5 Steps to Follow When You Want to Charge a Car Battery – 2023

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Battery for cars power is used in various items such as flashlights, household clocks, and remote controls. The battery is called upon to provide short bursts of energy that will power these appliances when not near an electric outlet or if the item doesn’t have an internal power source.

Car or truck batteries require charging when they lose their ability to hold a charge and cannot be jump-started. Charging your truck engine battery is very important because it ensures that you can start the truck easily. Any failure to charge the truck battery negatively impacts your truck’s performance. That’s why many truck training includes a guide on charging the engine’s battery.

When you charge your car batteries, you will need to know how long it should take for the batteries to become recharged so you can properly maintain your car’s electrical system. 

These days, engine batteries are used in most vehicles. At times though, the battery is not as strong as it needs to be and starts having problems like getting discharged quickly with each use. So how do you keep your ride running smoothly by charging the battery? Here’s what you need to do:

1.  Know Your Battery Voltage

If your car battery is healthy enough for regular usage, or If it’s only at 11 volts or weak (below 12 volts), it may need recharging before hitting the road again. You must always check the battery’s voltage first whenever there is a problem with its performance because low voltage can cause significant problems like stalling during acceleration and unexpected engine shut-off.

When you check the voltage of your battery, make sure to check it when the car has been turned off for at least 10 minutes. The longer the car stays turned off, the more accurate your reading becomes since letting it sit for a while makes the electrolyte solution in each cell thicker. If this is not done, you would be getting an inaccurate reading of its strength. And know when to charge a car battery.

2. Check Your Battery’s Electrolyte Level

After knowing your battery voltage, go on by checking if there is enough electrolyte inside every cell to cover the plates, so it doesn’t cause shorting during recharging or starting your ride again. Since water evaporates quickly, add distilled water to replace the lost. However, it would help if you were careful about adding water because it can also cause shorting. To avoid this, remove the cell caps before filling each of the cells with distilled water and replace them afterward.

3. Clean Your Battery’s Terminals

While checking your battery for electrolyte level and voltage, you should always clean its terminals as well. There is a chance that corrosion has already built upon these metal pieces, and if not removed, it might start building up again – even after cleaning. If corrosion starts to build up again on top of what was cleaned earlier, then bubbles will form on the surface of the terminals during recharging. Letting these bubbles go through your compartment would make your ride smell like rotten eggs and will damage your battery as well over time. To ensure this won’t happen, be sure to check the whole surface of the terminals before recharging your car’s battery and remove anything that can cause shorting of the metal pieces.

4. Verify That You Are Using The Right Battery Charger

Before you start charging battery, you must verify that you are using a safe charger. That’s because not all chargers on the market are equal. Therefore, each connection of the positive and negative clamps or any other metal piece you use while recharging, you must securely attach to its corresponding terminal. There would be no chance for sparks and fire to occur during charging. Scraping off corrosion on these parts first can also help avoid any electrical problems that might come your way.

5. Start Recharging Your Battery

Now after checking everything, you can charge your battery. Use a 6-volt or 12-volt charger. When the voltage of your battery reaches up to 13 volts, it’s time to turn off the recharger. So you won’t overcharge it. Overcharging can cause damage to both your car’s battery and recharger. Which will put in danger everyone around them in when it produces sparks during recharging. Checking for bubbles that may form at the end of complete charging is also an indication that this step is complete, and you need not look further if there are none present after 10 minutes of turning off. Just make sure to let your battery cool down first before removing it from the recharger.

Getting To Know Your Car’s Battery And How It Works

Knowing everything, there is to know about how to charge the car battery will help you be aware of what should and shouldn’t be done when recharging or checking it out for possible problems. You can always refer to your car manual for more information about its battery. And the steps to follow during recharging to keep it safe, longer-lasting, and at 100% performance quality.

You should not take an engine battery lightly. If not maintained adequately, it could lead to big trouble on the road. Such as stalling during acceleration or any other type of difficulty with starting up your ride again. Always make sure that you check its electrolyte solution, voltage, and recharging attachment. That helps to avoid problems with starting your car up.

Taking care of your engine battery is not hard with these simple steps to follow, so be sure you do them every time you charge a car battery or during regular maintenance checks. Follow this guide alongside any other steps instructed by the manufacturer in maintaining the life of your car’s battery for you to have a safe ride throughout its lifespan. Remember that most accidents happen because of poor maintenance, even involving minor details.