Winter Battery Care: Tips for extended car battery life this winter

How to get even better performance from your Banner battery. Winter Battery Care :

Keep it active

 Inactive batteries start to discharge in a process during which lead sulphate forms of the battery plates. This obstructs the current flow. A device like the Banner Accucharger keeps the battery in shape and prevents sulphation. This is an important part of winter battery care.  

Keep it clean 

Ensure that the surface of the battery is clean and dry using an antistatic cloth. Moisture in the engine compartment causes current creep-age, which consumes energy. In addition, do not use any so-called improvement agents.

Keep it safe in winter 

Battery starting performance declines in cold weather. Therefore, in order to have sufficient power, switch off things like blowers and heating until the engine is running. Moreover, turn them off before shutting down the engine.

Keep it running marathons

During short trips cars often require more energy than the alternator can generate and recharge. This means that the battery is subject to constant discharging. If possible take the car out for longer runs in order to charge up the battery. If that does not fit your routine treat your battery to a battery maintainer as apart of the winter battery care actions.

Keep it fit for winter

With an extra charge. Frequent short trips in combination with stop and start traffic reduce the energy level of the battery. Give your battery an extra portion of power with external charging, especially before the first cold winter weather arrives. 

Mothballing your car for the winter?

If the battery is to stay in the vehicle, then remove the negative terminal. The battery must remain dry and cool (but frost-free). Recharge at the latest, when an open-circuit voltage of 12.5V is reached. The solution for seasonally driven cars is to use compensatory chargers and charge retention using a Banner Accucharger.   

Keep a Jump Starter at hand.

One thing should be noted from the outset. In view of the sensitive electronic components in the vehicle, as a rule starting assistance should only be given by means of a quality Jump Starter/Power Bank. This is because start assistance from vehicle to vehicle (Jump Leads) can lead to voltage peaks during the disconnection of the terminals. This could damage or even destroy car electronic systems.