Using a Smart Battery Charger and Other Ways to Care for Your Car Battery

Is your battery low on power? Don't worry. You don't have to replace it yet. If you have a smart battery charger, you can save a lot of money since it helps minimise frequent battery replacements. With this nifty device, not only can you help reduce your car expenses, you can also avoid being stuck in a place with a vehicle that refuses to start.

Dos and Don'ts of Using a Car Battery Charger

To get the best results possible, it's important that you know how to use your car battery charger properly. Here are the things that you should and shouldn't do when charging your car's battery.

1. Do refer to your owner's manual

It is standard procedure to check your owner's manual and your battery charger's manual for instructions before charging the battery. Remember, car batteries contain sulphuric acid that can cause severe burns and hydrogen-oxygen gases that can cause explosion. Reading both the owner's and battery charger's manuals will help ensure your safety and the proper use of the charging equipment.

2. Don't charge a dried-out battery

If your car's battery has been dried out, you shouldn't attempt to charge it. But if you have no choice but to do it, make sure to add distilled or drinking water to just above the battery plates. Exercise caution.

3. Do ensure that the charger leads are connected to the right terminals

Before charging, be sure that you have correctly identified the positive and negative terminals of the battery. Then, see to it that you attach the correct battery charger leads to avoid any potential problem or accidents.

4. Don't charge a battery connected to a car with no overvoltage protection

If you're charging a battery that's connected to your car, ensure that the car's electrical system has protection against overvoltage. Otherwise, charging the battery might damage your vehicle's electrical system.

Maintenance Tips

To ensure that your car's battery is always in optimum condition, here are some battery maintenance tips you should follow.

1. When placing the car battery in storage for an extended period of time, see to it that its voltage never drops below 12.4 volts. This is to prevent damage to the battery.

2. Check the battery from time to time and ensure its terminal connections are free from corrosion.

3. Store the battery in cooler places because heat damages batteries.

Share this article with your friends so they'll know how to use a car battery charger and care for their auto batteries properly.