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Battery protector?
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Author Post
pyyno   
Mon Nov 11 2013, 09:06am
Member No: #24599
Joined: Mar 06 2012
Location: Finland
 Hi,

The winter is creeping in and I had my worn out battery replaced at a local respectable battery specialist.

Does anyone have any insights what is the function of the protector in question. Mine was left at the shop. I was told by the mechanic who was doing the battery chance that it is redundant, and modern cars would do better without the plastic covers altogether; that it is better for the battery to be less insulated from the warmth of the engine bay especially during the cold harsh winter times.
Well that is what we have here, cold winters; the temperature drops regularly down to -20c and below.

But then what caused me to feel suspicious (and rather irritated) was the fact that I was able to read between the lines that my car was basically a POS French car.

So, what does the inner plastic actually protect the battery from, overheating for example?
Dave_Retired.   
Mon Nov 11 2013, 09:12am

Member No: #1
Joined: Aug 07 2006
Location: Northumberland
 Water or other fluids getting to the fusebox on top of the battery I suspect.

If Citroen felt it was worth spending money on fitting it, then leave it on.

BTW when it's off and the car stands out in the cold then the opposite happens to what your 'mechanic' says.......
pyyno   
Mon Nov 11 2013, 09:17am
Member No: #24599
Joined: Mar 06 2012
Location: Finland
If Citroen felt it was worth spending money on fitting it, then leave it on.


This is something which rings my bells also.

The top cover which covers the terminals is still there, but the inner sleeve was left off.
I guess I have to go and rummage through their thrash, nice.
pyyno   
Mon Nov 11 2013, 11:50am
Member No: #24599
Joined: Mar 06 2012
Location: Finland
 Could not find mine; I believe the original looked like corrugated cardboard. Was able to find a VAG duvet though, fitted it instead

edit. Thenagain, I have never had any problems with decent condition batteries even when had my previous cars stand still for a few days in -25c. edit out.
Commodore   
Mon Nov 11 2013, 02:29pm
Member No: #21107
Joined: Jul 31 2011
Location: Ruislip, Middlesex
pyyno wrote ...

I was told by the mechanic who was doing the battery chance that it is redundant, and modern cars would do better without the plastic covers altogether;

Then, I can say with absolute confidence - your mechanic is a moron!

As the previous reply points out, the battery box protects the battery, as well as insulates it from water, cold, oil etc.
trev h   
Tue Nov 12 2013, 03:33am
Member No: #10864
Joined: Sep 11 2009
Location: kent/se london
 As chris says, a complete moron, the performance of a battery is directly related to the temperature, the colder it gets the worse a battery performs, that's why cameras/torch's work better in the cold if you keep them next to your body before & after use, in the good old days of motoring in the winter i used to insulate the battery with 1 inch polystyrene to help to keep the cold out.
pyyno   
Tue Nov 12 2013, 01:46pm
Member No: #24599
Joined: Mar 06 2012
Location: Finland
 The pivotal point in his rationalizing was that the modern day short "~15min" commute is just too short of a time to warm up the battery at all. (And some "Scands" seem to share his views.)
Well I have a +14c garage; so I opted for the insulation in hopes of keeping that accumulated warmth

Mind you it does take a looooong time for a battery to warm up from -20/30c conditions.

Warning, long pointless story not related to cars
I am a member of a sports club which operates a facility located at a local quarry without AC electricity. We used to run the place via windmill and two separate units in total of about three metric tonnes of Pb batteries.
We also have a diesel generator at the same location which we use to run the place solely these days. (Because of an even longer story; the windmill got toasted and ended up with a broken shell...)
Throughout the winters we naturally had to keep the batteries warm enough in-order not to freeze solid the cells; my recollection is that it took about a week of roasting for all that lead to warm up to room temperature and beyond. Naturally it tool quite a while for the reverse to happen also.

Eventually we lost some cells to frost and had a nice pool of acid on the floor.
 

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