Friday , February 14 2025

Don’t let the hot weather fool you – charge your 12V battery!

CS One Volkswagen GTI

Today’s motorist knows the importance of proper maintenance procedures on their vehicle in preparation for the winter months, but many are placing their car at risk of breakdown during the summer months due to lack of vehicle maintenance, that’s according to CTEK the leading global brand in the care and maintenance of vehicle batteries.

Summer heat is tougher on car batteries than the winter chill. And, with the warmer weather upon us, motorists should be making sure that their vehicle is protected against the summer heat.  It may seem counterintuitive, but higher temperatures have an impact on the power-generating chemistry inside the battery.

Excessive heat causes the water in your battery’s electrolyte fluid to evaporate, weakening the battery’s charge and causing plate corrosion. This eventually leads to sulphation, or crystals forming on the battery’s plates, which can make your battery unstable.  And with these challenges, it’s easy to think that that charging your battery over the summer months is the last thing you need to do. Mark Poole, CTEK Sales Manager explains why it’s just as important and how you can beat the heat and keep your vehicle running all summer long.

“The warmer the environment, the faster the rate of self-discharge: for example, a battery being stored at an average temperature of 27°C will discharge at a rate of 4% per week. Whereas a lead acid battery being stored at 18°C will only discharge at a rate of approximately 3% per month.

Heat gives you a false sense of security when it comes to the state of your battery during the summer months. It is easy to think that everything is OK – however, that may not be the case.  Even if the battery is not maintained during the warmer weather, it will still be able to start the vehicle because it doesn’t need as much energy to get the engine started, but if motorists don’t realise that their battery is becoming discharged in the heat, it could result in a flat battery the moment temperatures begin to drop.

It’s vital to maintain voltage whatever the weather.  If your battery falls below 12.4V, a chemical reaction called sulphation will start to happen. This is where lead sulphate crystals start to build up on the battery plates, degrading the battery, reducing battery capacity and cranking potential. Your vehicle will easily start if the battery is at 12.4V but beware, your battery is already dying.

You can also risk overcharging your battery in the warmer weather.  Delivering an uncontrolled charge risks fluid loss through overheating or ‘boiling’ meaning that the battery will become unusable due to dried-out cells. If temperatures reach 25 degrees Celsius and above, batteries should be charged at a lower voltage to avoid this.

Not only is it important to charge over the summer, it’s also important to charge with the right charger to protect against over-charging. Charging any battery just got a whole lot simpler with the CTEK CS ONE charger and maintainer.

Its revolutionary APTO™ (Adaptive Charging) technology does all the thinking for you – you don’t even have to worry about which clamp goes where! The APTO™ Technology automatically recognises the type of battery you’re using, and then automatically delivers a customised charging program, telling you how long until the battery is charged and ready to go. No buttons to press or modes to select – just connect the CS ONE to any 12V battery and simply charge. Polarity free clamps mean you don’t even need to worry about which clamp goes where, so you’ll never make a wrong connection again. The clamps are spark free too, so don’t worry if you accidentally touch them together.”

For more information on the CTEK CS ONE visit https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/cs-one-uk

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