Keeping Your Battery Healthy So It Can Power All Your High Tech Gadgets
- Shoreline Community College
Aside from the alternator, the battery is the most important component in any cars electrical system. It provides the juice to run all of your fancy electronics when the engine isnt running, and when the engine is running, it plays an essential role in the proper functioning of the alternators voltage regulator.
Unlike outdated electrical systems that used generators and could function without a battery, modern automotive electrical systems needa battery in order to function properly. A dead battery means a car that wont start, and an alternator that will have to work too hardpotentially to the point of failurewhich is why it’s so important to understand how to correctly, and safely, charge and maintain a car battery.
There Are Positives And Negatives To Having A Car Battery
While they power your car, allowing you to get from A to B, batteries can also cause a bit of hassle when they start acting up. But if you put in the effort to look after your car battery, itâll return the favour and keep you going for as long as it can.
Car batteries are particularly at risk of draining during cold weather, and when theyâre unused for a long period of time .
A healthy battery stays out of your mind, as it should, but an unhealthy one can cause you a lot of issues. Putting in a small bit of effort now can save you time and money in the long run.
Weâve got some top tips to help make sure your car battery stays alive and well.
The RAC advises that most batteries last up to 5 years, but just like the luggage carousel at Gatwick Airport, itâs a case-by-case basis. Some batteries can fail after as little as two years, depending on the conditions theyâve been kept in and how the carâs been driven. Itâs worth looking into changing your car battery if itâs been acting up lately, or if itâs edging towards its fifth birthday. The winter months are the most challenging for car batteries, so getting yours sorted in advance will have you one step ahead of the crowd.
How Many Amps Do I Need To Charge A 12 Volt Battery
Ans: Every 12v battery has a certain number of amps associated with it. Look at the label on your device and you will find out how many amps your device needs to charge its batteries fully . If in doubt, choose a higher amperage better safe than sorry!
In general, most of the 12v batteries use between 0.75 and 12 amps to charge the batteries fully.
Most of these chargers can be plugged into a wall socket or connected directly with battery clamps.
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New Car Battery Not Fully Charged
If a new car battery is not fully charged, it doesnt mean its bad, its because typically, they came charged around 90% of original capacity from the factory.
With that said, if you measure its voltage and its significantly lower than it should, it means the battery has been waiting for the customer for a long time.
If its a low demand for new car batteries for a couple of months, its natural that they will stay longer on shelves.
They will be discharged at a slow pace. And still, that does not mean they are completely unusable.
But, on the other hand, you always want to buy as newest battery you can find to minimize the potential degradation of an unused battery.
If you are looking to purchase a new one, and the seller told you that you need to charge it first before use, please, do yourself a favor and move away from that store.
This is usually an indicator that the battery is quite old, and the dealer knows for this, so they are suggesting charging it first.
The dealer just wants to get rid of old batteries, and its better not to buy from them.
Charging A Car Battery
When the alternator isnt up to the task, or when the battery is drained to the point where it isn’t capable of starting the engine, the other way of charging a car battery is to use an external charger.
Car battery chargers run off AC power and provide 12V DC at relatively low voltages, which is the best way to charge a completely dead battery. Charging a dead battery with an excessively high voltage can increase the off-gassing of hydrogen, which can, in turn, result in a hazardous situation where the battery might explode.
This is why its important to take the same care when hooking up a car battery charger as you would when hooking up jumper cables, and also why it’s often a good idea to use a trickle charger.
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How Long Does A Car Battery Last Without Driving
An idle battery can go from fully charged to completely dead in a little under two months. Your battery will die even faster if it’s older than three years or wasn’t fully charged the last time you drove it. One thing that’s not good for your battery is taking a lot of short driving trips in a row. There’s nothing wrong with tackling a bunch of errands, but if you’re constantly starting and stopping your engine with only a few minutes of driving in between, it will drain your battery pretty quickly. Try to take a 30 minute drive on the highway at least once a week to give your alternator the time it needs to fully recharge your battery. Find more tips on how to keep a car battery from dying when not in use.
Can You Charge A Battery With Jumper Cables
If you have a car with a dead battery, you can use jumper cables to charge it. Youll need another car with a working battery to provide the charge. First, make sure both cars are turned off. Then, connect the positive jumper cable to the positive terminal on the dead battery. Next, connect the other end of the positive cable to the positive terminal on the working battery. Then, connect the negative jumper cable to the negative terminal on the working battery. Finally, connect the other end of the negative cable to a metal part of the car with the dead battery. This will complete the circuit and allow the working battery to charge the dead battery.
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How Long Does A Car Battery Work For
The average life span of the battery of a car is three years. This period, however, is affected by numerous factors that also need to be considered.
Because a large portion of the battery working has to do with the chemical agents inside of it, environmental factors that would generally affect these chemical agents are also environmental factors that can affect the battery. An excellent example of this is temperature.
When there is cold weather, the car needs to be started and left to run for a little so that the cold does not put a strain on the battery. This kind of strain on the battery can weaken the battery and give it a shorter life span than was initially anticipated. And could potentially cause your car to break down on the side of the road.
On the flip side, heat tends to take a more significant toll on the performance and the reserve of the battery. Hot weather can cause the liquid inside the battery to evaporate and can also cause additional internal damages.
Once the heat has weakened the battery, it is more vulnerable to break down in freezing temperatures because it does not have the resistance to deal with profound changes in temperature.
How To Use Jumper Cables
Jumper cables can supply power via a functional battery from another car. Keep a set in your vehicle. Connecting your car’s battery to another car’s battery with jumper cables is a common way to recharge a battery.
- Park the vehicles so their batteries are as close as possible. Leave enough room between the vehicles to attach the jumper cables.
- Put both cars in park or neutral and shut off the ignitions.
- Attach one red clip of your jumper cables to the positive terminal of the car with the working battery. Attach the other red clip to the positive terminal on the battery that needs a charge.
- Attach one black clip of your jumper cables to the negative terminal of the car with the working battery.
- Attach the other black clip to an unpainted metal surface away from your cars battery. Start the vehicle with the working battery.
- Let it run for about 10 minutes. Attempt to start the car with the dead battery.
- Check the connections and try again for at least five minutes if it does not work.
Once your car starts, remove the jumper cables starting with the negative or black leads. Follow by disconnecting the positive or red leads. Drive your car for a minimum of 15 minutes before shutting off the engine after a charge.
Tip: See our guide on how to jump start a car for more detailed instructions on how to use jumper cables.
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Choose Your Power Supply
There must be a power supply in some form so that a slow charge car battery process can occur. Think about the energy reserves that you have handy. There might be a power supply on a technicians bench. A DIYer can have these devices too.
Another battery thats at least the same voltage as the car battery will work too. Be sure that the power source is reliable. A dead battery will create charging frustrations.
What Is The Best Speed To Charge A Car Battery
The speed of your car battery charging should depend on what you want to acquire. Fast charging can damage your battery and will make its life shorter. Long-time charging with low amps is the best for keeping the batterys lifetime long.
Usually, a standard car battery charger is giving out 4-15 amperes. 2-4 ampere is typical for maintenance charging, and it will take around 24 hours to fully charge a dead battery at this load. Check your car battery charger for any settings for the charging rate and apply the charging rate for your needs.
To charge your car battery quickly, without damaging your car battery, I would recommend charging your battery at the rate of 8-15 amperes. Charging your battery over 15 amperes can damage your battery if you are unlucky and make the lifetime shorter.
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Everything Youll Need To Recharge Your Battery
Everyones garage is different, but recharging a battery is simple. These are the basic tools youll need.
- Socket set or crescent wrench, optional.
Set up your tools before you begin the job and take your time. Buying a battery charger now is a lot easier than calling a taxi cab to buy an expensive version of the same thing at a local parts store.
Connect The Battery Charger
With the steps mentioned above now complete, you are ready to hook up your battery charger.
Before beginning any of the processes noted below, please note that your charger may have specific instructions for its operation. You should follow these if they contradict our guidelines below.
Here is how you need to connect your battery charger.
- First and foremost, ensure that the charger is powered off before beginning use.
- Next, hook the positive cable on the charging unit up to the corresponding positive terminal on your battery.
- Repeat the process by hooking up the negative cable to the negative terminal on your battery afterward. Do not reverse these steps the positive cable must be connected first.
- With both cables connected in the correct order, turn your charger on. Begin by setting it to the lowest rate by default, especially if you are using the charger for the first time
- If your charger has a timer, set it for the appropriate charge time. This timer will charge your battery for a set time. If you dont know how much time you need to charge your cars battery, consult your owners manual or an online search.
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What Type Of Car Battery Charger Do I Need
When choosing a car battery charger, it is recommended that the amps of your charger are 10% of your car batterys Ah rating. For example, if your car battery has a 100Ah rating, your battery charger will need to be at least 10 amps. You can use higher amperage chargers to charge your battery quicker, but you may be putting the long-term health of your cars battery at risk.
Here is a list of car battery chargers and the approximate time they take to charge the battery:
40 amp car battery charger Provides fast and effective car battery charging. A 40 amp battery charger can get your car running again in just a matter of minutes.
10 amp car battery charger This battery charger can take several hours to recharge a car battery. If the battery is fully depleted, a 10 amp battery charger can charge a large battery in 8-14hours, a medium battery in 6-8hours and for a drained small car battery it will take approximately 4-6 hours.
4 and 2 amp car battery chargers These chargers take a long time to charge a depleted car battery and only work well on smaller batteries. A 4 amp charger will take approximately 12 hours to charge a 48amp battery and a 2 amp charger can take up to 24hours.
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Do Car Batteries Charge While Idling
A car with an idling engine will still recharge your battery, but at a much lower rate than if you were driving. The reason for this is that modern cars have a lot of additional electronics that use up power. Guess which component is responsible for powering these additional systems? That’s right, it’s your alternator. If your car is just sitting there idling, it’s not generating a lot of RPMs, meaning it will take your battery much longer to recharge this way. How long? We’re talking several hours. Your best bet is to just take your car for a spin instead of leaving it idling in your driveway.
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A Fully Charged Car Battery Voltage Should Be 126v Or Above This Is With The Engine Off
How long does it take to charge a car battery with a trickle charger. 2 amps and the voltmeter shows 15.50v or higher then replace the battery. The battery lasts longer if the vehicle is driven daily and the battery is kept fully charged. What is the best speed to charge a car battery? So if you end up with a 100ah rated battery you can use a 25 amp charger. How long to charge a car battery at 10 amps.
30 minuter to 1 hour So if you end up with a 100ah rated battery you can use a 25 amp charger. In actuality, the number is a little bit less and all battery chargers will be about 80% efficient due to a myriad of factors. If a battery is rated as 100ah, it will produce 100 amps for 1 hour. This does not necessarily mean a battery will last only one hour, because it will last 2 hours if its asked to produce only 50 amps, 4 hours at 25 amps, and so on.
Here is how long it takes to charge a car battery: If a battery is rated as 100ah, it will produce 100 amps for 1 hour. 30 minuter to 1 hour If using a low amp charger it can take up to 24 hours to charge your battery properly but a high amperage charger such as a 40 amp charger will get the job done adequately in an hour or less and will get you on the road again in only a few minutes. But then, as the battery builds up resistance, the amps begin to taper off, and taper off more quickly as the battery becomes increasingly charged.
By Step Procedure For Charging A Battery With Another Battery
1. Locate your battery and jumper cables.
2. Connect the alligator clip on the black terminal of the jumper cable to the negative terminal of the battery.
3. Connect the other alligator clip on the red terminal of the jumper cable to the positive terminal of the battery.
4. Start the car with the working battery and let it idle for a few minutes.
5. Try to start the car with the dead battery.
6. If the car with the dead battery doesnt start, wait a few minutes and try again.
7. Once the car with the dead battery starts, let it idle for a few minutes to charge the battery.
8. Disconnect the jumper cables in the reverse order that you connected them.
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