by Joe Symmes

Created on: October 25, 2008

Through the blizzard like conditions I could see my car at the far end of the parking lot. The biting wind was burning my skin, but I had my mind on one thing, would she start? As I climbed inside and hit the starter I was thankful for the extra care I had taken of my aging car battery. Preventative maintenance is worth every penny!

What does it take to get your battery to provide years of trouble free service? Surprisingly caring for automotive batteries is easier than you may think. By keeping your battery well charged, topped off, and corrosion free you can expect many years of faithful service.

All automotive batteries are rechargeable type batteries. Maintaining as full of a charge as possible will prolong battery life. A car battery may be discharged 5%-10% and recharged thousands of times, but the same battery might only survive one or two discharges of 80%-90%. By the same token, if you ever let your battery reach a completely dead state, it will never be able to hold a complete, full, charge again.

If your vehicle is going to sit for long periods of time or makes frequent short trips, then hooking a battery charger to your battery is a good idea. Maintaining a full state of charge will help your battery to last considerably longer and will ensure your car will start the next time you need it. Many of the newer, pulse-type chargers can be left hooked to your battery indefinitely as they are specifically programmed not to over-charge your batter.

There are three common types of 12-volt automotive batteries. Gel cell, sealed liquid cell, and traditional, user maintained liquid cell. Gel cell or "Optima" batteries are not offered as original equipment from the automotive manufacturer. These batteries are strictly aftermarket replacement batteries. They get their name from the gel solution inside that transfers electrical current between plates. These batteries are not only maintenance free, but can be mounted at any angle and resist vibration very well.

Sealed liquid cell and user maintained are essentially the same type of battery construction, multiple lead plates are housed in a solution of 36% sulfuric acid and 64% water. This mixture facilitates electron flow and thus releases stored electrical energy. Sealed batteries do not have removable cell caps as their acid levels are set for the life of the battery. If your battery has removable cell caps then you will need to periodically remove the caps to check the level of electrolyte in each cell.

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