A car battery (battery) is one of the main parts of a car, without the proper functioning of which you simply cannot start it. The essence of the long uninterrupted operation of the device in question is the reversibility of the chemical processes taking place inside it. You can learn about the types, properties and prices of car batteries from this article.
Car battery: specifications
The battery was invented back in the 19th century and has not changed much since then. What is the principle of operation of a car battery? Inside the sealed housing made of high-strength plastic, there are 6 lead plates, each of which is sealed in plastic “covers” and has an active surface. Plates with a negative charge are coated with finely porous lead, and with a positive charge, lead dioxide. In this case, all the plates are immersed in a sulfuric acid electrolyte, which interacts with the active substances of the plates. As a result of this chemical reaction, an electric current is generated. On the plates at this moment lead sulfate precipitates. When you put the battery on charge, all the described chemical processes proceed in the reverse order, which allows the battery to work for many years.
Currently, scientists continue to work on improving the technical characteristics of the battery. All motorists are familiar with the situation when a car refuses to start in severe frost. In most cases, this is due to the batteries, which are still quite sensitive to ambient temperature. In addition, scientists are trying to reduce the volume of these devices, while increasing their capacity. Whether their efforts will succeed, time will tell, but for now, we list what types of batteries can be found in the store.
Types of car batteries
Starting the engine depends on the state of this device, which means that you need to choose it with special care. At the moment, on the market you can find three types of batteries for cars :
- Lead-acid - the most common and reliable. They are characterized by low cost and long life, so they can often be found in stores.
- Batteries with AGM technology are already a more modern development. Its essence is to reduce the loss of electricity produced, resulting in increased productivity. But it makes sense to install such batteries only on machines with an energy recovery system.
- Gel batteries - the electrolyte in them is thickened with the help of silica gel. They differ from ordinary acid ones in that they do not require maintenance (their case is completely sealed).
User's manual
Many car owners are surprised to learn that the battery also needs regular maintenance. For a long and proper operation of the car, you need to follow the battery operating instructions.
- The first and most important rule: these devices should never be turned over!
- Even if the battery is working properly, once every 2-3 months it is necessary to measure the voltage at the terminals with the engine running and idle.
- All batteries lose water from the electrolyte. The rate of loss depends on the age of the battery and related factors. It is very important to check the liquid level in the battery approximately every 3 months and, if necessary, add distilled liquid to the desired level.
- If you plan to leave the car for a long time, it is better to disconnect the battery. Otherwise, it may happen that the battery charge is not enough even to start the engine.
- In the cold season, it is better to remove the battery after each trip and keep it warm. This will help to avoid unnecessary problems. If you are still lazy to do this, in the winter warm up the car longer before driving.
- The electrolyte in the battery must be transparent. If it turns dark, then some banks have a short circuit.
- Keep the battery only fully charged.
It may seem that there are too many of these requirements, but if you complete them all, you will save yourself a lot of nerves and money.
Car Battery Life
Any thing has its expiration date. This also applies to the battery, although many simply forget that it also has its own time limits. How much does a standard battery work with careful use? Typically, a car’s battery life is between 5 and 10 years. This figure is very approximate, since the operating life depends on many factors. Here are some of them:
- Battery quality is highly dependent on the brand that made it. World-famous companies usually give a guarantee for a new battery in 2-4 years, which itself already serves as a confirmation of its quality. Less well-known and cheaper firms are often limited to 1-3 years of guaranteed service.
- Temperature conditions have a significant effect on battery life. In winter, the battery "freezes", as a result of this it loses its charge and fails. But the summer period is no less dangerous. At high temperatures, lead sulfate begins to settle on the surface of the plates, which is formed as a result of chemical processes already at around 30-40 degrees Celsius.
- Serviceability of other car systems. An improperly connected radio can contribute to a "leakage" of current, and a generator in case of breakage can even reduce the battery life by half.
Despite these common problems for all types of these devices, the service life of each type is different.
Car Acid Battery Life
How much can a regular battery, which is installed in most modern machines, work? The standard battery life of an acid-type car is approximately 5 years. If the owner carefully handles, observing all the necessary requirements, then a quality part can last 7 years. However, you should not hope that a cheap Chinese-made battery will last so long. Most likely, it will have to be thrown out in a couple of years. If you are not comfortable with such a short period of time, take a look at another option.
Gel battery
Consider the life of a car’s gel battery. This is a battery in which the electrolyte is replaced with a gel variant based on silicon dioxide. Such a battery has a number of advantages: it easily starts up in frost, does not poison the environment with harmful fumes and, most importantly, it lasts almost twice as long as an acid one. The extended service life reaches 7-9 years. Of course, the price of gel batteries is several times higher than usual.
How to find out the age of the battery
When buying a battery or if you have purchased a used car, the first thing you need to do is check the date the battery was made. To do this is not so simple, since the month and year of release are indicated in a slightly different sequence than those to which we are accustomed.
Different companies have a different age for the battery. A single labeling system does not exist. For Western manufacturers (Varta, Bosch, Berga, Blackmax), the code consists of 24 characters. The fourth position in them means the year, and the fifth and sixth - the month.
At Titan, Titan Arctic, the month is designated by the third and fourth digits, and the year by the fifth and sixth. Atlas and Bost companies have a special system: the first digit indicates the year of manufacture, the letters following it indicate the month of manufacture. Having understood the combination of numbers, you can always independently verify the suitability of the battery for further work.
How to choose the right battery
In addition to dividing into gel and acid, batteries also differ in the country of manufacture. If necessary, choose one of the whole variety, one for many heads goes around. Let's see, because different batteries are suitable for different purposes.
For example, you should choose a gel battery if you have an expensive foreign car and you are ready to invest in such an important detail. Of course, if you are the owner of a domestic or used car, there will be no sense in such a purchase. But more often than not, people still buy acid batteries. And here it is worth considering. European brands have traditionally been considered better. The fact is that manufacturing standards there are much higher than Russian ones. But in our country, you can meet decent companies, if you make some efforts. But Russian manufacturers outperform their imported competitors.
The battery capacity is better to choose the same one that was on the old one. If you are not sure, it’s best to look at the vehicle’s task list, which indicates the recommended number of amperes. Before buying, be sure to ask the seller to apply voltage for 10-15 seconds. During this time, the indicators should not fall below 9 or even 7 V.
How to extend the "life" of the battery?
Even the highest quality device will not work for long without observing the rules of operation. How to extend the battery life of the car?
- Keep an eye on the charge: try to charge a car without traffic every month in the summer and a couple of times in the winter. The fact is that in winter the discharge processes in the battery are slower, so there is no need to carry it home.
- Do not oxidize the battery terminals. It is formed due to vapors of electrolytes. To prevent this problem, clean the battery terminals with sandpaper and grease them with oil.
- Do not turn the starter for a long time if the car does not start. The fewer seconds you do this, the longer the battery will last. It is better to do this with short attempts.
- If you brought the battery from the cold home in order to charge it, it is better to wait a day before connecting. During this time, the electrolyte in the battery will reach room temperature and charging will be much better.
- Do not allow the battery to recharge; this is extremely harmful.
- About once every 6 months, experts recommend going to a workshop for maintenance, where they check the liquid level in the battery.
Price range
The price of car batteries ranges from an average of 3,500 to 9,000 rubles. Motorists consider DELKOR batteries, which cost about 6 thousand rubles, to be one of the most affordable and high-quality imported models. They are followed by MOLL MG, which is estimated at 8,000 rubles. Of the cheaper brands, it is worth noting VARTA Blue Dynamic (4500 rubles), MOLL Kamina (5000 rubles), AlphaLINE Ultra (5500 rubles).