AstroMan1

Should I ask for a new one?, I bought one Dec. 5th and it would not start the car today. I haven't driven it for almost a month because of the weather here in WV, down to -8 one night and really cold most of the time. I don't even have a garage right now, I'm keeping the car at a friends outside, ouch, so no battery tender is possible. It's a Sears DieHard Gold

Mr. Peabody

Take it in to Sears. They will test it for free and if it needs to be replaced they will replace it under the warranty. IF it just needs to be recharged they will probably recharge it for free as well. I've always used DieHard Gold in all my cars including my two vettes.

Jud Chapin

Good advice...

c4cruiser

Cold weather can be hard on a battery especially if it's installed in a car and if that car may have some components that have some amount of current drain.

I would think that Sears would re-charge the battery and perform a load test on it. A fully charged 12 volt car battery should show about 12.7v when fully charged.

Once you get it re-charged, check for current drains. It's possible that small thing may have caused the discharge. Interior lamps such as a glove box light, sunvisor light, console light may be on and that will easily drain a battery. Is there any reason why you can't use a long extension cord at your friend's house? Even a 100' cord and a small battery tender like a Deltran Battery Tender Junior that's kept under the hood will work fine.

If you don't intend to drive the car for awhile, it may be a good idea to simply not re-install the battery. With the battery fully charged, it can sit inside and it will be ready to go as soon an you install it. But definitely check for any current drains.

johnnymo63

Sears will do you right. They'll either recharge it, or give you a new one for free.

If you don't put it back in right away, make sure you don't set it on the floor until you're ready. That will cause a battery to go dead. (Set it on a chair or table)

You could also put it back in the car, but leave the negative cable disconnected until you get a chance to check things out.

jsdomino

Buy one of these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/15-watt...ger-68692.html

desertmike1

It won't do him any good! Car is outside without the availability of A/C power..

OP your best course of action would be to remove the battery for a recharge,,, I would avoid jump starting at all cost!

enventr

I would remove the battery in the winter and bring it indoors if you use it once a month especially if it's that cold. If possible try renting a garage for the winter

HlhnEast

Johnny, I am going to clarify a bit here. Semantics, I know. Do not set the battery on a concrete floor or directly on dirt. Always use some insulating property like a 2X12 or similar. Better not to have it anywhere near the ground. As Johnny mentioned it will kill it deadern a doornail!

desertmike1

Actually this no longer applies to modern batteries, the Plastic Battery housings no longer seep like they used to 50 years ago..

http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/battery.asp

ghoastrider1

Keep in mind that you don't want a "high charge" or high current draw while idleing for long periods. That puts your charging system working at its hardest and it may not be able to handle it for long periods. You ever see the young guys with the high powered amps for the bass woofers sitting in a parking lot wanting a jump? Besides taking the battery out, I simply disconnect the ground cable to the battery if My car is going to sit for long periods.. a 5/16 inch wrench is cheap. good luck, like others say, sears will take care of you

AstroMan1

Thanks guys, sorry it took so long to get back to you, I appreciate your help. I wonder what do car dealers do when cars sit for a long time, I can't believe I had this problem.

PLRX

Need to work on your winterize methods. Charge, and disconnect the battery. Before you remove the panel, and battery, charge the battery, and see if it holds the charge.

C4cruiser is right:

Quote:

Cold weather can be hard on a battery especially if it's installed in a car and if that car may have some components that have some amount of current drain.

cigr

Did you look at his link? It's a solar trickle charger. No access to A/C power is needed.

desertmike1

Very nice! OP needs to remove the Battery, and store it in a warmer invironment during the winter months in order to keep it from freezing, due to a low charge state.. other wise this option doesn't look bad at all for the warmer months.

The other Option would be a battery tender connected to a power source, as long as the battery remains at or near a full charge it won't freeze.

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2...ry-freeze.html

jake corvette

The cooler the ambient temp, the slower the self discharge rate - see here -

Make sure the battery is disconnected or parasitic drains will discharge the battery -

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/self_discharge


http://powerelectronics.com/site-fil...s-Figure04.jpg

markKlein

They have guys that go around the lot and put a charger on the cars on a regular schedule.

abdo

FWIW I have Sears Die Hard batteries in my two C1s and they have given me great service. During winter storage I use a battery disconnect and charge them with a maintenance charger once a month. They usually reach full charge within minutes.
I think with any battery, the key is to keep them charged.