October in East Tennessee brings beautiful foliage and cooler temperatures, but it’s also a warning: winter is just around the corner. While you might be prepping your home and pulling out winter coats, don’t neglect this one critical piece of equipment that needs your attention as well: your backup generator.
A standby generator provides incredible peace of mind during winter ice storms and power outages, which can be especially common in our region during this time of year. However, a generator with a dead battery isn’t useful, and you might as well make it a heavy metal lawn ornament at that point.
The Danger of Sitting Idle
Generator batteries have a unique and difficult job. Unlike your car battery, which gets recharged every time you drive, a generator battery often sits completely idle for months at a time. During these long periods of inactivity, batteries naturally self-discharge. If they aren't connected to a proper trickle charger or run regularly, the internal plates begin to sulfate, permanently destroying the battery's ability to hold a charge.
Don't Wait for the Ice Storm
The worst time to discover your generator battery is dead is when the power has already gone out, and the temperature in your house is dropping. Waiting until a winter storm hits to find a replacement means navigating icy roads, only to find that local stores are completely sold out due to high demand.
Your Local Generator Battery Experts
Taking 15 minutes this October to test your generator's starting power can save you hours of freezing frustration in January. If your battery is struggling to turn the generator over, or if it is more than three years old, it is time for a replacement.
Rainey Battery is your destination for high-performance generator batteries in Johnson City designed to deliver reliable cranking power exactly when you need it. Our team can help you find the exact group size and cold cranking amps (CCA) required for your specific portable or standby generator model.
Stop by our Johnson City location today to get your current battery tested or pick up a reliable replacement before the winter weather arrives, or give us a call ahead of time. We can use your generator’s existing battery part number that you’re currently using or note the dimensions of the battery component to get the correct fit in the instance you do not have a battery in the generator.