[Oeva-list] Battery Warmer Sources

[Daniel Anolik]

Hi Pete,

I used to drive an electric Geo Metro with lead acid batteries, and battery warmers. The conversion was done by Dave Cloud up in Washington, and he came up with a cheap, but affective warming solution that kept my Geo running through the coldest of Portland winter days. Here's how it worked:

- Start with an electric soil heating cable, which are usually intended for heating flower boxes in cold weather, or for growing tropical plants. A quick internet search shows multiple options for around $35, including a thermostat. 
- Snake the heating cable back and forth along the bottom of your battery box, under the batteries. 
- Install the thermostat in the same battery box, but on top of the batteries.
- Power the heating cable off of the AC line, when the car is plugged in for charging. 
- Optionally install a toggle switch on the dashboard for disabling the whole system (in warmer weather)

The result was a heating system that only ran when the car was charging, the batteries were colder than 70F, and the dashboard toggle switch was enabled. 

Enjoy,
Dan


On Jan 14, 2010, at 1:34 PM, Pete Skeggs wrote:

> Hi folks,
> 
> The lead acid batteries in my 2007 Zenn are struggling to get through 
> this weather.  I'm trying to stretch their lives as long as possible as 
> I don't want to replace the whole pack (6) right now if I can help it.
> 
> I've heard that battery warmers can help significantly.  I'm sure you 
> can walk into a Napa Autoparts store in Colorado and pick a few up 
> anytime you want, but I'm guessing they're not in big demand here. 
> 
> Anyone recommend a good source that's local, or else online?
> 
> -Pete
> 
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