Car Battery play an essential role in starting a car that’s why they have to be maintained and managed properly, the batteries transfers power to the spark plug helping to lighten the vehicle fuel and it also regulates the power to some appliances like the air conditioner, radio, lights, and many other Appliances.
9 Things that can Actually Drain Your Car Battery
At times you don’t have to be told that your car battery is dead before you know it is. There are few reasons why your car battery will keep on dying and these reasons are discussed below.
Parasitic drain
Radio sets and security alarm systems run on standby even when your car is shut off. The battery supplies power to these gadgets and makes sure they are always on sync although these are normal at times electrical problems such as faulty wiring and wrong installation can cause battery drainage.
Personal mistakes
You would have wondered why your car refuses to start when you are about leaving for work. Not remembering that you forgot to turn off some appliances in the car before exiting your car. Most cars have indicators that will give you sign when one light is on but even if you turn off the light you might still forget to turn-off other appliances due to tiredness. All these will make your car battery drain overnight leaving your battery dead before dawn.
Alternator problem
The alternator uses its electrical system to power the battery by turning the engine power into light. The engine charges the battery to ensure there is enough power to start the vehicle. When your alternator is not charging your battery it will warrant battery drainage and will probably result in a trickle charge or a jump start. If drainage continues you will need a vehicle expert to check your alternator.
Battery is old
Batteries last long for an average of 5 years depending on the manufacturer, battery usage, your place of residents and your maintenance level. Frequent usage can reduce the life span of your battery, including short trips and temperature. If the battery still runs down after a jump start, it probably means your battery has expired and needs to be changed.
Loosen battery cables
The battery terminals can sometimes loosen and when it does your battery stops charging, this will keep you unaware until your battery dies finally and this will stop your vehicle from starting because your battery can’t transmit enough power to the engine.
Headlight is on
In addition to the personal reasons for battery drainage. You might be careless that you won’t be aware your headlights were left on. Most cars have the ability to turn off after some minute if they are not been used but if your vehicle doesn’t have these feature it will stay on until your battery is drained.
Temperature
Extreme temperature can cause lead sulfate to build up in the battery, leaving your car in hot or cold weather can cause a false impact on your battery. Most new batteries can withstand temperature effects but older batteries are not capable of resisting the effects of temperature. If this happens it weakens the battery ability and causes it to drain or die in the process.
Excess short drive
Batteries die easily due to short distance drives. Cranking the engine consumes a lot of power from the engine. The alternator charges the battery as long as the engine is on. if you continuously take shot drives. The alternator will not be able to charge the battery properly. Especially if your battery is old it will easily drain or spoil the battery.
Battery not charging while driving
When vehicles are on motion the battery depends on the alternator to continually charge the battery. If the alternators are bad it reduces the charging ability making the battery drain faster.
