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My Battery Always Dies - Part 2 Scenarios Where Your Battery May Die!
Previous : My Battery Always Dies - Part 1 The Reality of Accessories in the Modern Automobile
Next: My Battery Always Dies - Part 3 Sizing your Battery for Your Accessories
Vehicle batteries are subjected to a myriad of termperature extremes, vibrations, shocks, and voltage/amperage conditions. Your choice of "Tough", high quality batteries is easily repaid in longevity and cycle life under these conditions. The next step is to properly size the battery bank, or battery. This step ends up as the single most important decision regarding your budget up front and in the future. We will get into cycle lives, and such in the next section, but know that undersized battery banks age faster and end up costing more. With that in mind, here are examples of how aftermarket electronics and undersized battery systems will affect your day.
-Car alarms need power in standby mode, when left for a week problems can occur.
The alarm uses more ampere hours in a week than the battery holds.
Result ==> no alternator output, dead battery.
-Stereos use some power, but amplifiers use a bunch quickly when they make the bass.
During activities such as audio drag racing, several thousand to hundreds of thousands of watts drain the battery as they exceed the alternators abilities.
Result ==> no matter alternator output, dead battery.
-Winches, cranes, and lift gates require a bit of power to drive the hydraulics or motors involved.
During activities such as ditch removal, cargo unloading, or other medium duration activites, hundreds of watts drain from the battery while the vehicle sits or is at low RPM.
Result ==> low alternator output, dead battery.
-High output fog lights, upgraded headlights, and spotlights draw heavy amperage at 12 volts to make the watts.
During activities such as night time offroading, cargo unloading, or other illuminated activites, hundreds of watts drain from the battery.
The math is watts of the bulb, divided by voltage, x hours.
If the vehicle sits, or is at low RPM, battery reserve capacity can be quickly drained.
Result ==> Dependent on driving habits;
Low RPM, low alternator output, dead battery.
High RPM, low alternator output, dead battery.
EACH SCENARIO PRESENTED CAN RESULT IN YOU STRANDED SOMEWHERE IN NEED OF A JUMPSTART OR WORSE!
Then there are those situations dictated by job or position. Let's look at police cars for instance.
-Sirens, light bars, communications equipment, laptop computers, spotlights, and surveillance equipment in most police cruisers also run on 12 volts. During patrol activities, extended stops are the norm for things like a DUI at night. The illumination of the scene, light bars for safety, and duration of the stop routinely leave the cruiser's battery system drained.
Officers then have two choices ==>
Recharge the dead battery by idling the vehicle off the beaten path.
Return to the station for a quick charge.
Should the officer return directly to service, they are at risk. If their vehicle sputters for any reason, they will not have the charge in the battery system to restart the vehicle. Not good, the hunter becomes the hunted.
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BD Batteries
Previous : My Battery Always Dies - Part 1 The Reality of Accessories in the Modern Automobile
Next: My Battery Always Dies - Part 3 Sizing your Battery for Your Accessories
Legally: REMEMBER, ELECTRICITY HURTS, IT CAN KILL YOU. BD BATTERIES TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS WITH THIS INFORMATION. IF YOU AREN'T TRAINED TO WORK WITH ELECTRICITY, CALL SOMEONE WHO IS. IF YOU CHOOSE TO MEDDLE, YOU AGREE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF! THIS GUIDE IS IN NO WAY A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL GUIDE, AND SHALL NOT BE PRESENTED AS SUCH IN ANY FORMAT OR FORUM. PERFORMANCE BATTERIES ARE CAPABLE OF ARC WELDING STEEL AND OTHER VERY INTERESTING THINGS INCLUDING YOUR HEART. BE CAREFUL, DON'T HURT YOURSELVES.
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