Concrete flooring is a popular choice for many car owners. But does it pose any issues for the car battery? It’s an age-old debate that has left many scratching their heads in confusion.
On one side of the argument, some believe that concrete floors can drain a car battery over time due to its conductive properties. They argue that when the car sits on the floor, the battery slowly loses its charge due to the electrical current being transferred from the concrete.
While this used to be true on older batteries, this is no longer applicable to modern batteries. Today’s batteries come equipped with hard plastic shells (insulating material) that do not let concrete moisture enter inside.
Hence, modern batteries will not get drained or damaged when placed on concrete surfaces.
However, all batteries sitting for a long time on any surface, such as concrete, wood, or metal, will drain slowly or lose their electric charge.
Do Car Batteries Really Drain On Concrete?
The answer is neither. In modern times, concrete flooring does not have an effect on car batteries due to its hard plastic shells which serve as an insulating material. Older batteries drain on concrete surfaces for various reasons.
Here is a short explanation for each battery type:
Lead-Acid Batteries
One of the oldest batteries were used to be made of lead acid, with glass cells encased in wooden boxes. These batteries used to be particularly vulnerable and would easily get affected by any conductive surface such as concrete. The wooden box then causes the moisture, which mixes with the battery acid and corrodes the terminals, leading to a drain in power.
Nickel-Iron Battery
After the issue with lead-acid batteries, it has evolved into nickel-iron batteries. They’re encased in steel bodies, but the problem is that steel is also prone to corrosion, which then affects the battery.
It leaks, forming rust, and this increases its conductivity, resulting in a drain.
Carbonized Dust And Dirt
Carbonized dust and dirt can also create a problem. It’s small particles that are hard to see, but the electrical current of the battery is affected by it. This creates an increased resistance that causes the charge to slowly drain out. With that being said, it’s also crucial to wipe off the surface before leaving your car parked on it.
Self-Draining as Time Passes
Every battery consisting of lead-acid starts to self-drain with time. Due to the age of batteries, reactions between plates begin to occur, leading to leakage.
The rate of discharge becomes faster as the surrounding air turns warm. Cool air around the stored batteries can be helpful to lower the rate of self-discharging. This is primarily because the warm air strengthens the chemical reaction, leading to a faster discharge.
However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the cold air affects the battery positively. It can cause damage to the plates, causing low power output and also shortening their lifespan.
Whether you use the battery or not may also affect this, especially if you keep them in the car. This is normal and batteries have their own discharge rate. With that being said, depending on the type of battery you have, its lifespan and discharge rate may also vary depending on the environment.
Do Modern-Day Batteries Discharge On Concrete Surface?
Many brands are continuously trying to innovate the design of batteries to make the performance and storage better than earlier. The latest design frames have a hard plastic shell that prevents moisture from entering modern-day batteries. As we all know by now, moisture is the major reason why older batteries used to get drained on concrete surfaces.
Hence, modern-day batteries will not be affected by the concrete flooring and won’t drain out or damage it. That said, even if it’s a modern battery, prolonged storage in any environment can still cause a slow discharge over time.
Concrete and cement surfaces offer an excellent barrier between the changing temperature and the car battery. As a result, it provides safety from the damage taking place in the battery cells that causes them to discharge/leak.
Modern-day batteries are perfectly insulated and do not allow any water or moisture to enter. Thus, with the evolution of batteries, various techniques also emerged as a solution to keep up the shelf-life of the battery.
Does a Car Battery Drain on Concrete Floor: Final Thoughts
Old such as lead-acid batteries used to be prone to draining on concrete surfaces. So in general, before, yes this holds true. The wooden casing results in moisture seeping inside and corroding the terminals, resulting in a discharge.
Now with modern-day batteries, that’s not the case anymore since they possess hard plastic shells to prevent moisture from entering them and causing any damage. However, it’s still important to take precautions by checking and cleaning the battery terminals regularly to ensure its good health.
All in all, it is safe to say that modern-day batteries won’t be affected by concrete floors and won’t drain out or damage them. These advancements have made car batteries more durable and reliable than before.
