Flat battery

[Jimk]

Why would you need to as we're told - "Corroded terminals are really a thing from the distant past."

[Jimk]

I think I'd start putting it all right at the weekend.... may as well disconnect it & (see if it will) charge first...

[Bert Coules]

I just discovered that my car's battery is flat. I won't need the car until around the middle of next week: will it damage the battery at all to leave it uncharged until then?

And are the home rescue services operating at the moment anyway?

Many thanks.

[Bert Coules]

That's not something I can do myself, alas. It means a breakdown service call-out.

[Fredxx]

Yes. It's probably buggered already.

Never let a lead-acid go flat. It might work afterwards but most of its capacity will have been destroyed.

Yes, best tell them you need to go shopping!

[John]

Fredxx [e-mail] wrote in news:r6q7c2$iec$ [e-mail]:

They will really want to sell you a new battery - it also means that you won't call them again. Is there no-one that can charge it for you?

[Bert Coules]

Possibly, yes. I'll see if I can find out. Thanks.

[Jeff Layman]

Why is it flat? How long have you had it, and how long is it since the car was used for long enough to charge the battery?

Have you got anyone nearby who could jump start the car for you? You could leave it running for a while and see if it charges the battery. If it does, and the battery stays charged for a few days, that's good. If it won't charge or loses its charge over a couple of days when disconnected from the car, you need a new battery. If it runs down when connected, maybe you left something on.

I think Halfords will fit a new battery for you. No idea how much it would cost.

[Michael Chare]

When the car batteries that I have owned have gone flat, I have had to buy a new one. I once charged at battery, started the car, drove to Halfords to buy a battery and then had to fit the new one to start the car to drive home. The OP might be able to order a new one from Europarts and then get someone to fit it.

[tabbypurr]

a bit, but not terminally

Don't know. A battery charger will usually solve it if you can get your paws on one, and you or someone is physically able to set it up.

NT

[Bert Coules]

I'd completely forgotten that I do in fact have a battery charger, picked up I think at a boot fair on a whim years back, so I've no idea if it works - I've certainly never used it for anything.

I'm not even sure that it's intended for cars: it's switchable between six and twelve volts and is marked "Fast Charge 6 Amp". The clamps strike me as a bit small and flimsy for a car terminals and the warning "for indoor use only" doesn't inspire confidence either. Is it worth giving it a go, do you think?

[williamwright]

Like 12 hours?

Bill

[williamwright]

Yes. Bill

[The Natural Philosopher]

yes

[Martin Brown]

Not really. Solar powered battery topup devices with 12W or more peak capacity are quite useful for seldom used cars.

Dunno. What is wrong with a mains powered battery charger or a jump start?

[alan_m]

That sounds like a car battery charger. Indoor use is only because its not waterproof - it probably has ventilation holes/slots to aid cooling. It will OK for outdoor use if it's not raining.

[T i m]

Agreed, depending on how 'flat' (and to some degree, the chemistry of the battery [1]).

If Bert tried to start the car and it was *just* sluggish, he may be in with a better chance than if it wouldn't even bring up the dash lights, for example.

If we are talking about real flat then I agree 100%, but it can depend on how long it then stays flat for as to how much damage it suffers.

eg, When I designed, built and raced an electric motorbike, it wasn't unknown for the batteries to be at well below the desired maximum of

50% discharge (so 'flat' by battery terms) but as long as I got them back on charge again quickly, they didn't seem to suffer (I used them all season and won the last race). ;-)

Given the above caveats, I might go as far as 'some of it's capacity can be lost'.

I wonder if that could be covered under the vehicle maintenance exemption?

Now might be the time to investigate battery isolator connectors or solar chargers? I also have one of the very portable LiPo battery jump starters that are amazing.

Cheers, T i m

[Bert Coules]

Thanks (and to the others who said the same).

I don't have any instructions: should I just attach the clamps and switch on? Do I need to disconnect the car's own connecting leads first? And how can I tell when the battery is sufficiently charged?

Many thanks.

[John]

"Bert Coules" [e-mail]> wrote in news: [e-mail]:

They don't need to he heavy like Jump Leads.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

If it's one of those chargers, which will not charge unless it sees a voltage from the battery, you will have to connect a battery in parallel to get the charge going.

Best to get the battery on charge ASAP, the longer it is left, the less your chances of recovering it.