Keeping Your Car Battery in Good Condition.

Car battery care tips

Many car owners these days tend to neglect their oil and water levels, these days and this includes the car battery. Like anything else in this life things will work better if they are looked after. Being a garage owner myself I see the amount of neglect on the cars that come into the garage for minor things, such as to top up the cars washer bottles, or check their oil level for them.

When we lift the bonnet (hood) you can see that the battery terminals are all corroded with the white powder and the battery is generally filthy and dirty. This is a sure sign that the battery has not been checked in ages.

Car battery types

The ratio of sealed batteries and open ended types with a screw top are about 60/40 these days. This means that about 40% of cars should have the tops removed and the batteries water/acid levels checked and topped up if required. The 60% of batteries that are sealed lead acid batteries cannot have their water/acid levels checked, because obviously they are sealed and you cannot gain access to the cells.

The sealed ones have a different type of material to make the cell plates out of. The plates are made of lead alloys and do not gas as much as the screw top type of battery that are made of lead antimony and this will tend to give off more gasses, thus reducing the amount of liquid in the battery. The acid/water mix is known as electrolyte and should be just covering the tops of the plates inside each battery cell.

 It is not a good idea to top your battery up with tap water as it may contain other chemicals. You can buy electrolyte from a motor accessory store or if you have a condenser type of spin dryer, then the water that it produces in the plastic reservoir, is in fact distilled water and can be used to top up battery. Your car battery will need more checking up in hot weather because of a higher rate of evaporation. Also if you have to constantly top one particular cell up, then the cell could be shorting out and boiling up the acid, if this is the case, than a cheap car batteries are the answer.

Car battery terminals

This is one of the commonest problems that can occur with your car battery is the gradual erosion of the

Terminals like these require a really good cleaning

battery terminals. The white powder is caused by a mixture of hydrogen crystals and sulphuric acid. This comes from the escaping hydrogen gases from the battery vents mixing with the acid and forming crystals onto the steel bolts that fasten the terminals to the battery and also the battery terminal wire which is usually made of copper. This can eventually cover the complete terminal and looks a real mess; eventually it will completely corrode the terminal wire and break the batteries circuit.

This mess needs cleaning off, as it does no good at all. The best way to do this is to pore some hot water onto the terminal slowly, remember this is acid and you should not let it touch your body, eyes or cloths. Some people use a mixture of water and baking powder, which neutralises the acid and you, can then give the whole terminal a rub down with a cloth and a wire brush. The terminal should then be protected by coating the terminal with a good smothering of petroleum jelly. Here in the UK we use a brand name called Vaseline.

Keep a car battery charger handy

In the winter time when the days are short and the nights long and cold it is always a good idea to charge your battery every now and then. If you keep your car in a garage then it would be easy to hook the car battery up to a charger, from say your work bench, but if you leave the car outside you should probably

Ring smart battery charger suitable for cars

remove the battery and charge it indoors. This sounds like a bit of a chore but it will keep your battery in good condition much longer, than if you just neglected it.

Battery chargers are now very cheap to buy. You can now buy what they call smart chargers, and all you do is connect them up and leave them, the charger will take care of your battery without you touching it again.

Before you charge the battery up, make sure that you unscrew the tops. This allows for the gases to escape while the battery is being charged up due to the acid heating up and evaporating, then top the battery up to the correct level after the charging has finished.

Checking the specific gravity of your car battery

If you want to take testing your battery a little further then I suggest that you invest in a hydrometer. They are not very expensive and will determine the state of charge of your caravan battery. The hydrometer measures the specific gravity of the electrolyte in your battery. If you place the rubber tube into the battery then

A simple hydrometer will show you the state of you battery

squeeze and then let go, then the electrolyte will enter the glass bowl. In the glass bowl is a float similar to a fishing float. This float has markings on it to determine the state of the battery. If the marking that is level with the liquid reads 1.27 or higher the battery is in good condition, if the reading is below 1.13 then the battery is flat. You then squeeze the liquid back into the cell and check the other cells. Simple?

You can also use a simple voltmeter set at 20 volts or above. The reading for a fully charged car battery should be 13.5 volts or above, if it is below 11 volts then the battery will need replacing.

Disclaimer

Please note these are the words and opinion of the author (Eric Roberts) only. Neither the author nor the website can be held responsible for any errors or omissions. You should seek professional assistance if in doubt about your choice of battery. The article may contain a link to Batteriesontheweb where you can buy battery products online.

|This article is also posted on..http://www.batteriesontheweb.co.uk/blog/

Using DEEP CYCLE BATTERIES for your BOAT

 DEEP CYCLE BATTERIES for your BOAT

The type of boat that this article is referring to is perhaps the bigger boat that may occasionally take to the sea and do longer journeys, perhaps up and estuaries or fishing using nets.

Some canal boats also come into this category, especially if they are lived in for most of the time and use electricity for such things as freezers and TV sets. This also includes vessels that use bilge pumps and other electrical equipment for most of the day, I am also thinking about inverters. The correct batteries for this application are deep cycle batteries.

How can you tell if you have deep cycle batteries or not?

Deep cycle batteries usually have a reserve capacity or RC for short. This is the reserve capacity that a battery requires to maintain a useful voltage and is measured by the number of minutes it takes to hold onto a reasonable voltage when under a 25 ampere discharge. The RC reference will only be on the label of a deep cycle battery, if the label reads a Amp-Hour or CCA (cold cranking amp) reference then it likely that the battery is starter battery and will NOT be suitable for the purpose of deep cycling.

In my opinion, this where many this is where many people go wrong. They look on the internet or Ebay and see the cheaper leisure batteries advertised, thing that they are the thing that they want. Most of these leisure batteries are OK for a motor home or caravan, but they are not deep cycle batteries and will not last two minutes when used on a boating situation.

The genuine deep cycle batteries are made using much thicker plates and lead grids, which are the things that hold the plates together. The rest of the materials used such as the oxides and separator materials are made of much heavier duty materials, in order to give this type of battery a much deeper capacity. The cranking batteries that are used as car starter batteries are made of much lighter materials that make them much cheaper than the deep cycle batteries and they are only used to produce enough power to start a car’s engine and not to store large amounts of power. 

More reading... http://www.sailnet.com/forums/electrical-systems/63682-battery-confusion-amp-hours-vs-reserve-capacity.html

The starter battery cannot be used as a storage battery but the deep cycle battery can be used for both starting and storage.

The thing to look out for as I have said earlier is the RC rating and the higher the rating the better. You should get the biggest battery that you can fit into your battery compartment, without DE-stabilising your boat? Remember these batteries are very heavy due the heavy duty materials that they are made of.

You should buy the biggest deep cycle battery that will fit your boat, it will last much longer and give your battery a longer life by not having to use as many discharge and recharge cycles. For example this same battery might last 650 cycles if it is only discharged 50 percent on each fishing day, 1,500 cycles if discharged only 25 percent and 3,500 cycles if discharged only 10 percent.

The bottom line is that you pay for what you get, like anything in life. The bigger battery that you can afford that is deep cycle with a high RC rating the longer it will last you in the long run and the better service you will get out of your battery.

Some systems on the larger boats also run on 36 volt and 24 volt systems, so that is well worth watching out for. AGM are the most popular type of battery that is used. The AGM stands for (absorbed glass matting). The glass matting absorbs the electrolyte and so there is no liquid in the cells. The batteries can therefore be sealed and will not leak even if the battery casing is punctured. This type of battery can charge and re-charge faster than a flooded battery, but the downside is that they are heavier and more expensive to buy in the first place.

Gel batteries are also maintenance free similar to the AGM batteries, but are filled with a gel additive which sets in the battery making them maintenance free batteries. Both GEL and AGM batteries work under a slight amount of internal pressure and are equipped with a release valve should the pressure exceed the limits, due to excessive heat either in charging or operating conditions.

The difference is that you should not use the same charger for a GEL and an AGM battery. The GEL battery works at a much lower charge rate and if an AGM charger was used then the battery will overheat and cook in a short period of time. In my opinion the GEL battery is falling out of favour because they are the heaviest and the most expensive of the three different types of battery suitable for boats, and require a special charger.

So remember choosing the right battery for your needs and taking good care of it will save you money and keep your boat running longer.

Eric Roberts

Hi I would like to introduce myself. I have worked in the Garage and tyre and I am MD for online battery company www.batteriesontheweb.co.uk. I have worked for a couple for national tyre companies in my younger days, before starting my first business. I now own a garage and MOT testing centre, here in the UK called Pellon Tyre and Auto-centre, and I am a keen blogger about anything to do with cars and their related products that will help my business. We are members of Point-S and Motor-Codes and are also a Unipart Car Care Centre and of course Tyre-safe.

Your car battery keeps running down –Tips and information

Your car battery keeps running down 

As a person who has been selling car batteries almost all his working life, they are a thing that I think about every day of the year. It is probably the same about the things that most people do for a job. I realize that the rest of the population only thing they think about to do with a car battery, is when their car won’t start.

The first thing they then think is where I can buy cheap BMW batteries, or a battery for whatever make and model of car that they might own. It is one of those things that haunt you when you first notice that it may let you down. The first sign is usually when the battery is slow to turn your car’s engine over, first thing in the

morning.

You first think that it is only a one off and it will be all right the next time you try to start the car. And if it is later on in the day then the car will probably start first time, because the engine may still be warm and therefore easier to start the car, but the next morning, when the car is cold ,the same happens, the car battery is struggling to start the engine. But just at the last minute, the battery kicks in, and the car starts, Wow that was close?

You decide to look for car battery suppliers 

This is now on your mind, what if I can’t get home tonight? Am I still in the AA? What times are the trains? All these little things start to nag your mind. What if it’s not the battery but a bigger problem, did you leave the lights on? No it must be the battery because I have had the car regularly serviced and it is only five years old, so it must be car battery problems.

At lunch time you were telling a friend of yours about the problem and fortunately for you he always carried a smart battery charger in his cars toolkit. He suggested that you took your battery off the car and tried charging it up until you sourced a new battery; after all, you did not have a clue where to buy a new car battery from. This was a good idea and relieved the worries about getting home.

The smart charger was a Ring automotive charger and the battery was removed, with a little help from your friend and the battery took enough charge to top up the battery. The problem when the car battery keeps dying overnight is that drivers think it was just a blimp and it will be OK the next time. Some drivers keep car battery jump leads in the car boot and are forever jump starting their car. This is not recommended on today’s modern cars because of their intricate electrical systems.

With the car battery charged up your friend advises you of a  good garage to call in at and have a battery check carried out, on your way home that evening. The mechanic who tested the battery, lifted the hood and did a car battery health check. He then used a car battery load tester and soon discovered that there was a faulty cell due the cell bubbling and gassing under load from the tester.

 car battery not holding charge

This dead cell was the reason for the car battery not holding charge. The battery size was a 110, for his particular BMW and the mechanic did not have one in. The guy had remembered what his work friend had said and that we knew where he could buy cheap batteries free shipping. In fact because it was a Tuesday he could get the battery the next day if he ordered that evening. He agreed to leave his car with the mechanic who would fit his new battery when it arrived. He gave the delivery address the same as the mechanics garage, so that when it arrived it could be fitted on the car and all would be well.

Ring Automotive Smart battery charger

His wife picked him up in her Vauxhall Corsa and he left the car at the garage overnight. When he arrived home he was able to buy a car battery next day delivery from a leading battery website and chose a more upmarket battery made by Tungstone batteries. The next day the battery arrived at the garage as promised online and the mechanic fitted it onto his BMW for a small fitting fee. The guys friend picked him up for work and dropped him off at the garage for his car on the way home.

It all ended up a happy situation, but if your car struggles to start, get the battery checked straight away and fit a new one if you are not sure, this guy messed about and dithered costing him stress if nothing else, just over his cars faulty battery.

My name is Eric Roberts

Hi I would like to introduce myself. I have worked in the Garage and tyre and I am MD for online battery company www.batteriesontheweb.co.uk. I have worked for a couple for national tyre companies in my younger days, before starting my first business. I now own a garage and MOT testing centre, here in the UK called Pellon Tyre and Auto-centre, and I am a keen blogger about anything to do with cars and their related products that will help my business. We are members of Point-S and Motor-Codes and are also a Unipart Car Care Centre and of course Tyre-safe.

   

Car Won’t Start? Car Battery Dead?

Car Won’t Start? Car Battery Could be Dead?

We have all had that sort of sinking feeling in the throat when you have an important appointment, you are going for a job interview, you get to the car door press your button key to open the door and the door will not unlock. We have all been their; you know deep down that the car is not going to start, just when you were going to an important meeting, it is cold dark and you feel terrible.

The car door opens using the key; thank God we don’t have a car that does not have a key, just an electric fob. The guy turns his key only to confirm his worse fears; the car battery is dead as a Dodo.

He now recalls that the battery did play up a little bit a couple of weeks ago, on another cold and frosty day, but the next day the battery started the car up ok, and nothing else since.

That was a warning that he should have noted, if the car battery does not perform as well as normal, then you must get it tested, especially in winter time when the car will use the full quota of electrics, such as lights and heaters. These electrics will drain and kill off a cars battery if the car is only doing short journeys in the winter, say on the school run or only down to the shops

Back to the guy with the job interview appointment; he was wondering if he could have left the lights on or not. According to the AA here in the UK this is one of the top things that drivers do, leave the lights on and therefor flatten their car battery. It may be a good thing to actually check your battery. Lift up your bonnet (hood) and the plastic cover that is there to protect the battery and check your battery terminals, are they lose? No, are they corroded or worn out? No? Ok then if you can unscrew the plastic caps, where you can remove and then top up the battery, then you should do so to check the level of the acid.

Sometimes you find a couple of cells that are low and need topping up, or the whole battery needs topping up, but this guy’s car is fine. Some batteries today are maintenance free sealed batteries and so you cannot check the levels. Some batteries come with a magic eye on their battery with three different colours that change when there is a change to the batteries condition. One more point worth mentioning, because I know this has happened is that lady drivers should be aware of dangling jewellery, shorting the battery terminals with possibility of causing burns, otherwise the procedure is the same for men and women.

If you think that you may have left your lights on and the car battery is not completely dead, 

Then it may well be worth leaving the car for half an hour and then see if the battery has recovered enough to start the car, this can sometimes work? These little tricks are not going to help this guy though, his battery is completely gone and he needs to get to that job interview. What can he do? Well he could try a couple of things. If his car is on the flat or a slope downhill then he and a friend or neighbour could help him to jump-start the car.

This can only be done with a manual gearbox type car. You sit in the car with the ignition on, press the clutch and put the car into THIRD gear. When your friends push the car and get it rolling, you should release the clutch and all been well the car should start. Another method would be to use some jump leads and try to start the car off another cars battery.

Park the cars with the engine side by side and connect the RED positive terminal on the flat battery and then the positive terminal on the working one. Then take the black lead and connect it to the negative terminal on the good battery and the other end to an earthing point on the car and NOT to the other negative terminal.

Testing a flat car battery

The earthing point could be part of the engine or car body, but not near the fuel system. You should wait for three or four minutes for the battery voltages to even out and then try to start the car, if you are successful and the car start keep your foot on the accelerator to increase the cars speed so that the cars alternator tries to put some charge back into the car.

If one of these methods works for you then you could risk trying to get to your interview, but one way or another you are likely to need a new battery, you could contact your local garage or perhaps next time join one of the recovery companies. But if you think that your battery sounded not quite right or your lights were a bit dimmer than you thought ,then get your battery tested, because it will let you down for sure at some inappropriate time when you least wanted it to.

 Eric Roberts

Hi I would like to introduce myself. I have worked in the Garage and tyre and I am MD for online battery company www.batteriesontheweb.co.uk. I have worked for a couple for national tyre companies in my younger days, before starting my first business. I now own a garage and MOT testing centre, here in the UK called Pellon Tyre and Auto-centre, and I am a keen blogger about anything to do with cars and their related products that will help my business. We are members of Point-S and Motor-Codes and are also a Unipart Car Care Centre and of course Tyre-safe.

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