In order to give your battery a long life there are a few tips you can take to prolong the average life of a battery.
Keep the battery charged if not is use
Batteries will discharge even if not in use. For this very reason, we would recommend keeping the battery on a trickle charge to keep the battery topped up. We have a great range of Victron Energy chargers that would be perfect for the job. If you wish not to keep the battery on trickle charge, we would recommend charging the unused battery every 6 weeks to keep optimum health.
If batteries are not charged during periods of non-use, sulphation will occur and may lead to the chemical reaction inside the battery being affected, therefore this will affect the performance of the battery.
Overcharging batteries
We would recommend using a smart charger when charging your batteries to avoid overcharging. Smart chargers recognise when the battery is charged and will shut off meaning the battery is not overcharged and causing damage to the item.
If overcharging happens, the mix of distilled water and sulphuric acid can boil and completely destroy the battery. In some cases you will notice the battery swell or the smell of rotten egg.
Limit the use of electronics if your engine is not running
When your engine isn’t running, the battery is no longer charging which means your battery will become flat.
Short journeys
Whilst you are driving, your alternator will be charging your battery however if you are only making short journeys, your battery will become less and less charged each time you use it. It takes around 30 minutes for an alternator to replace what you have taken from the battery from the initial start-up of the engine. Therefore if you are making lots of short journeys we would recommend that you charge the battery occasionally
