Can You Change a Car Battery in the Rain: Safety First

So you were casually out on a long drive when the rain started, and then, suddenly, your car wouldn’t start. The incident can be annoying, especially when you want to reach the destination quickly but encounter heavy rain and a dead battery.

If you have thought about whether you can change a car battery in the rain or not, the answer is a surprising yes. Replacing your car battery during rain is perfectly safe, though you’ll need to be careful about not making it very wet. Thanks to the battery’s design, it can deliver sufficient power but still won’t cause any short circuits.

So, in this post, we are going over all the necessary details you need to know about changing a car battery while it is raining. So let’s get started!

Can Rain Affect Your Car Battery?

Car batteries might get wet in the rain, but that would rarely adversely affect your vehicle battery. Although humidity during the rainy season contributes to rust accumulation in the terminals, the performance remains unaffected.

Essentially, you don’t have to worry about damaging the inside of your car battery as the outer case is of polypropylene resin. This resin is water resistant and keeps the lead acid and water inside your car battery safe.

How Can You Safely Change Car Battery In Rain?

Since rain doesn’t damage the car battery, you should be confident about changing it during the rain. It’s the same as having a tire change in the rain. We would still like you to be careful as we have enlisted some steps to change the battery in the rain.

Pull Over To The Side

First, you need to pull over to the safe side as you can’t change the battery in the middle of the road. It would be inconvenient for you and other drivers behind, and it is dangerous, too.

Turn Off The Engine

After parking your car in the safest position possible, lift up the hood to access your car battery. Remember to turn off the engine to avoid any adverse consequences.

Even though an average car battery has a 12-volt power, which isn’t enough to electrocute you, if you don’t handle it with care, you can still experience a minor electric shock. Also, don’t forget to secure the hood in such a position lest strong wind would end up thrusting it onto your face.

Cover The Hood With A Tarp And Remove The Battery

Now, cover your hood before you take out the battery. You’ll need the tarp as it protects the hood from falling out and prevents rainwater from entering the engine. Most importantly, it will protect your car battery during wet conditions.

When you cover the hood with a tarp, you are all set to remove the dead battery. Before removing, disconnect the negative terminal carefully and take out the dead battery. Ideally, your hands should be dry before taking out the car battery.

Connect The Cables

As soon as you put out the old battery, place the new battery straight away. You just have to plug in the replacement battery and carefully connect the terminals; however, start with the positive terminal this time.

Make sure you tie the terminals correctly and do not make them loose. The problem with open terminals is that they would cause issues while starting your engine. Additionally, if the terminals feel wet due to rain, wipe them dry with a piece of cloth before putting them up to use.

Turn The Engine On

So, now your car battery is replaced, and it is time to put it to the test and check whether it’s working or not. If the car doesn’t start or sounds sluggish, check the terminals, as you might have tied them loosely.

Check Out How To: Install a Battery in Your Vehicle:

Can You Jump-start Your Car In The Rain?

The only way to get out of the rainy mess is to jump-start your car if you don’t have a spare battery in your trunk or shop nearby to get a new one. However, it might be tricky for you to jump-start your car during heavy rain.

However, jump-starting your car during rain poses zero chances of getting electrocuted. Because of the low voltage, you don’t have to fear causing any harm to yourself or even the car itself. You may need to be cautious as it involves an electric connection, after all.

Here are a few considerations you should be aware of while jump-starting your car:

1. Ensure your jumper cables have proper insulation, as any fault would end up causing short circuits inside the wirings.
2. Use a tarp or protective gear to protect the hood from the rain while jump-starting your car.
3. Lastly, be careful while managing the battery terminals, and never mix up the negative and positive ends. Regardless of the rain, getting confused between the terminals can be dangerous.

Note: Raining doesn’t threaten to jump-start your car, but lightning or thunderstorms can. Confirm that jumper cables are longer in such a situation and you’ve carefully connected the cable to prevent sparks.

Portable Charger Vs Jumper Cables

If you are looking for an emergency backup, you can have a portable charger or jumper cable. All of us have car battery chargers that we would use to charge the car battery. The portable chargers come in handy as you can charge the car battery literally anywhere. But it would take some time to recharge your car battery.

A jump starter will charge your battery instantly, courtesy of high amperage. Even the empty battery will be charged immediately.

Short, a jumper cable provides a burst of power to help your car batteries start off immediately. But the portable charger will make you wait for a while, which we guess would be inconvenient if you are stuck in heaven’s rain. However, it would be nice to have both options available.

FAQs

Final Considerations

You can now let go of your fears of getting stranded in the rain if your car runs out of battery. You can always replace your car battery or jump-start it during rainy weather. No matter which option you choose, make sure to avoid using damaged cables or mixing up positive and negative terminals, as it can cause a major shock!