Fact or fiction about life of batteries in hot areas
Just curious...I was told yesterday that batteries in cars/trucks only last about 5 or 6 years in AZ heat. "Sitting in hot weather cooks them and shorten their lives". Fact or fiction?
Forum Discussion
Sam Spade wrote:
pnichols wrote:
I think not.
You can think whatever you want but heat IS a factor, or can be.
If you really care try a search or two on "Batteries + heat".
When a vehicle is moving, there is a lot of air flowing around under the hood.
Well ... at least with respect to my Itasca motorhome's Ford E450 chassis ... "something" (ECU?) is controlling alternator voltage to both the starting battery and coach batteries (they're hooked together via a heavy duty solenoid) in accordance with the outside air temperature's affect on the underhood air temperatures. I know this because I monitor the voltage on both the starting battery and the coach batteries constantly while driving via two four-place-resolution voltmeters right on the cab's dash in front of me.
I have seen voltage on the coach batteries - as applied by the engine alternator sitting in underhood temperatures - as low as only 12.9X DC volts while driving hour after hour in scorching summer heat. In more usual temperatures alternator voltage applied to the coach batteries ranges from around 13.6X DC volts (warm weather after the engine is warm) to 14.5X DC volts (cold weather right after starting the engine).
What this implies is - if one's modern vehicle electrical system maintains underhood air temperature controlled voltages on all batteries connected to it - then at least it's not too-high applied voltages in high underhood temperatures that destroys batteries ... it's merely raw temperature of the battery's chemicals.
I guess what this could mean at first glance before scratching your head is: A battery sitting in your garage in Arizona with a temperature compensated maintenance voltage on it will naturally die sooner than a battery sitting in your garage in Canada with a temperature compensated maintenance voltage on it. I'm well aware of the temperature coefficients in chemical reaction equations - but nevertheless intuitively still find it hard to believe that the sitting-in-the-garage lifetimes of the Arizona battery versus that of the Canada battery would differ by more than maybe a few months.
I'm open to intuition adjustments, however. :)
