Taking care of your car’s power source translates to greater longevity and maintaining optimal performance for as long as possible. That’s why experts recommend charging in the right and, therefore, safe way. What does this actually mean? How long should you charge the battery? And how should you connect it to the charger? You’ll find answers to these questions in our article. So, we invite you to read it.
How to safely charge a battery?
For this, you’ll need the right tools. Without them, the whole process would simply be impossible. Fortunately, they’re quite straightforward to use, so even someone with little experience can manage. To safely charge a battery, you’ll need jumper cables and a charger.
Regarding the latter, it’s essential to ensure it’s correctly matched to your battery. Conventional devices can be connected to lead-acid models. However, proper charging for self-service variants requires a tool with a microprocessor. So, there’s no need to ponder this for long – just choose one of the two available options.
How to connect the battery to the charger?
Just a few simple steps, but important to follow each one. So, how to correctly connect the battery to the charger? Here’s the guide:
- Start by ensuring your safety. It won’t take long and will prevent accidents. Engage the handbrake, take out the keys from the ignition, and put on gloves as well as protective eyewear.
- Disconnect the power source, beginning with the negative terminal and finishing with the positive one. Always maintain this sequence.
- Remove securing elements.
- Now, you can proceed with charging the battery.
- Once you’ve finished charging the power source, reconnect it, starting with the positive terminal and finishing with the negative one.
How long to charge the battery?
The estimated time for a full charge is usually between 10 to 12 hours for lead-acid models. However, in the case of maintenance-free versions that need to be connected to a microprocessor charger, you’ll need a bit more patience. How long does it take in this case? Charging the battery can take up to 24 hours. This is because the correct charging process consists of two stages.
The first stage involves charging the battery with a current at 1/4 of the battery capacity for approximately 20 hours. In the second stage, the charging current gradually decreases until it reaches 0.025 of the total car battery capacity. Proper charging for maintenance-free models occurs automatically, while lead-acid variants require the user to keep track of the time.
Proper battery charging – summary
If everything was done according to the rules (correct choice of tools, precisely measured time), the battery will operate at its peak for a long time. We hope the above article has dispelled any doubts about how to charge the battery and how to connect it to the charger. However, if someone doesn’t feel confident about handling the power source correctly, they should always seek help from someone with experience in this matter.
