Table of Contents
Introduction
Automotive car batteries are an indispensable component that keeps the vehicle working. It powers a lot of processes that occur in the car. Car batteries’ main job is to keep the vehicle’s energy system maintainable and supply electric currents to propel the car’s moving parts. Automotive car batteries are designed to dispense a sizeable amount of current for a short period.
Your vehicle needs a lot of power; once a car battery is flat or dead, it won’t start and requires the alternator to work extra hard, thereby leading to its breakdown. The alternator is mainly responsible for charging the car battery while the engine is still running, and this act o charging depends on the cycle of car usage and when the car was first charged. Once it stops working as a result of a depleted battery, it requires to be recharged.
A convenient way to find out when your car battery needs a charge is by using the Multimeter. A multimeter measures how much power is available in the car battery and is convenient to use. Car batteries are considered empty when less than 10V, and if still used, it becomes discharged and is reckoned to be damaged. This is where car battery chargers come in handy.
What is a car battery charger?
You might wonder why the need for a battery charger when you can use a newly bought charged car battery and then replace it with a new one probably when it dies. The answer is this: car batteries, because of their extensive uses and functions, can fail on you unexpectedly or only as a result of the car not being driven frequently enough, a 100% optimized battery can run down even without usage. You wouldn’t want to exactly get a new car battery, especially if the reason is only as a result of the infrequent or short time usage use of the car. I am quite positive that you would want to charge it up even though the battery is damaged but still working.
A battery charger is an accessory used to deliver currents to the cells of secondary or rechargeable car batteries. Car batteries are prone to work very hard- from constant short trips to the headlights and wipers working all the time, the battery uses up a lot of currents and becomes flat. All these can be avoided by using a car battery charger.
Importance of Car Battery Chargers
Car battery chargers are a must-have if you want optimal performance on your batteries.
- When your battery is flat, the alternator takes on the duty of supplying power to run the vehicle and recharge the battery. This hence requires the engine to work harder and increase fuel and release of harmful chemical compounds like Nitrogen oxides and carbon oxides. Having a car battery charger can avoid such situations.
- Having a car battery charger helps to cut down on expenses. When a car battery is depleted, it often indicates electrical systems in the car to turn on warning lights and require you to fix them at a car repair shop, even though there might be nothing precisely wrong with these systems. Car batteries are also suitable investments as they avoid the stress of calling for roadside assistance that is usually never cheap.
- If your battery is completely worn out, it will not be able to supply any more current to the vehicle’s systems. This calls for it a reset, hence clearing out all your settings. Fortunately, by having a car charger handy, you won’t have to worry or spend time resetting your preferences in the car.
How to Use A Car Battery Charger?
The amount of power expended by the charger during the charging process is measured in Amps. The duration of a car battery charge depends on the number of Amps you are using- it could be 2, 4, 10, 12, or 40 Amps. An average car battery wields a capacity of about 48 Amps, which implies that when fully charged, it can deliver 1 Amp for 48 hours, 2 Amps for 24 hours, etc. the higher the charge output, the foster the car battery gets charged.
Step One: Inspect the Charger and Battery
There are different models of battery chargers available to cars. Ensure that the particular model is the right type. Please acquaint yourself with the model and its manual on how it works and how it is operated. Also, check the battery to make sure they aren’t corrupted with dirt. If so, you will have to clean them before charging.
Step Two: Disconnect the Car Battery
Ensure that the car battery is turned off before further connecting with the charger. While you can charge your battery with it being on to avoid resetting your set preferences, you should disconnect the battery. Always disconnect the negative terminal first and reconnect it last; this is to avoid electric shocks when the positive terminal is touched.
Step Three: Connect the Charger
The charger uses household current to charge the battery. Please make sure the charger is disconnected from the wall socket before using it to ensure there is no current passing through it from the external connection. After doing this, locate the positive and negative terminals of the car battery. It is usually indicated by a “+” and “- “sign, respectively. The terminals are generally connected to the battery by clamps. The charger’s clamps indicate the color red for the battery’s positive terminal and the color black for the battery’s negative terminal. That is how to connect the charger to the battery for charging.
Step Four: Leave to Charge and Disconnect when Done
For security reasons, try to keep the chargers as far as possible, away from the battery. Leave the chargers and related cables in one particular position while the charging process is going on. Depending on whether the charger will run at a set time or axiomatically shut off when the car battery is fully charged, the last step is leaving it to charge. After charging, disconnect the cables. Remember to start with the negative cables first.
Conclusion
It can be quite annoying trying to start, and the cause being depleted batteries. You will lengthen your car battery’s life span and save you the cost of a soon replacement by keeping it charged when required. When adequately charged, a car battery will read at a range of 12.4 to 12.6 volts. Please make sure not to overcharge your batteries as this can damage it.
