Owning a car is a very random thing nowadays. Yet, people choose to travel over public transport to minimize costs. This is one of the reasons why our car stays unused for a long time. After not using your car for a while, you may face that your battery has gone cold and you have to jump-start it before you can start riding your wheels again. So, the most common question in this regard is how long can a car battery sit unused?
We will get to that, but before that, let’s talk about this habit of us to leave our car just like that in the garage for a long time without any activity. This is really harmful not only for your car battery but also for your car engine.
A machine is created to be used. If you let it sit, it’ll lose its potency in no time at all. So, whether you use your car or not, just put in the keys, turn the ignition and put some pressure on that accelerator pedal keeping it in the neutral. That’s how you can manage to keep your car in shape whether it’s not driven on a regular basis or not.
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Table of Contents
How Long Can A Car Battery Sit Unused?
According to the condition and usage of the battery, it usually may take a month to two months for the battery to worn out. That means, not igniting the car for two months may cause your battery to get cold. Then you have to take some measures to get it running again.
Now, let’s find out more about keeping the battery in the right shape to use it without a jump start.
How To Keep The Battery From Getting Cold?
Well, as I have mentioned already, you have to give it a start sometimes to make sure that the workability of the battery and the whole car is in shape. A battery can sit out in two months where you can start a car without any hesitation even after a year’s break. So, igniting the car every now and then will take up a lot of time from your schedule. Let me tell you a better option.
The car battery usually loses its potency due to staying in a cold area. So, what you can do is, simply remove the battery from the car and keep it somewhere safe.
By somewhere safe I meant a special way. You have to make sure that the battery stays in a dry place. A little moisture can even soak the power out. All you have to do is put a moist soaking mat under the battery.
How Long Can The Battery Stay Charged After Removal?
Inside the car, it’ll lose the charge in 8 weeks. However, when removed, it’ll get an extra 4 weeks to stay charged enough to start a car. But if you plan to keep the battery out for 12 weeks, you have to charge it. A battery removed from the electricity line requires to be charged every 12 weeks. So, if you keep it like that, remember to charge it every 12 weeks.
The extra four weeks come because when the battery is connected to your car, it still eats up the power while parked somewhere. That’s why the suggestion would be to keep the battery removed from the vehicle.
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What To Do If You Can’t Remove The Battery?
If you think removing the battery is not your piece of cake then there’s an option for you. That’s starting and idling the car every now and then. Because face it, you have never worked on your car engine ever in your life. So, out of nowhere, you may not be able to get the car battery out from the engine. The best option for you to go is option one.
The real challenge is knowing the frequency. Research has proven that the car that runs at least 15 minutes, has a better battery life than any other vehicle. So, to keep the battery in the best of its shape, you have to turn it on and keep it that way for at least 15 minutes a day.
That’s only applicable if you want the battery to be in top-notch shape. If your only concern is keeping the battery up and running, you can just put the key in and start the car every 3-4 days. Keep doing that until you are not going out with it.
When the day comes that you’re going out, the car will not have any problems starting. Even if it’s after 2-3 months.
How Can You Ensure The Battery Charging While Idling The Car?
The battery will not charge right after you start the engine. The engine has to run in a specific RPM to make sure that the battery is all juiced up for the next time you start the engine.
A car during ignition takes charge of the battery. When it runs, the battery recharges for the next time you have to ignite.
That only happens when the RPM meter hits at least 1 on the gauge. Battery requires at least 1000 RPM to start charging. Otherwise, if you start the car every day and do nothing, it’ll drain even faster than idling. So, remember to start the car every once in a while and put the pedal to the medal.
Final Words
Not knowing something properly is the biggest barrier in the way of keeping something in the right shape. You may have been wondering that you have started the car every day and kept it like that for more than 15 minutes. Still, the battery was drained.
That’s because you lacked the exact information on how you can keep the car battery in shape when the car is sitting in the garage.
But now you know that if you’re not using your car and wonder how long can a car battery sit unused, you better do something about it. Otherwise, it’s just a waste of the battery and also the vehicle itself. So, apply any of the strategies above to keep your car battery in the best shape possible.
Video Overview on Car Battery Sit Unused Duration
