Charging a car battery was never so easy

It must have happened with many of us that we were all excited and set to go somewhere in the car but our beloved car was refusing to start. The indicators in the car were showing that the battery has died away and then it comes to our mind that we have no clue about charging a car battery. The situation becomes even worse if you are standing in an isolated or unknown place. There are many reasons because of which the battery weakens or dies away. For example, if you have forgotten to switch off the lights of your car, after a few hours, the battery will start weakening. Sometimes, due to extreme cold weather also the car’s battery dies. At that time, you should take the car battery inside for few hours, so that it comes under a controlled temperature. It is very important to keep on using your car; if the car has not been driven in a long time, the battery has not got a chance to recharge itself and eventually, it will die. Also, you should make sure that you keep on getting your batteries tested from time to time so that you do not have to face any adverse situation. The battery also goes flat if the alternator is not charged.

Though charging a battery is a risky affair, if done properly it can save time and money. Buying car battery chargers at home can be a lot cheaper than getting it recharged from the market every time. Once you have bought the charger, make sure that it is compatible or of the same wavelength as the battery. You should always read the battery charger’s manual before starting the charger. At all times, you should be careful that kids and pets are not near the area where you are charging the battery. Also, keep your car away from any inflammatory objects. As you are charging the battery, the cell caps should be intact.

While charging a car battery, always connect the red cable (positive) with the positive side of the charger and black cable (negative) with the negative side. It is recommended that the battery should be recharged in a well lit and ventilated area. A good way to increase the life of the battery is by using a trickle charger. They are comparatively cheaper and they can cool down the battery in reasonable time. One important precaution to be kept in mind while recharging is that the car’s ignition should be turned off as it may cause an accident.

When you are charging a car battery, keeping a close eye on the battery meter is extremely essential. You should not overcharge. Though charging a battery takes couple of hours it is recommended that the charger should be removed as soon as possible as the sign of ‘fully charged’ comes up. Battery charging also differs according to the type of the battery. If it is open cell type then one needs to unlock the cells. If you have a sealed battery then the work is simpler; all you need is to use the charger if it exhibits black or green.

Before learning about charging a car battery, you should know that the life span of a good battery is 3-4 years. Sometimes, corrosion also leads to early damage of the battery. The people living near sea areas or where the moisture content in air is high need to be extra careful because of corrosion. You should always keep your tool kit ready. Tools like pliers, screw drivers are of great importance if you are charging the battery yourself. For your protection, you should always wear gloves, goggles and protective clothing. The first and the foremost step is to clean and remove all the dirt from all the parts of the battery. You can take the help of wire brush which helps in removing dirt or powdery substance.

Once you have made all the efforts required for charging the car battery, you can check that your efforts have been successful or not by igniting the car engine. But before that all the cables should be removed from the charger. If the car starts immediately, all your hard work has paid off. If it does not, either the battery has died or there are some other issues. And that means it is time to call a professional.

Sorry, this has a few errors.

“if the alternator is not charged.” meaningless
"of the same wavelength as the battery." think you mean voltage
"cool down the battery" meaningless
"battery meter" no such thing. Do you mean voltmeter?

^
…not to mention, “keep your car away from any inflammatory objects”.

I always try to keep my car–and myself–away from flammable objects, but when it comes to things that are inflammatory, it’s not quite as easy.

However I do agree that one should avoid “igniting” the engine.

;-))

My trickle charger has brought a battery back to a starting charge in about 20 minutes. We had an issue for a bit with the battery occasionally dying, it turned out to be an intermittent break light switch leaving the brake lights on.

I recommend a memory saver be used any time a battery disconnection is involved.

I had a Jetta that was going through batteries about once per year, always at a very inconvenient time (like July 4th). Turns out it was an intermittent circuit that was supposed to turn off the dome light. Sometimes it left it on, and if I didn’t use the car for a few days, the battery died. Solved that by trial and error, and left the dome light switched off after that.

There’s some iffy theory in that can of Spam…

Since it is fairly obvious that the person who initiated this thread is not a native speaker of English, I think that it is possible that this was a trial balloon for something else to follow. Don’t be surprised if the OP soon posts a link to a miraculous battery charger that he/she is selling.

Just how does the last paragraph on car washes relate to battery charging?

You’ll note Ms Debrah was banned. She posted another thread plugging something about a car wash directory, which I removed. This generated some discussion about how wrong much of it was, so I left this one here for you to have some fun with.

The Op should have copied from someones book, as much of this makes no sense. I’m no skilled writer either, but to post something like this you should at least know the proper terms.

I did get a kick out of the “Inflammatory” objects. I have one of those inflammatory objects…named John, and sometimes I just can’t get the shop door locked fast enough.

Remember to Charge those alternators now.

Yosemite

“Lifespan of a good battery is 3-4 years” --I wonder where she’s buying her batteries? My 2006 vehicle is on its original battery and the 2 batteries I put in my old vehicle lasted 7 and 6 years respectively. I hope their car washes are better than their fact checking.

“…charging a battery is a risky affair” Not unless you’re an idiot or charging it by pedalling a stationary bicycle on a tightrope.

In the colder climates of the northern states many batteries are on their way out at 4-5 years.

Yosemite

Maybe it’s one of those car wash facilities with an on-site “barber” . . . I’ve seen a few of those appearing in my neck of the woods

I’m not suggesting those guys can’t cut hair

But if I’m getting my hair cut, I’ll drive to a barbershop that does haircuts and nothing else

Well they got one thing right, charging a battery is easy. Disconnect battery from car. Connect battery to charger, + to +, - to -. Turn on charger. Now was that difficult? I don’t think so, but I suppose there are those who can even screw that up.

In the colder climates of the northern states many batteries are on their way out at 4-5 years.

Um…Wrong…Cold is not the killer of batteries…Heat is. I’ve yet to own a battery less then 7 years here in the North East. 7-10 is very normal here. 3-5 is normal in the South.

Personally I got a kick out of the “wavelength” comment.

I dont think i Understand what is going on here. Was this supposed to be funny? Im confused

At any rate whether hot or cold, I avoid battery problems by just replacing them when they start to fade. I don’t try to get the last drop out of them. A lot of cars now have the battery saver feature that will shut down interior lights and so on if they are left on so as not to discharge the battery completely.

At any rate whether hot or cold, I avoid battery problems by just replacing them when they start to fade.

Yup me too. I replaced the battery in my 05 4runner a couple years ago when it started to turn over slowly on cold winter mornings. Still started, but I could tell it wasn’t turning over as fast as previous years. So I bought a new battery.

@mikinnh Yes, one difficult start is enough for me to start shopping for a battery. When I was worKing overseas on a project, my wife emailed me that her car with a 7 year old original battery was cranking slowly in the morning. I told her to get the best and largest battery that fit in the case.

She ended up with a Costco one that lasted until we sold the car seven years later.