Battery Maintenance
Battery Maintenance
Even though Interstate batteries are manufactured to superior quality standards, few things are as important as battery maintenance. After all, if your battery doesn’t work you’re not going anywhere! If you can’t start your vehicle, the very first thing to check — and this may be stating the obvious — there should be no corrosion build-up on the battery cables or on the terminals. Battery maintenance can eliminate many problems simply by having a clean battery and ensuring that the connections are tight. A lot of modern batteries no longer require servicing but on the ones that do, be sure to regularly check the fluid level. (Only check the fluid in the battery when it is fully charged.)
If you have to replace some fluid, distilled water is the best type of water for battery maintenance. If you don’t have distilled water, tap water can be used in a pinch, since that is certainly better than not adding water at all! However, tap water often has added chemicals and certain minerals that can shorten the life of your battery. Proper battery maintenance means only filling the fluids to the correct level indicated on the battery. Overfilling the battery — especially in warmer weather — can cause the battery to expel electrolytes and this will begin the corrosion process.
Another great battery maintenance tip is to coat the terminals with grease. If your battery has the posts (connections) on top, you can easily help prevent corrosion by placing some silicone sealer at the bottom of the post and then placing a felt washer over the post. Adding some high temperature grease or Vaseline to the washer will also help prevent corrosion. After you have that in place, put the cable on the post and tighten securely. Then take some extra grease or Vaseline and coat the end of the cable. Many people are not aware that corrosion is caused by outgassing from the battery as it condenses on the metal ends of the cable, and can be prevented, or at least slowed down, by applying grease.
Extending Battery Life & Enhancing Performance
Interstate batteries are designed to provide reliable power for years. However, modern vehicles require more power than they did in the past. This additional demand will lower the battery life as more is demanded from the battery over time. A lot of people complain that their battery either won’t take the charge in the first place, or hold that charge long enough if it does happen to take the charge to begin with. An interesting statistic these days is that less than one third of batteries will still be serviceable after four years. They will just be worn out, in spite of the battery maintenance you perform.
Battery failure can be attributed to sulfur build-up in eighty percent of cases. Here’s what happens: sulfur molecules get discharged in the battery acid as they are being used. The problem is the sulfur builds up deeper and deeper on the battery’s lead plates. After a while those lead plates become so coated that the battery can no longer hold a charge and it dies.
There are many causes of sulfonation. Here are the 10 most common:
A battery obviously sits idle in between charges. Sulfonation can begin within 24 hours when the weather is hot and within several days when the weather is cooler.
Storing a battery over time without any additional input of energy.
Deeply discharging a deep cycle battery beyond what is considered optimal.
Sulfonation occurs on a battery that is under charged. For example, if the battery is only charged to 90% of capacity, the sulfonation will begin with the other 10% of the battery chemistry that wasn’t used in the charging cycle.
Internal discharging when the temperature is over 100°F. Internal discharging always increases as the temperature rises. For example, if you lave a fully charged battery unused in 110° weather, within the month, that battery will probably fail to start the engine.
Battery plates that come in contact with air due to low electrolyte levels will start to sulfate right away.
Inexpensive battery chargers often show inaccurate levels of charge. In fact, using a cheap battery charger will actually do more harm than good.
In cold weather the battery chemistry does not create as much energy as it does when the battery is warm. In fact, if the weather is cold enough a battery that is discharged can actually freeze solid if the weather is below zero.
The last, major cause of sulfonation is known as parasitic drain. This occurs when a small load is placed on the battery while the key is in the off position.
Picking out and Purchasing a New Battery
Probably the best advice on purchasing a new battery is to get one with the highest reserve capacity; or one with the largest amp hour rating possible. To be sure, you need to get the correct size with the proper connections and terminals. Another consideration is a gel cell, or absorbed glass mat, as opposed to a wet cell battery. This is especially true if battery maintenance will not be at important, regular intervals.
Also something to consider is the job you’re asking the battery to do. A battery that is designed to start an engine is different from a deep cycle battery. Finally, consider the freshness of the battery. If a battery has been sitting idle on the shelf and not been recharged, there is already a sulfur buildup on the plates. You can check the date of manufacture that is stamped on the battery. Letters of the alphabet (not including i) indicate the month and numbers indicate the year of manufacture. For example, if you see J1, that means the battery was manufactured in September of 2011.
If you take these tips to heart, you’ll not only pick the perfect Interstate battery for your vehicle, you’ll also have fewer battery maintenance issues so you can enjoy care-free service for the life of the battery,
