Winter is at the same time every year, but every year the majority of automotive and fleet transport owners, managers and users are ill-prepared for what is around the corner.

The chill of winter can affect a battery’s performance by up to 50%, so the Rotronics team has come up with some tips for you to help keep your vehicles on the road when you want them to be.

Regardless of what happens to the temperatures, the darker nights are a certainty and we need to give urgent thought to the extra loads that will be going on to vehicles.

There will be increased power demands due to lighting, heating systems, electrics, heated seats and de-misting windows and all of these elements put much more excessive drains on vehicles and therefore battery charging and testing is vital.

• Make sure that your Booster Packs are charged and fully serviceable
• If you own or manage a fleet, make sure that the chargers and testers and fully operational, all the time.
• Do a visual battery health check; look for signs of corrosion, excessive electrolyte staining and gassing
• Keep the batteries above 12.5V to prevent excessive deep cycling and risk of sulphation.
• You should be charging at every opportunity
• The batteries should be in balance, 24V battery sets will only perform efficiently if both voltages and cranking amps are of similar values
• If you are using non-maintenance free batteries , be mindful when checking the electrolyte levels that if the battery is in a low state of charge, the electrolyte will be lower than you would expect.
• If you top up a battery that is flat with electrolyte, there is a high risk that the battery will be overfilled and the cells expand as the battery takes on board current.
• NEVER top up FLAT batteries with electrolyte.
• Always charge first, providing that the cells aren’t exposed.