Does your battery drain quickly in winter? A cheap way to insulate a battery

A car battery does not hold a charge well when cooled. In cold conditions, chemical reactions slow down in it. Even a new battery at 0 degrees Celsius produces only 85 percent of its normal capacity. The more the battery freezes, the less charge it will release. In addition, if the battery is completely discharged in the cold, the acid from its electrolyte will react with the coating of the grids. As a result, water and lead sulfate are formed. This reduces the density of the electrolyte. If it drops to a level of 1.11, then the battery will freeze inside and its case will swell at minus 7 degrees Celsius. You can minimize the loss of capacity in the cold by insulating the battery.

Materials:

• foil backing for laminate
  
• scotch.

For insulation, you can use a foil backing under the Teploizol type laminate. This material is also sold as a reflective screen for heating radiators. It is enough to buy the thinnest 2 mm substrate and simply wrap the battery in a couple of layers.

Battery insulation

The backing is unwound on the floor or table. The removed battery is installed on it. It needs to be wrapped in insulation almost like a mailbox or a gift. Since the backing is not as flexible as paper, it needs to be cut at the inner corners. All side bends are cut, except for bottom creases.

The insulation is applied to the battery, the resulting folds are fixed with pieces of tape. In this case, it needs to be cut at the terminals in order to have access for connecting the wiring.

The battery is covered with several layers of foil backing, after which it is surrounded by a couple of rolls of tape.


Next, the battery is installed in its seat.

You shouldn’t overdo it with insulation so that the battery can fit in later. Of course, you need to try to reel it in as much as possible. If the fastening design allows for easy modernization, then it is better to add more insulation and then securely tighten the battery in a non-standard way than to wind only 1 layer so that it does not interfere with the installation of the clamp. The positive terminal has a standard rubber insulator, so there can be no short circuit. Also, the reverse side of the insulation has no conductivity.

In spring, the backing can be carefully removed by cutting the tape. It is rolled up and stored until next winter in the garage. This is a budget-friendly and effective way to prevent constant battery drain in cold weather. Foil backing is cheap, and is also sold in hardware stores, so it is enough to buy 2 m of it.

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