How To Use Car Battery Charger Effectively?

Your car battery is the ‘life-giver’ of your car. It starts the ignition of your car engine and runs other electrical equipment like lights, A/C, etc. It needs to be in fully charged condition. Usually, your car battery is charged by the alternator of your car, when it runs. But due to different reasons, the charge comes down and needs to be connected to a charger for recharging. It is, therefore, essential for you to know how to use car battery charger.

As a general rule of thumb, you may go step by step, while charging your battery. Only then the process will be most effective, and your battery will be fully prepared to provide the required power to your car

Step 1: Know Your Battery Specification

If your car battery is the one that came with your car from the showroom, you can refer to the Owners’ Manual provided by the car company. You can then know about the voltage required for charging. Although most car batteries are of 12 Volt, the charging voltage may vary with the temperature and the quantum of charge it presently has. You can also get useful guidance from the manual.

Step 2: Know Your Battery Charger

Battery chargers have different specifications and recharging processes. Go through the manual of the battery charger and familiarize yourself with its different functionalities and components such as dial, button, the reading, and so on.

Step 3: Working Location

You can take up the work either the battery still in its compartment in the car, or you can take up the work in an open and ventilated area. You know that the battery generates hydrogen gas from their cells. It is essential that you keep away volatile substances like flammable materials, gasoline, lighters, flames, cigarettes, and other quickly ignitable substances.

Step 4: Use Protective Gears

Remember that battery charging is a hazardous work. Therefore, protect yourself well by using gloves, glasses, helmet and boot. There is a chance that the hydrogen generated may cause an explosion of the battery in case of failure of venting mechanism. If the hydrogen contacts atmospheric oxygen, even a static electricity may cause ignition.

Step 5: Disconnecting Power Accessories

Disconnect or turn off all the accessories that draw power from the battery.

Step 6: Location of battery

Different cars have different locations inside a car. You may find it either under the hood of your car, under the rear seat or even on the side of your car.

Step 7: Connecting the Charger

One post of your battery is grounded to the chassis of your car. A+ mark on your battery indicates the positive post of your battery. The positive clamp off you charger is red. Connect this to the positive post. Connect the black clamp to the negative (-) post. Also, mark the diameters of the battery posts. You will find the positive post thicker than the other one.

Step 8 Setting the Charger

Set the ampere and voltage that are required for the battery. If you have sufficient time, use the trickle charging method. In that case, you have to set the charger at lower amperage, and the charging will be more effective. If you are in a hurry, you can set the charge at higher amperage.

Step 9: Plugging into Charge

After plugging in the charger, allow it to do its work. You may either set a particular timing for charging, or the charger may shut off automatically after completing its job. Never trample the cord while the charging is in the process.

Step 10: Disconnecting

After the charging is over, turn off the charger and unplug it from the socket. Disconnect the cables in the reverse order of connecting. While removing the clamp, first remove the negative terminal, then the positive one. Your car battery is now ready to function.

Hazards of a Frozen Car Battery

Just as your car battery dies due to different reasons, it may also get frozen, if it is exposed to run on a chilling cold environment consistently. The gas from charging expands and may explode with violent force and may spray acid shrapnel to a considerable distance. The gas gets trapped by the ice and cannot vent out. As a result, the battery case may get weakened. Therefore, it is essential for you to know how to deal with frozen battery balance.

Reason for Freezing

If your battery has a lower pH, it will have a lower freezing point. AGM batteries use low pH. If the temperature lowers enough, the content inside may freeze. Usually, batteries are protected from freezing up to -50 degree F. when the nit is charged to 12.6 to 12.8 volts. Another reason attributable to freezing is that if the sulfuric acid and distilled water, inside are not properly mixed, the distilled water can be frozen.

Allow the Battery to Thaw

The best option for you is ‘never to jump-start recharge a frozen battery. First inspect the case, and you find cracks on the battery case, it can no more be repaired. Take the same to the retailer and ask for a replacement if the warranty period is still valid. If the case is not damaged, keep it in a safe and warmer place. It will thaw down not its own. Don’t interfere with for a quicker action.

If you find your battery, fully thawed, install it on your car and try with the dashboard lights and other electrical accessories. If they do not function, take the battery to a battery professional. It can start, even if not fully charged. Get it charged fully. Do not use more than 10 Amps while recharging.

The Need to Balance Car Tire

You can imagine how troublesome it will be to walk if the weights of both of your shoes are not the same. The same rule of physics applies for maintaining the balance between all the four tires of your car. If the tires are not balanced, your car will wobble or hop, when accelerated to higher speed.

The imbalance of car tires is referred to the unequal distribution of mass within the aggregate of a car tire and the center wheel; including the rim. You can also experience wobbling of your steering wheel while driving. Moreover, your car suspension may be excited, with the increase of the speed.

How to Balance Car tires?

Static balance is measured by a static balance machine, by placing the tire in on it vertical axle, on a static spindle pool. The portion which has the greatest mass will deface more and indicate the magnitude of imbalance. Finding the angle of detection can know the angular location of the imbalance.

By using the Dynamic balance, you can know the forces generated by the asymmetric distribution of mass on the rotation of a car.

If the tires of your cars are not balanced, it may cause static vibration, higher fuel consumption, uneven tread wear and risky driving. Ensure that the rims on which your car tires are mounted are good for the road and there is no crack on their side walls. They should have the tread depth of at least 4/32 or 50 degrees.