Battery maintenance always becomes a popular subject this time of year. Extreme temperatures, both hot and cold can lead to premature death of a battery. Typical lead acid batteries, such as those found in your average automobile lose approximately 30 to 40% of their power and longevity when they reach 32 degrees F, and can lose even more during hot extremes.
If you don’t want to get caught stranded on a cold winter night, take extra care to maintain your battery and keep it fully charged at all times. It also would be wise to carry an automotive jump starter in your vehicle’s trunk for just such an emergency.
If you are leaving your vehicle idle for extended periods of time, such as car collectors who perhaps only break their vehicles out for a quick spin once a month, or for a car show or two during the summer, the odds of your car not starting due to a low battery increase dramatically. One way to prevent a low battery condition in this situation is to hook up a Battery Charger / battery maintainer that will monitor your battery’s state of charge and trickle charge it when it needs in and turns off once the battery is completely charged.
If you take care of your battery when in storage, it won’t let you down when you need it most.