Starting the engine with a turn of the ignition key is always a refreshing experience. Major roadside assistance companies report that around 50% of their customer calls are due to dead batteries or battery issues. Did you know that regularly using a battery charger (12V or 24V) can significantly benefit your vehicle? It can extend the battery life by up to three times, prevent expensive breakdowns, reduce unnecessary recycling, and promote greener driving.
What you should know about battery chargers | battery charger for cars
A vehicle has approximately 200 ECUs, and therefore the battery MUST be in top condition to work properly. Close to 50% of all the times the road assistance companies are called out – is due to a battery problem. CTEK battery chargers | battery charger can fix that problem.
We begin with the purpose of the battery itself. Most importantly, the battery makes your car start. How? Chemical energy is converted into electricity then supplied to the starter. Once your car starts, the battery continues working as it provides constant voltage keeping the engine running. And, powers other accessories like the radio, lights and other electronics.
When the battery is dead, problems arise. Meaning, the energy stored in the battery has been depleted below 11,8V. You can recharge, if the battery is still healthy. Basically, we are reversing the chemical reactions that led to its depletion. CTEK battery chargers start to charge at 2-3V (depending on model) models which have a SUPPLY mode will add energy to the battery. Even when the voltage is lower than 2-3V. Gently charging the battery and the electronic components is better than jumpstarting. CTEK will show you how to recharge your battery using CTEK battery chargers.
Getting ready
To ensure your safety and smoothness of the operation, there are steps you should take before carrying out the process of charging with battery chargers. The charging area must be free from flames, smoke, and sparks. Look for dangerous gas leaks from the battery itself; if you sniff around, it will smell like rotten eggs. Detecting any such smell, please abort immediately and invite a professional to take over.
Check to see if the battery ports are corroded. Corrosion has taken place if you see greenish substances on the ports. Cleaning the ports with a brush will insure the battery won’t take longer than necessary to recharge.
Some general details about battery chargers
Now we are ready to look at how battery chargers work. First and foremost, you need to know that there are different types of battery chargers | battery charger. CTEK chargers are mostly AC/DC battery chargers. AC/DC chargers require you to plug them into a power outlet. If there is no power to the battery charger | battery chargers, it will function more as a jump starter. The exception is the CTEK CS FREE. Some battery chargers | battery charger produce lots of heat in the interior of the battery. They are best used by trained technicians. CTEK’s AC/DC battery chargers do not excessively heat up the battery.
Most CTEK battery chargers have a gauge. The gauge shows you both the state of the battery and charging progress. Depending on your needs, you may purchase a CTEK battery charger | battery chargers with more elaborate safety. Monitoring mechanisms are also built in that alerts you when there is a fault.
Now moving on to how to use a CTEK battery charger | battery chargers to recharge your car battery.
How to charge your car battery using CTEK battery chargers
Connect the charger to the battery. Make sure the charger and the vehicle are both turned off. Now, attach the positive clamp (the red clamp) to the positive terminal of your battery. A plus (+) sign indicates the positive terminal. Next, attach the negative clamp (the black clamp) to any part of your vehicle’s body. It may be unsafe to connect the negative clamp to the negative terminal of your battery. If there is a leakage of hydrogen gas, there could be an explosion if a spark is produced while connecting. Good to know, CTEK battery chargers are completely spark free.
An additional risk with connecting the clamps incorrectly is most newer cars have a BMS connected to the negative pole. For example, this takes care of the Start Stop function. Lost BMS information about the charge will happen If charging on the negative pole. An increase of CO2 emissions will result as well as start stop function (and other ECUs) not working as planned.
Next Steps
Setting up the battery charger | battery chargers is your next step. You would often need to set up the volts and amps. Not with a CTEK. CTEK chargers set themselves up automatically.
Turn the battery charger | battery chargers on. Be sure to plug your charger in to a power outlet. Without a CTEK charger there is a risk where charging automatically may not stop. You will then have to monitor the gauge to determine when the battery has been fully charged. Or, perhaps you preset the length of time you want the charging to last. This is not a problem with a CTEK battery charger | battery chargers. CTEK battery chargers | battery charger can be connected for months and months if the charger has accepted the battery as OK.
Wrapping up
When you have completed charging, turn the charger off and unplug it from the power outlet when needed. With chargers other than CTEK, you may have to be aware of the process to remove the clamps. It needs to be done in reverse order of the connection steps. Remove the negative clamp (the black clamp) first, then the positive clamp (the red clamp). With a CTEK battery charger | battery chargers, you never need to think about how to remove the clamps. Pending no issues with your battery or the electric wiring, your battery will start stress free.
Sometimes, your battery chargers have no recourse over a battery that won't hold a charge. If this occurs, towing the car to the nearest garage may be your next step. Or, perhaps invite a technician over to examine your battery. This may be the time for a battery replacement. However, if your battery loses charge because of acid stratification – CTEK battery chargers can recondition your battery. Use the RECOND mode on your battery charger | battery chargers. RECOND mode is only for wet lead acid batteries, once or twice a year. RECOND may help in preventing the acid stratification, keeping the capacity higher for longer times.
Now that we’ve got you thinking about battery chargers | battery charger, you're ready to charge. Try a top-quality battery charger from CTEK!
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