how much damage did i do to the battery?

[DZink24]

while this question pertains to the battery in my car, this could happen to a battery in any vehicle.



last week, i opened my trunk, but then failed to retrieve the items out of it that i opened it for. . so there it sat, open just a 1/4 inch or so, just enough for the light to be on... for 3 days, until i got in it to drive it again. . the battery was completely drained. i just bought it (the battery) in mid october '08. so, i took it out, brought it back to autozone, to confirm the dead part, and they kindly recharged it for me. put it back in the car, she fired right up.



my question is, how much long term damage did i do to the battery by letting it go completely dead?

 

[EKlem]

The answer is that it depends on the type of battery. If it is a regular lead acid battery, you didn't do too much damage and should be able to continue to use it for a while yet.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Flooded cell batteries dislike total discharge - but the real killer is to be left fully discharged for significant periods of time. Yours probably didn't appreciate the total discharge - but getting it recharged relatively quickly probably minimized the damage...

 

[PToombs]

DZ, the real question is, did it freeze? If a battery is dead in the extreme cold, it can freeze. If it was dead and froze, the battery is junk. It may last for a month or 2, but it's days are numbered. Usually it shows up right away.

I'm not sure what happens when they freeze, if the plates get moved, or connectors break, or what. I've seen it happen a lot at work.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

More importantly is the fact that after 15 minutes the central timer turned OFF all interior power including lights. Unless a breeze had made the door move enough to re trigger the door switch. If not then it Sounds to me like there is an additional drain.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

More importantly is the fact that after 15 minutes the central timer turned OFF all interior power including lights. Unless a breeze had made the door move enough to re trigger the door switch. If not then it Sounds to me like there is an additional drain.

Since the original poster mentioned opening the "trunk", along with this opening comment:

while this question pertains to the battery in my car, this could happen to a battery in any vehicle.

I sorta assumed he was referring to some other vehicle besides a Dodge Ram - unless there's something in the way of truck options I'm in the dark about... :-laf



... Just givin' ya a bad time... :-laf

 

[DZink24]

pete- i actually cannot remember how cold it was from wednesday to saturday. i am too scared about the next 72 hours, we might not see double digits. if it did freeze, i doubt it was hard enough to do much damage. i drove it today, and the last few, no troubles. we shall see. that car has been an electrical nightmare the last few years.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

pete- i actually cannot remember how cold it was from wednesday to saturday. i am too scared about the next 72 hours, we might not see double digits. if it did freeze, i doubt it was hard enough to do much damage. i drove it today, and the last few, no troubles. we shall see. that car has been an electrical nightmare the last few years.

The further discharged a bettery is, the higher the temp at which it will freeze - don't recall ever seeing a chart as to various rates of charge vs freezing temps...



This is also something RVers need to consider on RV's with relatively exposed batteries in colder climates.



(EDIT)



Here's a short blurb found in a quick Internet search:

In a partially discharged state, the electrolyte in a lead acid battery may freeze. At a 40% state of charge, electrolyte will freeze if the temperature reaches approximately 16. 0°F (8. 9°C).



The freezing temperature of the electrolyte in a fully charged battery is -92. 0°F (-68. 9°C).



Don't forget that a good percentage of the electrolyte in your lead-acid battery is water (approximately 75% in a fully charged lead-acid battery).

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

... Just givin' ya a bad time... :-laf

Dang it Gary now my mouse has chaffing and a bit of a rash now :-laf



And anyways yes he Did indeed say that the question does in fact say that it pertains to a car ..... however in our case (Somehow grasping and reaching for a lil' save face here) we would be in the clear with the central timer deal.



There does that help a lil bit for some save face . . somehow... just a tad?



My bad for skimming the origional post

 

[moonranch]

I left the radio on in my D-Max work truck over the 4th of July weekend. When I came back the battery was dead. I recharged it, and drove it for a couple of days, but the batteries would never stay charged. So, in my case the discharge killed the batteries without them freezing.

 

[steved]

... however in our case we would be in the clear with the central timer deal...

Unless you're like some of use with toys hooked directly to the battery that the disconnect has no way to disable...

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Hence the additional drain.

 

[DZink24]

no fancy gadgets here..... stick shift, no A/C, crank windows!! 30+mpg, 92,000 miles, a money saver!