Using Power Magic Pro under extreme cold weather

[Evo X]

Here in Canada we could have some extreme cold weather like -35°C over night... I am about to install a PMP in my car and am aware there are different options of shut-down voltage setting I can configure the unit when to cut the power.

Concern is... would I be running into power drain problem under some cold weather? Based on your experience what voltage did you set it at your PMP without having trouble to start your car after a cold long night?

 

[jokiin]

set it to the highest voltage it offers but it still may be too low in those kinds of conditions

 

[roadbug]

If I were going to run a camera over night in very cold conditions I would run a separate battery for the camera just so you do not get in the situation of not having enough power to start. As temperature drops the energy needed to start a vehicle climbs; the power a battery puts out also drops as temperature drops. At some point the rising energy required to start and the lower power of the battery causes a no start condition and you are stranded. You could use a small battery pack of some sort or I would think about an extra car battery. Then if for some reason it were to really get cold and one battery was not enough to start having both would start your vehicle. They make switches and isolators for running multiple batteries in a vehicle, check out camper/RV sites as well as off roading sites.

 

[petepete]

At freezing your battery capacity is reduced by 20% of stated value..

-22 and its reduced 50%

-35 can only be worse !

 

[Evo X]

Thanks for all replies!

I bump this for some real life experience please.

 

[reverend]

The Lukas LK-290 I have says go with 12.4V for winter and 12.0V for spring or summer - the PMP only lets you pick 11.8 or 12.0V though doesn't it?

There seem to be a few people with these having issues lately once it gets down to 12.0V and it's cold.

 

[jokiin]

12v is too low for winter

 

[Hillbilly]

At that temperature wouldnt you have the engine heater plugged in. Saw a lot of cars in Canada with the heater connector hanging out the front. Would think keeping the oil warm would be the first thing to do in the winter to assist the battery

 

[roadbug]

At that temperature wouldnt you have the engine heater plugged in. Saw a lot of cars in Canada with the heater connector hanging out the front. Would think keeping the oil warm would be the first thing to do in the winter to assist the battery

This got me to thinking, if you are running a cord to run an engine block heater, could you also connect a small battery charger (like a trickle charger) to the same cord and keep the battery topped up all night? This would work for at home parking but out someplace away from home not so great an idea.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

The best fix is to move to California ;-)

 

[roadbug]

I like Florida better, but that is just me

 

[adamsheehy]

Here in Canada we could have some extreme cold weather like -35°C over night... I am about to install a PMP in my car and am aware there are different options of shut-down voltage setting I can configure the unit when to cut the power.

Concern is... would I be running into power drain problem under some cold weather? Based on your experience what voltage did you set it at your PMP without having trouble to start your car after a cold long night?

I have an X as well and am in Massachusetts. I've had mine set at 12v and have never had a problem, but temps haven't been down towards -35 here. In cold weather I've found that it will record for maybe 5-6 hours at most. Will you be daily driving it? Find me on evoxforums or evolutionm if you have any other questions.

 

[Evo X]

I have an X as well and am in Massachusetts. I've had mine set at 12v and have never had a problem, but temps haven't been down towards -35 here. In cold weather I've found that it will record for maybe 5-6 hours at most. Will you be daily driving it? Find me on evoxforums or evolutionm if you have any other questions.

Yea man... it's my DD. Sure... I look you up there.

 

[Gibson99]

I like Florida better, but that is just me

florida for me too. no earthquakes, and hurricanes give plenty of warning.

 

[michael007]

Here in Canada we could have some extreme cold weather like -35°C over night... I am about to install a PMP in my car and am aware there are different options of shut-down voltage setting I can configure the unit when to cut the power.

Concern is... would I be running into power drain problem under some cold weather? Based on your experience what voltage did you set it at your PMP without having trouble to start your car after a cold long night?

I have my power magic pro voltage set to 12.0V. I think that's okay in extremely cold climates as the camera will turn off after a few hours after being left in temperatures colder than -25C (-15F). The official operating temperature for my model is "-20˚C to 70˚C / -4˚F to 158˚F"

It is currently -36C (-32F) where I live and my DR550 is not operating. I went to check it out when I noticed the wifi wasn't broadcasting and saw the camera was off. I started the car, the camera booted up but by the time I was inside, it was off again.

 

[Gibson99]

I have a discharge preventer too but not a power magic. I have it set to 12.2v and my cf 100 seems to shut off within an hour or three once the temp gets below 50f. It's only going to get down to maybe 28f tonight but even at 12.2v the engine sounds a little slow to crank. I don't want to tempt fate by Lowering the shutoff to 12.0. And this is Houston, where the only ice you ever see on the ground is what someone dumped out of a cup!

 

[yoho2ca]

I set PMP to 12.0V in the morning yesterday. The weather outside was like -27°C. When I came back from work, DR650 shutoff itself and I had to tried 3 times to start up the engine. PMP should really have a setting at 12.2v especially for cold winter. FYI Perhaps the OEM battery(crappy CCA) has to be replaced.

 

[Gibson99]

or maybe 12.0v is too low, as others have said. the battery in my wife's car is only about 6 months old and has more CCA than the original one, yet it drops below 12.2v after a couple hours when it's merely chilly outside, not freezing like you're experiencing.

also, you haven't mentioned whether you have a block/battery heater in your car. when my brother lived in alaska, he not only had a block and battery heater, he had an electric water pump added to circulate the coolant. having these would make a huge difference in whether or not 12.0v or less would be enough for your car to start.

also, what is the CCA rating for your battery, and how old is it? i know in texas, batteries rarely last more than 3-4 years due to the heat. i expect cold to be just as bad, if not worse in terms of battery life.

also, if your car sits parked for a while, especially in the cold, you could consider a solar battery maintainer. at the very least, the solar might be enough to run your cameras, at least during the day.

 

[Daywalker]

Had a "extreme cold weather warning" issued for the week. I've had to have my two month old battery boosted twice this week, that's with a block heater and interior car warmer plugged in all night. I wasn't sure if it was a defective battery, block heater, the extreme cold or some combination.

It's a damn shame really, -40 windchill and you're having to walk, take cabs or wait for buses when you own a vehicle.

 

[jokiin]

12v is too low in those conditions, better not to use it like that until the weather warms back up