Car Battery Charger
Because your vehicle has a battery that is responsible for helping the car start and for keeping electrical components such as the dashboard lights functioning, it is important that you know how to maintain a battery and troubleshoot any problems. You may need to replace your battery from time to time to ensure that your car works reliably. If your battery dies, you may be able to charge it or you may need to replace it entirely. It's a good idea to keep specific equipment on hand that can help you troubleshoot problems with your battery. One very useful piece of equipment is the car battery charger. This simple device can help you to get your battery working if it has died, which can save you a lot of time, money, and frustration. Having a car battery charger on hand can really help you in the event of a dead battery or other vehicle emergency. Choose carefully and you can make sure you always have a backup plan in place if a battery fails.
The car battery charger is a device that delivers electrical current to a car battery in order to jump start the battery after it has died. In order to use a car battery charger, you must follow the directions provided by the charger's manufacturer. In most cases, you will need to check the battery fluid level before hooking up the charger. The car battery charger will have cables that are marked as positive and negative. Simply attach the cable marked as negative to the negative side of the battery and the positive cable to the positive side of the battery. If you have some extra time to charge your car before you need to use it, you will want to put the car battery charger on the lowest amp setting. If you need to use your car in a short period of time, you can increase this setting so the battery in your car will charge faster.
There are several precautions that must be taken when working with a car battery or a car battery charger. If you need to check the fluid level of the battery, be careful not to get any of the fluid on your skin or in your eyes. Battery fluid is very caustic and can cause burns to the skin and damage to the eyes. If you want to protect yourself even further, wear safety goggles and clothing with long sleeves and full-length pants to protect all of the areas of your body. When working with a car battery charger, you should never smoke cigarettes or cigars. Any sparks that escape while you are smoking can cause the car battery charger to ignite and cause damage to your car or injury to your body. When using the car battery charger, be careful not to charge the battery too quickly. Using a low amp setting is best, since it allows the battery to charge over a long period of time.
If you want to buy a car battery charger, there are a few things to keep in mind. You need to be sure that the car battery charger will work with your specific battery. You may need to review information from the battery manufacturer before determining if the car battery charger you are considering will work for your vehicle. Establish a price that you are willing to pay for your car battery charger before you start looking for one. If you have a set spending limit, you will be able to save money and still get a functioning car battery charger that can help you charge your battery in the event that it dies. You should also consider the manufacturer of each battery you consider. Some manufacturers have good reputations and quality products, while other manufacturers are known for selling shoddy devices. Read product reviews or ask an auto professional for a recommendation. This can keep you from making a bad buying decision and ending up with a car battery charger that does not work properly.
Comment by DJ on 19 January 2009:
I have a 7 month old sealed battery in my 1998 corvette that was drawn down to be dead. When I tried to charge it the guage on the charger just bounced and clicked and did not recharge the battery. I never had this problem before, can you tell me what is happening?