Lawn mower battery dead again? Is this the 3rd time your battery died this month? If you nodded your head yes, it’s high time to pay attention to lawn mower battery maintenance.
If your mower has been sitting for a long time, chances are that your battery needs maintenance to keep up with its efficiency for years.
With a small share of homework, you can make the battery last longer, drain the charge slower and give excellent mowing results on the lawn.
8 Signs You Have A Bad Lawn Mower Battery
If your lawn mower battery doesn’t become active after single or multiple tries, odds are higher that the battery has probably died and needs immediate lawn mower battery maintenance.
However, the first step is to look for the symptoms of a bad lawn mower battery.
- -Your lawn mower won’t start
- The engine will not start when you turn the key
- The engine runs but doesn’t produce enough power to cut grass
- The engine buzzes or dies when you try to start it
- Lawn mower will run for a few seconds, then stop
- Lawn mower vibrates violently when you pull the cord
- Battery terminals corroded, loose or corroded wires
- Pump does not work on your lawn mower
- The battery deteriorates because of overcharging or being stored for a long winter.
If you see any of these bad lawn mower battery symptoms, immediately take the battery out of the lawn mower and look for a suitable solution.
5 Solutions to Fix a bad lawn mower battery
1. Check the Connections
The first thing you should do is check to see if your battery is connected to the mower correctly.
If you have a bad connection, try using a different connection method or make sure your connections are tight and clean. If it’s still not working, you might need to replace your battery.
2. Try a Charging Session
If your lawn mower battery is not working properly, try charging it with an external charger for an hour or so. If this doesn’t fix your issue, then your next step will be to replace the lawn mower battery in your machine.
However, the charging time may vary depending on what kind of battery you have and how long it has been since it was last charged.
3. Listen for a Clicking Sound
Listen closely to see if you can hear a clicking sound coming from somewhere inside of your machine when you turn it on.
This may mean that something isn’t connected properly between two parts of the mower’s internal components.
As a result, this causes problems with the lawn mower battery system and might need a lawn mower battery replacement.
4. Verify the Voltage
Another important thing to do is verify the voltage is coming out of your lawn mower battery. Make sure it matches up with what’s printed on its label (usually between 12 volts and 14 volts). If not, this could mean there’s something wrong with its internal components or connection points
In such cases, the battery keeps draining its charge and becomes less efficient in providing power to the mower.
Therefore, you should charge a lawn mower battery every once a month and perform proper lawn mower battery maintenance alongside.
5. Clean The Lawn Mower Battery
If your lawn mower battery is not working properly, it’s probably because you haven’t cleaned the battery for a long time. Regular cleaning not only helps you get the best results from the battery, but also makes sure it performs at its peak.
To clean the lawn mower battery, rub a clean cloth to get rid of all dirt and debris built up on the surface of this part over time. This will allow you to activate the battery again without any help.
5 Reasons Your Lawn Mower Battery Is Draining Faster
1. The grass is greener
If your lawn mower battery is draining faster than usual, it’s probably because the grass is greener than normal.
Grass grows more quickly in the summertime and uses more energy than in other seasons. As a result, the lawn mower takes a good chunk of power and voltage from the battery to cut the grass clean.
2. You’re not using the mower enough
If you’re not using your lawn mower, you will need to work harder to keep up with demand. That means your battery will drain faster, too! You can fix this by using your machine at least once a week and making sure it gets a full charge every month or so.
3. Your mower is old and outdated
If you’ve been using the same model of mower for years, chances are that the batteries have started losing their efficiency and fail to hold the charge and drain faster during use. That being the case, replace the lawn mower battery with a new one so you can use the battery for a longer time without facing any interruptions during mowing.
4. Your Lawn Mower Is Older
If your lawn mower battery isn’t working as well as before, the first thing to do is check your lawn mower battery for signs of wear and tear. Due to water or continuous wear and tear, it’s common for mowers to drain the charge faster and end up losing all the charge.
5. You Are Overcharging It
If you charge your lawn mower while it’s running, it may probably end up causing damage to the battery. Also known as overcharging, this is a common problem in most lawn mower batteries that might lead to a shortage of energy in the battery itself.
6. You’re Running It Too Long
Another reason why your lawn mower battery may be draining faster than usual is that you are running it too long. If you leave your mower running for longer times, it may cause damage to both its internal components and the ability to hold a charge for future use.
7. Loose Connection
A loose connection is a common reason why the battery drains more rapidly than normal, causing lawn mower battery issues. To treat this issue, regularly clean the lawn mower battery, check all the connections and do proper lawn mower battery maintenance.
Can Overcharging Kill My Lawn Mower Battery?
Overcharging a battery is a silent killer to the health of your battery and may badly damage the charge holding capacity.
If you leave the battery plugged in for more than the recommended time, it may drain more rapidly and lose. It is because overcharging causes the leakage of acid from the battery that may swell up the battery in the long run.
What’s Multimeter Used For?
A multimeter is a device that helps correctly read the voltage of the battery on the screen. All you have to do is attach the multi-meter next to the battery to create a stable connection between the two.
In a few minutes, the multi-meter will identify the correct voltage, charge and hidden issues with your battery health. However, you can also customize the settings on the multi-meter as well as switch between DC voltage settings.
Follow these 4 steps to connect the multi-meter to the lawn mower battery
- Attach the red probe of the Multimeter to the positive terminal of the battery.
- Next, attach the black probe to the negative terminal of the battery.
- Wait for a few minutes to see the voltage reading on the Multimeter.
As a general rule, a 12.6-13 V battery is considered relatively healthy compared to a 6-9 volt battery.
How Long Should a Battery Last?
With proper care and maintenance, you can make the lawn mower battery last longer for up to 3-4 years depending on the use and build of the battery.
For example, lead-acid batteries are likely to function longer than over-corroded ones that need lawn mower battery maintenance.
How Long Does It Take To Charge A Lawn Mower Battery
For most electric lawn mowers, the average charging time for a lawn mower battery is typically between 2 to 3 hours. However, the type of charger you use may also affect your charging efficiency and may help the battery last longer or die sooner.
Old batteries require charging more often than a new lawn mower battery with good health. Over time, the battery loses its efficiency and drains charge faster which calls for lawn mower battery maintenance.
7 Factors To Consider When Choosing A Lawn Mower Battery Charger
Nothing can be more frustrating than purchasing the wrong or unfit charger for your lawn mower battery.
Different batteries have unique battery requirements, such as heavy riding mowers with 10V batteries that require 12amp chargers. In contrast, small electric-powered mowers may work well with a 10amp charger to make the battery last longer.
With so many lawn mower battery chargers on the market, you won’t have to face much trouble when choosing the right fit for your mower.
Look for these when buying the best lawn mower battery charger
1. Different charging mode options. (Slow charge, fast charge, jumpstart and others).
2. Proper connection to the lawn mower battery
3. Automatic and fully integrated charging timer
4. Automatic charges shut off
5. Claims to prevent wrong connections
6. Several floating modes for smooth charging.
7. Controlled amp rates
Although it’s hard to get all these exceptional features in one charger, doing a little bit of homework to find at least 2 or 3 of these features can be a great help.
6 Easy Steps To Charge A Lawn Mower Battery
Here’s a 6 step-to-step guide to charging a lawn mower battery in the easiest way possible, making the battery last longer, better and easier.
1. Put on protective equipment such as gloves, goggles and other safety gear.
2. Connect the lawn mower charger booster from the outlet
3. Locate the battery first with the help of the operator’s manual.
4. Remember the positive or negative first rule? First, attach the positive cable (red) to the positive terminal of the battery
5. Next, attach the negative cable (black) to the negative terminal of the battery.
6. Check the charger’s voltage settings, which must match the lawn mower battery.
7. Plug in the charger
8. Allow the battery to charge itself for approx 2 hours.
9. Once it’s fully charged, unplug the charger from the socket.
Conclusion
From charging lawn mower batteries or taking care of lawn mower battery maintenance, this guide covers everything you need to make your battery last longer. However, having a healthy battery can reduce your lawn mower problems by half, so make sure you don’t neglect the battery.
