It’s been chaos in Dayton, Ohio and other parts of the States since the latest heatwave started, according to WDTN News. The high temperatures have been tormenting auto starter batteries (and drivers) at a rate they don’t need when the mercury is trying to find a way out of the thermometer. What is going on when a heatwave treats starter batteries as if they were skittles?
The Heatwave Treats Starter Batteries and People the Same Way
Auto battery manufacturers make their products so they function within temperature ranges their humans tolerate. This makes sense since it costs more to make a battery that accepts extremer conditions.
The last couple of days the daytime temperature has been so high, tire treads are exploding in a phenomenon ABC22 calls “road gators”. This is because they come off in very big pieces that can be dangerous when they hit the roadway. Auto starter batteries are causing big trouble too, although hardly out of sympathy because they have troubles of their own.
Arizona Feels the Pain Too
Large Numbers of Batteries Are Failing
The auto batteries are failing because they are operating outside of their comfort temperature range. The AAA has helped over 600 people in interstates and at home in the last couple days. “Cars won’t start because of the heat,” a roadside technician explains.
Batteries work slower when the weather is cold. The converse is they work faster when the weather is hot, and wear out sooner. Their lifetime can halve for every increase of 10ºC because they accept more load from the auto alternator. This can result in the electrolyte drying out faster in some designs, although the actual process is more complex.
The best we can do for an elderly starter battery in a heatwave is help it along as much as we can. As the AAA roadside technician explains, “It’s important to make sure your battery doesn’t have corrosion around the terminals.” Because a heatwave treats starter batteries as if they were nine pins as they get older. If you get your car serviced, be sure to remember to ask about your battery life.
Related
Why Heat and Loading Shorten Battery Life
Batteries Feel the Cold and Heat
Preview Image: Heat Takes Its Toll With Battery
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