It is not enough to buy the right charger. You must also know the correct procedure for charging your car batteries. There is no need to jump-start your car every time. You can charge your car batteries in a slow and steady process, which is best for the battery. It will ensure a longer life for the battery.

Do You Need To Recharge Your Battery?

You must first know whether it is necessary to recharge your battery. If you are taking care of your battery well and making sure you don’t drain it off carelessly, you won’t need to recharge a battery at least for the first five years. Some batteries do have indicators that can tell you if you need to recharge them. When you have to recharge them, it is better to know the procedure.

Preparing The Battery For Recharge

Clean the terminals first. If there is a white deposit on the terminals you must not touch it with bare hands. This is dried sulfuric acid and it can burn your skin. Use manual sandpaper to clean the powder on the terminals. You can also use a cloth with a layer of baking soda on it. Clean the terminals with the cloth taking care not to touch with your bare hands.

You will see a set of caps on the top of your battery. These are cell caps and these must be removed before you connect the charger. Removing the caps will provide the escape route for gases formed inside the battery while charging. This will help in safely charging your batteries.

Attaching The Charger

Once you have prepared the battery you can now attach the charger cables to the battery. There are two cables on your charger with clamps at their ends. If you are charging while the battery is on the car, then you must ensure that the car is switched off. You must connect the red cable to the positive terminal of the battery. The positive cable is usually red. The other cable will be connected to the negative terminal. The terminals are marked clearly on the battery.

Make sure that the clamps don’t touch each other. This could cause a spark that can ignite the gas around the battery causing danger to you. In a trickle charger, you will need to leave the charger on overnight to get a full charge. In the morning disconnect the charger. Your battery