How to charge a car battery
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In an age where every moment seems to be tied to a schedule, the last thing you want is to be stranded when your car won't start due to a dead battery. Whether you're at the grocery store, at work, or at home, this situation brings your schedule to a halt. Before you simply resign yourself to losing control, you can take charge of the situation by breathing new life into your battery.
Fortunately, you can return the charge removed when the battery is discharged simply on a working battery or on one that is still capable of holding a charge. You need to charge the battery again in one of two ways, which almost anyone can successfully do: using a car battery charger, or by jump starting the battery from another running car. For traditional car batteries (not for electric vehicles), the process is pretty much the same, regardless of battery type or charger choice.
How to charge a car battery
Gather the right materials - Before you get started, you will need the following materials: baking soda, car charger, distilled water if needed, extension cord if needed, gloves, damp cloth or sandpaper if needed, goggles, goggles or face shield.
Visually check the cleanliness of the battery terminals. - You cannot expect them to be clean, but you must remove any debris or dirt if present. You can clean the terminals using a tablespoon of baking soda and a damp cloth or sandpaper, lightly scraping off the unwanted material.
A warning: When cleaning the battery terminals from the white powdery substance, wear gloves to prevent it from coming into contact with your skin. It can be dried sulfuric acid, which can be very irritating to the skin. You must also wear safety goggles, goggles or a face shield.
Read the instructions for your car charger. - Newer chargers are generally no fuss and turn off on their own, but older ones may require you to turn them off manually after charging is complete.
Functions: When choosing a car charger, keep in mind that fast chargers will do their job faster but may overheat the battery, while slower chargers that provide continuous charging provide a charge that will not overheat the battery.
Remove battery covers - Remove the round covers located at the top of the battery, often disguised as a yellow stripe. This allows the gases generated during the charging process to escape. If your battery's instructions dictate it, you can also replenish any discharged water inside these cells using room temperature distilled water about half an inch below the top.
Positional charger. — Position the charger so that it is stable and cannot fall, being careful never to place it directly on the battery.
Attach charger — Connect the charger's positive clip to the positive battery terminal (marked in red and/or the plus sign) and the negative clip to the negative terminal (marked in black and/or the minus sign).
Connect your charger - Plug the charger (using an extension cord if necessary) into a grounded socket and switch on the charger. Set the voltage to the value indicated on your battery or manufacturer's instructions and wait.
Setting up double check — Before proceeding with your normal activities, check that there are no sparks, leaking liquids or smoke. If everything goes smoothly after about ten minutes, just leave the setting alone, apart from periodic checks, until the charger shows a full charge. Please note that if the battery emits too much gas or becomes warm, reduce the charge level.
Take away — After the battery is fully charged, which may take up to 24 hours, turn off the charger and then unplug it. Then disconnect the charger clamps from the battery terminals by removing the negative first and then the positive.
Various types of battery chargers
While there are various types of traditional car batteries, from absorbed glass mats (AGM) to valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries, any type of charger designed for use in a car will work. The exception to this rule are gel cell batteries, which require a gel cell charger.
The process - whether with gel batteries and chargers or other combinations and traditional chargers - is comparable.
Also note that unless you're in a situation where an extension cord isn't available and the charger cord doesn't reach your battery, you can probably leave the battery in place before you start recharging it.
How to charge a battery with a jump starter
Often on the road there is no access to a portable charger. It's often easier to find someone willing to take out your dead battery, and this method works well. To charge the battery by jump starting, you need to do the following:
Gather the right materials - Before attempting to charge the battery using the jumpstart, you will need the following materials: a donor car with a good battery, jumper cables, a junction box.
Park the donor car close - Park the donor car close enough so that the jumper cables run between the active and dead battery, ensuring that the cars do not touch. Turn the ignition key to the off position on both vehicles.
Attach the positive clamp to the dead battery - While avoiding contact of any of the cable clamps throughout the process, attach the positive clamp to the positive terminal of the discharged battery.
Attach the positive clip to the good battery - Connect the other positive clamp to the positive terminal of the good donor car battery.
Attach negative clips - Connect the nearest negative clamp to the negative terminal of a good battery, and the other negative clamp to an unpainted bolt or nut on the car with a dead battery (another option is the negative terminal of a dead battery, but hydrogen gas can be released). ).
Get a donor car - Start the donor vehicle and run the engine at just above idle for 30-60 seconds.
Run a dead machine - Start the vehicle with the previously discharged battery and let it run.
Remove cables - Disconnect the cables in reverse order and let the car run for approximately 10 minutes to fully charge the battery if it is dead due to something left on.
What causes the battery to drain
There are various things that can drain a battery, from random headlights on all night to a real electrical problem that requires mechanical intervention. Over time, all batteries lose their ability to charge and need to be replaced through no fault of yours. Batteries are designed to store the electrical charge needed to start the car, while the alternator returns charge to the battery to keep it going until the next turn of the ignition key. When the charge given off by the battery exceeds that returned by the alternator, a slow discharge occurs, which eventually leads to the weakening or discharging of the battery.
Charging a car battery is usually easy, but there may be times when you don't have access to the supplies you need or don't feel comfortable trying to recharge it yourself. Feel free to call our experienced mechanics for advice on the best chargers for your needs or to charge your battery for you without any hassle.
