Question: What are the causes of a dead battery?
Answer:
In many cases, a discharged battery is the cause of "wear and tear" and sometimes a malfunction resulting from improper charging.
The typical service life of a lead-acid battery is 3 to 10 years, depending on the type of battery and its application.
A battery wears out faster or becomes defective due to, among other things:
- Over-discharging.
Depending on the model of lead-acid battery, it should never be discharged below 80%. A standard starter battery should be discharged by no more than 20%! Otherwise, the quality will deteriorate significantly, which in almost all cases leads to a defective battery. The cause could be that you left your lights on or there is a leakage current in the electrical circuit. If a battery fails within its normal service life, it is therefore important to have the vehicle checked for leakage current. If you do not do this, you risk having another defective battery in the near future (which is not covered by the warranty). Another possible cause is that you make many short trips (the so-called “errands car”). Starting a vehicle consumes a relatively large amount of energy, and the battery then needs a longer period to recharge. Driving a short distance once in a while will not recharge the battery sufficiently. To ensure a long service life, it is important that you regularly recharge the battery with a good battery charger.
- Long periods of inactivity
If you do not use the battery, it will slowly discharge and thus lose capacity. Every battery loses its charge over time; depending on the type of battery, this happens quickly or slowly. The battery will eventually become too deeply discharged (see above). For motorcyclists, this is often caused by the winter break, during which the battery becomes too discharged. It is therefore very important that you use a good battery charger/trickle charger, such as the NoCo G1100 (also suitable for lithium batteries)
- Too high or too low a charging voltage
Every battery must be properly charged for optimal service life. If you use a charging voltage that is too high (overcharging), highly explosive hydrogen gas can even form. Normally, the charging voltage of a lead-acid battery is between 13.6 volts and (maximum) 14.8 volts. In this case, the cause may lie with the vehicle’s voltage regulator or alternator. If a battery fails within its normal lifespan, it is therefore important to have it inspected. If you do not do this, you risk having another defective battery in the near future (which is not covered by the warranty).
- Very low or high temperature
Temperature has a major impact on a battery’s performance and lifespan. If the temperature is ten degrees higher, this can shorten the lifespan by up to 20%. That said, it must be noted that higher temperatures do have a positive effect on capacity. So, at higher temperatures, the battery will perform better but last for a shorter time. The reverse is also true, which is why a car won’t start on a cold winter day. The minimum and maximum operating temperatures for a battery are -18 °C to 50 °C.
