How to Keep a Lawnmower Battery from Dying Over Winter

When you’ve finally decided it’s time to store your lawnmower away for the season, it’s important to take a few steps to properly winterize the vehicle so it’s ready for use in the spring. Part of this means taking appropriate steps to protect and preserve the battery as the weather gets colder.

One of the most common issues people have with lawnmowers is a dead battery. Considering you’ll go at least a few months without running your mower during the winter, it’s not surprising that the battery would have problems. There are many batteries that will never actually achieve their full potential life due to a lack of care during winterization.

Here are a few things you should know about how to keep a lawnmower battery from dying over winter in Houston, TX.

Extended idle periods cause batteries to die

Batteries that stay idle for long periods of time will slowly lose their charge. Because your mower will be idle for an extended time over the winter, this means your battery is vulnerable to dying.

Additionally, improper lawnmower battery preparation for winter and a dead battery can lead to damage. You might start to see sulfur molecules attaching themselves to the lead plates on the battery, coating the plates in such a way that prevents the battery from being recharged when you do decide to start the mower back up (a process known as sulfation). To prevent this issue, disconnect the cables from the battery of your tractor before placing it into storage. There might still be a small amount of discharge in such a case, but you’ll at least avoid sulfation.

Long-term storage solutions

In general, experts recommend that you fully remove the battery from the mower and keep it stored separately from the vehicle. You can store the battery in pretty much any location or on any surface, so long as it’s not going to be in an area that experiences extremely hot or cold temperatures. High temperatures are particularly bad for batteries—they discharge faster at elevated levels of heat than in extreme cold.

Smart chargers can extend battery life

A good way to extend the life of your battery and have it ready for use in the spring is to purchase and use a smart charger. This is a type of charger that keeps a battery’s power levels regulated at a certain setting during long-term storage.

Inside the smart charger is a microprocessor that tracks when the battery levels reach their peak charge, at which point the charger switches to “float mode.” The idea of this mode is that it keeps the voltage at an appropriate level for preventing the battery from discharging, while also having the added benefit of preventing overcharging.

Ultimately, it’s in your best interest to take the proper steps during lawnmower winterization to preserve and protect your battery, so you don’t have to spend extra money replacing it sooner than necessary. To learn more about lawnmower battery preparation for winter and the steps you can take to keep mower batteries in good condition over time, we encourage you to contact our battery store in Houston, TX.

Categorised in: Battery Service

This post was written by Writer