How to charge a completely dead car battery: tips and tricks for motorists

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:41

For many people, the morning begins with the car warming up for a business trip, and it can be very frustrating when, when the ignition is turned on, instead of the sounds of the starter, there is silence. This happens when the battery is dead. The moment is unpleasant, but quite ordinary. It is for this reason that every car enthusiast needs to know how to charge a completely dead car battery at home.

There is no difficulty in this matter. You just need to know the technology of the process and follow it. In general, if this is not the first time you have encountered a similar problem on your car, then you should consider purchasing a new battery. This will be easier than the increasingly common problem of how to charge a car battery with a charger. The article willthis topic is considered and all the nuances of the process are described. Let's start with general information.

Battery device

Let's look at the acid model (lead-acid) as an example:

• The case is made of plastic, which is resistant to aggressive environments.
• The case contains several cans (usually six), each is a current source. The banks are interconnected.
• Each jar contains special packages. They consist of plates (lead cathode and lead dioxide anode, respectively). A pair of such plates is a current source, they are connected in parallel, which allows you to multiply the voltage output.
• The bags are filled with a special solution (chemically pure sulfuric acid, which is diluted to a certain density with distilled water).

In principle, this completes the battery device, you can move on to questions regarding how to properly charge a car battery with a charger. Let's start in order.

How to charge a completely dead car battery?

There are two ways in this situation. The first is to remove the battery from the engine compartment of your "iron horse", take it home and charge it there. The second way is to charge directly on the spot, but for this you need to find a source of electric current near the place where your vehicle is parked.

Next, after you decide on the method, you can start charging. How to charge a completely discharged carbattery? With the help of a special "charger". It should be understood that in this way it will be possible to charge a battery that has recently been completely discharged. If this happened a long time ago, then perhaps your battery can no longer be helped at home, or no help at all.

The charger comes with an instruction manual. The details are detailed there. We will only briefly explain that there are classic chargers, and there are automatic devices. If we talk about the "automatic", then everything is simpler, just connect it to the network and to the battery, and the charging process will happen by itself. In principle, this is the simplest answer to the question of how to charge a completely dead car battery.

If we talk about the classic "charger", then the charging current is manually set and the process is completely under your control and with your participation. Such devices are cheaper, and many motorists (especially with great experience) consider them more reliable, but no evidence of this statement can be found. How to charge a car battery with this type of charger? Following the instructions in the instructions, depending on the capacity of your battery and its other parameters. But there is one general rule. It concerns how to charge a completely discharged car battery. A battery that has always run down should be charged with a low current (about 5-10% of the total capacity). During the charging process, the current is gradually reduced.

Fast charging

Sometimes there is no time to wait long, and chargersdevices have a special "fast charge" function. This function can be used, but it is undesirable to do this, as it significantly reduces the "life expectancy" of the battery. For this reason, it is better to solve the problem of how to charge a completely discharged car battery according to the classical scheme, and not to rush.

Safety rules

In fact, there is nothing dangerous in the question of how to charge a car battery with a charger, but there are non-standard situations. You just need a little attention, and then all the risks will be reduced to zero. The charging process usually takes ten hours. If the battery has not been charged within this period, then something is going wrong, and this should alert you.

During the charging process, you should make sure that the battery does not heat up or boil. If boiling occurs, it will fail, and besides, it can be very dangerous.

How to charge calcium car batteries?

Similar batteries have appeared in modern cars. They are labeled Ca/Ca or just Ca. These batteries have improved characteristics, but differ markedly from their predecessors, including the charging process. The standard scheme is inappropriate here.

To charge them, you will need a special charger (it is advisable to take a model with a programmable cycle). How to charge a maintenance-free car battery (calcium) in this case? Charging requires an increased voltage (about 16.5 volts). Only with such tension youit will be possible to fully charge the calcium battery to 100%. If the “charger” gives out only 14.8 V, and then the electronics cut it off, then your calcium battery will only be able to be recharged by half. This needs to be considered.

Maintenance-free batteries

Almost the whole process is common, but there are some nuances, so it should be said about how to properly charge a maintenance-free car battery. The peculiarity lies in the control of the applied voltage. In most cases (there are rare exceptions to this rule), you need to apply a voltage of no more than 14.4 V to the terminals (in the above exceptions, this figure should not exceed 16 V). Control is needed so that under high voltage, the water in the electrolyte can begin to decompose into oxygen and hydrogen. This will lead to a decrease in the electrolyte level and an increase in its density, and adding water to a maintenance-free battery will not work. This is something to keep in mind if you are thinking about how to charge a maintenance-free car battery.

Charging maintenance-free batteries can be carried out not only at home, but also directly on the car. If you have removed the battery, you will need to connect the plus terminal of the charger to the plus terminal of the battery, and the minus terminal of the charger to the minus terminal of the battery.

Next you need to set the voltage regulator knob on the charger to the leftmost position (minimum voltage) and only after this manipulation it will be possible to turn oncharger to the network. After that, you can set the charge voltage to 14.4 volts, and the battery charging process will begin.

The indicator that the battery charging process is over will be the value of the charging current on the display of the device. When a voltage of 14.4 V is reached at the battery terminals, the charging current drops to a minimum value of 200 mA. This will indicate that your maintenance-free battery is 100% charged and complete.

Features:

• The charging current should never be allowed to exceed one-fifth of the capacity of a maintenance-free battery. Excess current in this case is dangerous for the battery itself.
• In the event of the deepest discharge of the battery, it must be started charging with a voltage of 12 V and no higher. When the charging current rises to 0.1 of your capacity, you can increase the voltage to 14.4 V and continue as per the scheme we discussed above.
• If the battery is being charged directly on the vehicle, extra care must be taken in this situation. You will need to turn off or put into sleep mode the ignition and all other electrical devices in your vehicle. Only after that you can connect the charger and start charging as described above.

Now you are aware of all the nuances of how to properly charge a maintenance-free car battery yourself at home with your own "charger".

Services

Sometimes there is no time to charge the battery. Sometimes this cannot be done because there is no charger. It also happens that some motorists do not understand the device of their car. For all these options, the answer to the question of how to fully charge a car battery will be to contact a special service that provides such services. A single charge will cost you about 150 rubles.

But it is worth remembering that you should limit yourself to not charging one. Sometimes you need some more manipulations that will extend the life of your battery. Service services include measuring the density of the electrolyte (if necessary, the density will be increased or decreased). Such services cost about 100 rubles. Prices are valid for most regions of Russia.

Need to replace battery

Do not delay this moment, but it still comes. If you know how to charge a car battery with a charger, but nothing works, then this moment has come. Also, if winter and cold have come, and your battery has begun to let you down more than once a week, then this is also a “call”. In fact, it is better not to pull and replace the battery. These are costs that are justified.

Home storage

Some motorists who usually drive domestically produced cars take the battery home every evening. There they recharge it or just keep it warm, and every morning they are confident in their battery. Of course, this is correct, but not quite. At a minimum, the car at this moment remains withoutalarms. And in general, where has it been seen in order to carry a constantly heavy battery with you in the modern world? Isn't it easier to buy yourself a decent battery and solve the problem once for several years? Of course, everyone answers this question for himself.

New battery

As a rule, a new battery does not need to be charged, that is, after purchase it is completely ready for use. But some control will not be superfluous. After completing your first ride with a new battery, you should immediately measure the voltage. During the check, you need to turn off the ignition of the car.

In addition, at least once every two weeks, inspect your battery (for possible mechanical damage and accumulation of dust and dirt, which should be removed regularly).

Periodically check your car's terminals to prevent them from oxidizing, and also check the tightness of the case and all outlets on the battery.

If you are "lighting" your car from another, then make sure that the wiring does not burn out (turn off the ignition). Once a month, check the performance of the relay-regulator, as well as the car's generator. Periodically measure the battery voltage indicators and do not allow this indicator to drop critically to 30%. Now you know not only how to charge a car battery with a charger, but also how to monitor the situation so as not to get into trouble with the battery.

It should be said that you do not need to charge a new car battery if you trust the seller. If there is no 100% trust, then it will not be superfluousmeasure the voltage at the terminals at the time of purchase. This is done fairly quickly and keeps you out of trouble.

Disposing of the old battery

In no case can we bypass this topic, especially in our difficult time, when the environment is in a deplorable state. Batteries that have served their resource are not safe for human he alth and have a negative impact on nature. The merit of this are the materials and substances of the battery. Today, there are two main types of batteries for cars (acidic and alkaline). Moreover, the first type occurs many times more often than the second.

Every motorist should understand that an old battery cannot simply be thrown into a landfill or into a roadside ditch. Batteries must be collected and disposed of properly.

In Russia, the current situation is not as depressing as it was at least 15-20 years ago. Now there are many waste battery collection points where you will be given real money for a battery that is no longer useful. Also, in many stores you can get a discount on a new battery if you give them your old one. This is saving money and caring for the environment, which is important.

Producers

This is a moment that also cannot be ignored, as it is important. Experienced motorists recommend giving preference to famous brands, they are a bit more expensive, but this is a certain guarantee of high quality. We can say that in the matter of a battery for a car, a miser can pay twice. This rule is true, which is confirmed by numerous reviews and opinions of authoritative people in the field of cars.

If we talk about foreign brands, then it is worth highlighting "Varta" (Varta) and "Bosch" (Bosch). Both brands are from Germany. Batteries from these manufacturers are not the cheapest in the segment, but they are of high quality and long service life.

If we talk about domestic manufacturers, then it is worth focusing on the "Titan" (Titan) and "Akom" (Akom). These companies make very high quality products. There is an opinion of motorists that Akom batteries are generally better than even eminent imported analogues. This opinion is not taken from heaven, it is real experience and tests of reputable companies in the industry.

Of course, the list of worthy copies does not end with four brands. We just mentioned four brands that stand out from the crowd in the automotive battery industry.

Therefore, before buying a new battery, you should ask people who have already gone through the situation with replacing the battery, compare manufacturers, pricing, specifications, read reviews. Of course, the best adviser in this situation is experience, preferably personal or people you fully trust.

In general, there is a trend that is exactly applicable to foreign-made cars. It lies in the fact that the battery that comes with the vehicle from the factory lasts the longest.manufacturer. From here we can draw some not entirely good conclusions about our stores and their integrity.

Result

The battery is an important part in a car. You can’t neglect her so as not to run into problems because of her. Today you learned how to charge a car battery with a charger and everything related in some way to this issue. Take good care of your battery, check it periodically and change it if necessary.

The average life of a car battery is about five years. There are especially high-quality copies of batteries that can last up to eight years. If you do everything right and approach the issue wisely, then you will never be in for unpleasant surprises even on the frostiest morning, when you are in a hurry for your most important and urgent matters. After all, as a rule, the problem with the battery occurs precisely under such circumstances.