery for a long period of time or for a season, then removing your car battery interiorly is another great way to keep your car battery from dying.
When your car battery has been removed from the car, it drains the charge slowly.
Therefore, you need to charge the battery from time to time to stop the car battery from dying.
Store Car Battery In Natural Temperature
Do not store your car battery in extreme temperatures; hot and cold temperatures drain the car battery when not in use.
Store your car battery in a well-ventilated area first, and then make sure the temperature is normal.
See Also: Car Keeps Dying, Battery And Alternator Are Good
How To Keep Car Battery From Dying In Winter
In winter, car battery draining becomes a more issue for vehicle owners.
For extreme cold temperatures, car batteries keep dying in winter. That’s why knowing how to keep a car battery from dying in cold weather saves you extra money.
Proper Battery Check
A regular battery check is necessary to keep a car battery from dying in winter.
Regularly check for corrosion or loose cable connection on your car battery in cold weather.
You need also look for the battery charging level during battery inspection.
Park Your Car In The Garage
Parking your car in the garage or underground is the most important step you should take if you want to keep your car battery from dying in winter.
Your car battery is going to die quickly if you let your car sit outside in winter.
Drive Your Car
You must drive your car a few times a week to let the alternator recharge your car battery.
Running the car is more effective than just idling in winter to keep the battery in good shape.
Car Battery Drain Preventer To Keep Car Battery From Draining
The trickle chargers are the best car battery drain preventer that you should use to keep your car battery from dying.
To keep your car battery from draining, you must use a trickle charger instead of a regular battery charger.
Trickle charger charges car battery at lowest voltage to prevent overcharging.
But, instead of slow charging, a regular charger gives a boost charge, which damages a car battery to maintain charge.
Especially when your car battery is not in use, the trickle charger helps maintain the battery’s charge.
So we recommend you, from many car battery drain preventers on the market, choose a trickle battery charger for your car battery drain solution.
Final Thoughts
How to keep a car battery from dying? You should know the answer to this question before your car battery keeps dying.
Charging a car battery regularly and properly is the key to keeping the car battery from dying.
Avoid making your car interior or rare too cool with unnecessary car accessories that bring the car battery to the worst level.
In winter, make sure you park your car in the garage to keep your car battery from draining in extremely cold weather.
Practicing some of the tips for keeping a car battery healthy will save your extra money, time, and hassle.
Learn More About Car’s Dead Battery:
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I’m Meraj Sarker. I am a Car Mechanic and a student of Automobile Restoration here in Florida, USA. I’ve been studying automotive for around 9 years now. So you can rely on my recommendation. For me, studying and getting knowledge about automobile it’s really fun and entertaining. I will help you to get solutions for your car through this website. If you need any help let me know.