What happens to battery on hot days?
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vancouverbc
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What happens to battery on hot days?
I notice that people have a hard time starting on hot days. Are they running their air conditioning on hot days to drain battery? I would have thought the battery would be stronger on a hot day. Is the water pump working harder to stay cool and this put demands on alternator? Or does battery rest over night and is strong in the cool morning but weakens as it is driven and it is conincidently warmer as day gets older.
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AZhitman
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Heat speeds up all chemical reactions. High outside temperatures combined with stop and go traffic on overheated pavement can drive under-the-hood temperatures to more than 200 degrees.
Factor in extra heavy, parasitic electrical loads such as air conditioners, power windows and stereo systems, and extreme heat can be deadly for a car battery.
Factor in extra heavy, parasitic electrical loads such as air conditioners, power windows and stereo systems, and extreme heat can be deadly for a car battery.
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elwesso
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Re: (AZhitman)
heat kills batteries... Kinda why its nice to have a battery located to the trunk, not only do you get better weight distribution, but no heat killing... Youll notice colder climates get a little longer life out of their batteries...
Then again if you get an optima, a lot of this stuff wont really matter..
Then again if you get an optima, a lot of this stuff wont really matter..
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vancouverbc
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Re: (elwesso)
Heat places more demands on batteries but doesnt speeding up chemical reactions make the battery stronger. Camera batteries for example are much weaker when cold. As well, it is harder to start a car when it is cold. Or is there an optimal temperature range for car batteries.
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vancouverbc
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Re: (vancouverbc)
Volts and amps increase with heat so battery is stronger on hot days. However, the heat causes structural damge to battery. For example, the plates warp. THis can cause complete failure of battery. Batteries have shorter lives in hot areas.
"It's really simple. A heavy-duty battery is built for high ion mobility to give sufficient cranking current under all conditions. When the electrolyte is warm, this gives truly sizzling performance; the current surge when the starter solenoid closes is huge. This taxes the connections between cells in the battery, which are just spot-welded. Enough thermal cycling from the ohmic heating can break these welds, and the battery abruptly quits. "
"It's really simple. A heavy-duty battery is built for high ion mobility to give sufficient cranking current under all conditions. When the electrolyte is warm, this gives truly sizzling performance; the current surge when the starter solenoid closes is huge. This taxes the connections between cells in the battery, which are just spot-welded. Enough thermal cycling from the ohmic heating can break these welds, and the battery abruptly quits. "