Dashcam battery drain risk?
Discussion
Just a simple question really, in our car the cigarette lighter socket seems to stay powered for a couple of hours after we turn the car off & leave it. This has the benefit of leaving the dashcam recording whilst we are shopping etc but the downside is that it is draining the battery. With the 128gb card we have it in, we do keep several hours of footage so enables us to keep an eye on the car & for any damage, and hopefully catch it before the 7-8 hours is up and the footage written over.
What are the potential risks with draining the battery? It is a year old Ford S max, with start/stop, general town use then a long journey every other week.
Is this likely to drain the battery to any risky degree, or is a dashcam running for a couple of hours fairly negligible in the big scheme of things? Would a modern car kill the power to systems if the battery is getting low enough to risk not starting?
What are the potential risks with draining the battery? It is a year old Ford S max, with start/stop, general town use then a long journey every other week.
Is this likely to drain the battery to any risky degree, or is a dashcam running for a couple of hours fairly negligible in the big scheme of things? Would a modern car kill the power to systems if the battery is getting low enough to risk not starting?
My car 2.0 litre diesel will record 24x7 for 4 days, the car will not start after 4. I found out after a mini break!
Often left for 2 days without issue
My wife's previous car 1.25 petrol fiesta could record from 5 pm on Friday until 8am Monday without issue, started fine
Möbius cameras in both cars
No idea on the battery capacity in our cars, but car model given to give you an idea
Couple of hours here and there will be fine
Think about how long you've left side lights on (minimum of 5x5 watts)
I have 8 x 5 watt sidelights I regularly leave on for an hour whilst parked on the roadside, dash cam is a lot less hungry
Often left for 2 days without issue
My wife's previous car 1.25 petrol fiesta could record from 5 pm on Friday until 8am Monday without issue, started fine
Möbius cameras in both cars
No idea on the battery capacity in our cars, but car model given to give you an idea
Couple of hours here and there will be fine
Think about how long you've left side lights on (minimum of 5x5 watts)
I have 8 x 5 watt sidelights I regularly leave on for an hour whilst parked on the roadside, dash cam is a lot less hungry
Edited by Spare tyre on Saturday 13th January 22:59
Andehh said:
Just a simple question really, in our car the cigarette lighter socket seems to stay powered for a couple of hours after we turn the car off & leave it. This has the benefit of leaving the dashcam recording whilst we are shopping etc but the downside is that it is draining the battery. With the 128gb card we have it in, we do keep several hours of footage so enables us to keep an eye on the car & for any damage, and hopefully catch it before the 7-8 hours is up and the footage written over.
What are the potential risks with draining the battery? It is a year old Ford S max, with start/stop, general town use then a long journey every other week.
Is this likely to drain the battery to any risky degree, or is a dashcam running for a couple of hours fairly negligible in the big scheme of things? Would a modern car kill the power to systems if the battery is getting low enough to risk not starting?
Hi there,What are the potential risks with draining the battery? It is a year old Ford S max, with start/stop, general town use then a long journey every other week.
Is this likely to drain the battery to any risky degree, or is a dashcam running for a couple of hours fairly negligible in the big scheme of things? Would a modern car kill the power to systems if the battery is getting low enough to risk not starting?
The cigarette lighter is unlikely to stay powered for a few hours, and then just switch off - especially in a Ford S Max. The cigarette lighter is either a permanent live, which means it stays on all the time, or it's an ignition switched fuse, which would mean it comes on/off with the ignition. As you have indicated it stays on, it would imply it's the former, and not the latter.
The camera would therefore stay on 24/7 and drain on your battery accordingly. Most dash cameras use around 0.2A per hour, and most vehicles have a battery of over 300Amps+, when you work out the drain per hour of amps, it's absolutely nothing, however many other factors contribute to battery drain such as freezing temperatures, how many cells of your battery are still fully capable of holding a full charge, short journeys where the car uses more amps than it can rejuvenate, and how often you drive your vehicle.
If you drive your vehicle daily, for greater than 20/30 minutes, then it's unlikely to affect your vehicles battery. However, should you not drive your vehicle for 2/3 days, it's likely your battery wont have enough amps in it to cold start.
As nobody really likes to play chicken with such a vital component, which could mean the difference between you getting to work on time and not, it's best to buy a low voltage cut off switch (a voltage regulator hardwire kit) and get it hardwired in.
Modern cars will not kill power to the cigarette lighter switch if it senses a drain, however, modern cars will advise you in the morning via the dashboard if it has detected drain overnight from your camera.
Thanks, Jay
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