The days of your car battery suddenly going dead, without any warning, are long gone. However, it is always better to stay prepared for any eventuality. It is also much easier and safer, considering the other option of being left stranded on a lonely highway. Normally, car batteries are charged by the alternator in the car, so the best thing to avoid the problem is to make sure that is always running. Along with that, you need to keep the entire circuit in top shape. Service and clean the car regularly. Never forget to clean the terminals of the battery. Otherwise, someday, it may remind you of itself by going dead in the middle of nowhere. Then, the only options left for you would be to either charge them on your own or pine and regret. While handling car batteries, protection is a must. The battery works on acids and also produces the harmful and explosive hydrogen gas. So, while working on one, charging or otherwise, take care to protect your hands and face. Also, leave enough ventilation to let the gas away. To help you more about how to change a car battery, we have listed useful instructions in the lines below.
Charging Your Car Battery
Using Your Car
- When the car is running, it should be able to charge the battery on its own. This is beacuse an alternator in the car produces electricity when it is running.
- Usuallu, a thirty-minute drive can effectively charge the battery.
- Turn off the radio, AC, and lights to conserve electricity. In this way, the battery will receive more power and get charger earlier.
Jump Start
- In automatic transmission, jump-starting is the best option to charge your battery.
- Position a running car near the car with the dead battery, so that you can attach the cables comfortably.
- In both the cars, the ignition must be turned off.
- Now, connect the jumper cables of both the cars, by attaching the positive (red) clamp to the positive terminal of the dead car and the working car.
- Attach the negative (black) clamp to the negative terminal of the working car and the unpainted metal surface of the dead car.
- Start the working car and leave it on for several minutes, so that the dead battery gets charged.
- Once the battery is charged, remove the cables in the opposite order to that which was earlier undertaken.
Battery Charger
- Plug the battery charger into a normal 110-volt household outlet.
- They are very efficient and can do a quick charge, slow charge or a trickle charge.
Solar Car Battery Charger
- A solar powered car charger is an excellent way to maintain the car battery, if it is to be left unattended for a long time, in the sun.
Additional Tip
- Sometimes, due to corrosion, a white build up can form on the terminal, which prevents the electricity from transferring between the terminal and the clamp. As a result, the battery appears dead. Scraping the terminal with a wire brush or an acidic liquid can remove this corrosion.