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Originally Posted by QporscheQ
I didnt drive my car for two months over the holidays while at the same time it was super cold here and the combination of the two caused my battery to die...
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Hi,
Many don't realze that a Battery can become useless if discharged. A discharged Battery can freeze in as warm as +20°F.
In addition, whether frozen, partially frozen or merely discharged, a battery
always suffers some internal damage. It will never be as good again once it's been discharged, the extent of the damage (from dispositioned plates, to cystallized plates, broken leads and improper electrolyte solution, depending on numerous factors). The SAE released a paper last year stating that on average, a car (Wet Cell) battery loses it's ability to acquire and hold a charge by 15% each time it is discharged.
But, it's also important how you charge a Battery which it becomes discharged. Charging at a high amperage rate will damage the Battery, perhaps rendering it useless. This means that Jumping the Battery from a donor Car with a 120Amp Alternator is a bad thing. It's best to Jump it strictly from the other car's Battery with the donor car OFF. You want to re-charge it at the lowest Amperage available, which usually means a Trickle Charger of no more than 1.5 Amps. The issue you experienced is common. Had you left it on the Trickle Charger, it would most likely have started charging it in a hour or so, despite the warnings you received, unless of course the Battery had been damaged which is quite likely. The downside, is that a Full charge with a low-amperage charger, can take as long as 25 Hrs. People seldom realize that a Battery requires proper care and maintenance to give a long service life...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99