A battery in a car is an important part of keeping your vehicle going. However, with constant use and disuse it can lose power over time and needs a little recharging before you can start it again. This is where a battery charger comes in handy!
Before you connect a battery charger, there are a few things you should know. Firstly, you should make sure the equipment is suitable for charging your car’s battery and that you are using it in accordance with the charger’s specifications. This is best done by reading the manual that came with the battery charger and ensuring that it will work safely with your vehicle’s battery.
Ensure that you have all the necessary safety equipment, such as gloves and eye protection. Using these can avoid burns and other serious injuries, and prevents you from being exposed to harmful chemicals.
Remove the battery’s positive (red) and negative (black) cables first to reduce the risk of a spark, burn or other accident. You should also check that the terminals on your battery are free from plastic caps, which can trap gasses and prevent the charging process from working correctly.
You should then move the charger as far away from the battery as possible, avoiding touching any parts that could cause damage. This will keep the vapor of sulfuric acid from reaching the charger, and it will reduce your exposure to dangerous fumes.
If your battery doesn’t have a ground, you will need to attach the charger to a nearby grounded object, such as an electrical outlet or a piece of metal on the car’s frame. If the battery does have a ground, make sure you connect it to the correct point, which is usually the bottom of the battery.
To do this, locate the red and black alligator clips hanging from the charger and connect the red clip to the positive battery terminal. The clip should have a good hold on the terminal and not feel loose or precarious, according to Autotrader.
Next, connect the negative charger clip to the battery’s negative terminal. The negative battery post should have a smaller diameter than the positive battery post and will be insulated by a cable. It’s also a good idea to position yourself and the free end of the cable you connected to the negative battery post as far away from the battery as possible before connecting the charger clip.
This should be the last connection you need to make with the battery before plugging the charger into an electric outlet. Be very careful when making this final connection – the clip should be as tight as possible, but not so tight that it would cause a short circuit in the battery.
Set the charger to its lowest rate by default, or if it has a timer, choose the appropriate charge period. This will allow the charger to trickle charge your battery over a longer period, and it’s safer for you and your car’s battery than a high amperage quick charge that can be hazardous to both.