Battery Life

I read somewhere that you can prolong Battery Life by leaving the lid off of
devices, so heat can escape. Is this true and how much can they be prolonged if
so?

 

No matter what kind of battery you are talking about (as you failed to
mention), this is totally STUPID and IGNORANT.

 

Hi, you're right, they're called block heaters. They heat the engine
block, not the battery at all, though some people also buy battery
warmers, which looks like some type of heating pad that wraps around
the battery. Do they work? beats me, only ones I've seen usually had
the cords chewed off by the engine fan.

The block heaters, as they are known, do not go into the dipstick tube
though, they'd never fit even if you did want to sacrifice your tube.
They replace one of the blocks "frost plugs", (known differently
elsewhere)..and the heating element sits inside the blocks water
jacket, which warms the oil and allows the engine to turn over.

30 minutes on the coldest days are all it takes. You can even put one
in each frost plug hole and parallel them. If that's not enough to
start it your battery is weak and needs checking /replacing, those
heating pads are junk.

Cheers

 

I grew up in Minnesota. My brother is a rock musician, so has to go
out at all hours, in all kinds of weather. He used to light a pie-tin
full of charcoal, and when it got "ready," slide it under the engine
and leave it there for a while - I guess 10 to 30 minutes would be
enough.

I don't know if that's a Darwin "mediocre mention" or anything, but
thought it might be of interest to one or two weirdos out there. ;-)

Cheers!
Rich

 

Cicuit racers often light a tray of methanol under the block to warm
things up. Not very bright in my opinion.