Car Batteries - How They Work
One of the most essential parts of your car is its battery. Car batteries supply the power to run all those electrical gizmos that you just can't seem to live without.
Car batteries are on the most part what are called 12 volt lead acid type, are rechargeable, and work by means of a chemical reaction.
The primary job of car batteries is to give sufficient power to your ignition system and starter motor. When you turn the key in the ignition, an electrical signal is sent to your spark plug which creates a spark that ignites the furl/air mixture in the combustion chamber. This signal continues as long as the engine is running.
Car batteries also supply the car with (hopefully) enough energy to run all the electrics. The most used would be items such as the indicators, headlights, CD player or radio. One of the most expensive energy wise are the headlights. Leave them on when you leave the car, and you'll most often come back to a flat battery. Luckily, most cars today have an alarm to warn you if you've turned the ignition off and left the lights on.
So how do car batteries become flat? It's a simple maths equation, power in versus power out. Your car battery isn't a static energy source. While your engine is running, it is being recharged while at the same time it is giving out energy to whatever electrical items you are using.
If you are continually using your lights, radio on, heater full on, air conditioning on, you are steadily using more energy than the car can put back in to the battery. While this won't be noticeable immediately, if you are continually doing this over time, your battery will start to lose its reserves of energy, and you will get a flat battery. Some cars have a batter meter. If yours doesn't and you are a high energy user, it may be an idea to get one of these fitted so that you can better monitor your battery.
If your battery fails because the demands on it are more than it can produce, and the battery is not old, it is simply a matter of recharging it. This can be done while the battery is in the car, or you can take it out and recharge it.
Sometimes though, the combination of both age and hard use will cause the electrolyte solution and lead plates in the battery to completely fail. In those instances, the only solution is a new car battery.
Unfortunately, car batteries don't fail when it's easiest to get a new one (outside a garage, or on a Saturday morning when you have time to sort it out). Car batteries have a habit of failing just when you need your car the most.
If you haven't already got yourself a car battery charger, put it on your list of "must buy today" items. When was the last time you checked the electrolyte levels? Have a look now. And while you're doing that, look out for a date sticker or stamp. Most batteries have a date of manufacture, which will give you an idea of how long your battery has got left.
Don't let yourself get stranded by a dead battery!