Portal for car enthusiasts

Full battery charge. Can a charged battery be charged? Can a maintenance-free battery be charged? When to Pay Attention to Your Battery

How to charge a car battery?

Under normal conditions, the car battery is charged from an electric generator located inside vehicle. It is important that this process does not cause an increase in the level of gas released in the device, so the voltage supplied to it should be exactly 14.1 Volts with an error of plus or minus 0.2 Volts. The function of regulation in the auto system is performed by a special relay. But full charge car battery capable of providing a current with a voltage of 14.5 volts.

As a result, in any battery there is always a shortage of charge, which increases as the natural wear of the batteries and the loss of the resource laid down by the manufacturer. This problem is especially acute in winter, when the batteries of cars under the influence of cold begin to discharge faster. Too low a battery charge can cause the car to not start.

How to charge a car battery?

You can recharge your car battery using special device bought in the store. The connection should be made strictly in accordance with the rules and recommendations specified in the instructions for such a product. It is undesirable to use homemade memory, as this can cause damage to the power unit.

If you need to charge a new battery, you must first remove it from the car and take it to a suitable place for this. But if this is not possible, then this can be done when it is directly in the car itself. But before that, you need to take care of security measures.

Charging Batteries: Precautions

Charger battery must be carried out in compliance with the following safety requirements:

  • Use of protective equipment. It is allowed to work with batteries only in chemical-resistant rubber gloves and goggles that protect the corresponding parts of the body from acid damage;
  • Choosing the right place. Car batteries should be charged in well-ventilated areas or outdoors. You can’t do this in a house or apartment where people live, since various hazardous substances (for example, sulfur dioxide) are released in the process. It is better to do this in a garage or technical room where air constantly circulates;
  • Compliance with fire safety rules. Do not smoke, make a fire or use devices that create sparks near a car battery connected to a DC or AC charger. The hydrogen released can come into chemical contact with oxygen, which forms a dangerous and explosive mixture.

Preparing to charge car batteries

Before charging a battery for a car, it is necessary to prepare it for this process. To save time, you can not take out car battery, and bring electric wires from the charger directly to the vehicle itself. You can do this in open garage which is equipped with electrical outlets. The most important thing is to disconnect all the wires located in the car body from the bacterium.

The second way is that the device is connected to the battery, which is previously removed from the car. Before charging the CU battery, it must be completely discharged. To do this, you can connect its outputs to external lighting devices and leave it like that for several hours.

Assessment of the condition of batteries

First you need to make sure that the terminals of the product are sufficiently well cleaned of grease and dirt. If this is not the case, then the battery must be wiped with a dry cloth. It is necessary to remove the cover and unscrew the special protective plugs. It is important to check the electrolyte in each jar, making sure the liquid is clean and clear. If you notice that the electrolyte has become dark cloudy or “flakes” are floating in it, then it should be replaced.

In addition, you should check the electrolyte level, focusing on the marks that are printed on the walls of the product. If your batteries need recharging, then you first need to replenish the amount of liquid. Otherwise, it will lead to complete or partial damage to the product during the use of the corresponding devices. For this purpose, distilled water is poured into cars (battery capacity).

Checking the charge level in power devices

You can determine the degree of charge of a battery for a car by the voltage measured in Volts at its terminals. This should be done no earlier than 6 hours after disconnecting the product from the vehicle power supply circuit. You can use the simplest voltmeter, which is sold in an electrical store.

If the voltmeter shows 12.8 volts, then this means that the battery was able to charge 100 percent. At a voltage of 12.2 volts, the driver should know that she has lost her resource by half. And when the voltage indicator is less than 11.8 volts, then this is evidence that the power device is completely discharged.

Determining the level of charge of power elements in cars using a voltmeter


If it is not possible to wait, then you can check the charge of the already used battery at its output at the moment the engine is started. In this case, the voltage should not fall below 9.5 volts. Or you can measure the voltage at its output pins under load using special load plugs. Such a product is a voltmeter, to the terminals of which resistance is connected in the range from 0.018 to 0.020 ohms. This is sufficient for products with a capacity of 40 to 60 Amp / h. The conclusions must be brought to the battery contacts and after 6 seconds, record the readings of the voltmeter. The result can be determined from the table below.

Determination of the charge level using a load plug

How much current should the battery be charged?

The requirements for the current that is used for these purposes are quite stringent. According to the rules, the power measured in Amperes is exactly 1/10 of the capacity of the devices. For example, if the battery capacity is 60 Amperes / hour, then the current strength should be 6 Amperes.

If the power element of the vehicle is completely discharged, then it is desirable to reduce this indicator. For example, for power devices with a capacity of 45 Amperes / hour, you need to set the current strength to 2.8 Amperes. Such a step will make the recharging process deep and effective, but will also increase it in time.

How to properly charge a battery at home

  • The contacts of the charger are connected to the terminals of the power element of the machine in series - first, plus to plus and only then minus to minus (and only after that it is plugged into the outlet);
  • If the car battery is being charged inside the car, then it must be disconnected from the vehicle's on-board electrical network;
  • The process must be controlled at all its stages. This also applies if automatic memory is used. If something goes wrong, the product may fail or even explode. It is impossible to operate near those places where there are other people or minor children;
  • The number of charges of the power element is limited, as it depends on the resource embedded in it.

How much time does it take?

It depends on how badly the car's battery is discharged. For example, if this happened 100 percent, then when using a current strength of 1/10 of the product's capacity, the process will last at least 15 hours. If the motorist has decided to use a reduced current strength (to obtain a better result), then the duration of the procedure will increase to an average of 24 hours.

If the power element of the machine is already discharged by 50 percent, then it is necessary to reduce the duration of the standard procedure by 2 times. For example, if the capacity of the product is 65 Amperes / hour, but the motorist was able to determine that it was discharged by 50 percent, then in this case, standard recharging with a current of 6.5 Amperes should last no longer 15 hours, but exactly 7.5 hours.

A maintenance-free battery is really different from its serviced counterpart, the point here is in a special structure. You almost never know what it means to add an electrolyte to it, or measure the density. Hence the name maintenance-free, that is, it does not require any maintenance, it is completely autonomous. However, many of my readers are interested in how to charge it and can it be done? After all, now there are a lot of such batteries from different manufacturers, and they are installed on new cars in 90% of cases ...


To begin with, the battery can be recharged “by any means”, I would even say that it is designed for this. Let's remember the structure of the car's on-board network. The battery (at start-up) gives energy to the ignition system and the starter, which spins the engine (it starts). Further, after starting, the generator begins to generate electricity, which recharges our battery.

Serviced or unattended, this is the second question, the main thing is recharging, which replenishes the lost energy during start-up. I will even say more - if you defuse an ordinary maintenance-free battery“to zero” (), then it will simply kill him, after a few such cycles. Therefore, the charge must always be present and, moreover, in the normal phase, .

Then what is the problem?

Many people are not afraid of car charging, but the so-called home charger. THAT is the usual stationary chargers. What problems arise at this stage:

  • Electrolyte boiling cannot be monitored . YES, this is really a problem, because when it boils, we understand that charging is over. One has only to look into the jar, but you can’t look into the unattended one, because it is simply closed (soldered). We don't see what's going on inside.

  • Density cannot be tracked . Again, for the same reason, if in a serviced one, you simply unscrew the plugs and measure the density with a hydrometer, then this will not work here.
  • Battery tightness . Also scary! What will happen if the electrolyte boils, where will the vapors go? What if the hull breaks?

These points are justified, which is why it is important to know how to charge such batteries.

How to charge a maintenance-free battery

Here, the old-fashioned methods (with bubbles on the electrolyte) will not work. It is important for you to know and understand how to charge a car battery, that is, the principles of charge ().

But for understanding, I will remind you a little - there are only two charge methods. It is constant voltage and constant current.

  • Constant voltage. This is when you set a constant voltage, say 14.4 volts, and the current is automatically regulated. That is, at the beginning it can be 10 amperes, and at the end of the charge 0.2A.
  • DC. On the contrary, tension can jump. We set, say, 2 Amperes, the current at the beginning of the charge will be 15 Volts, and by the end it may drop to 14.4 Volts.

Now all chargers are mostly automatic, they work according to the first point, that is, a constant voltage, but the current strength changes.

By the way, ordinary serviced batteries are also charged, but how long does it take to charge an unattended battery?

How to calculate charge time?

This is a more interesting question, the really inconvenience is that you need to clearly understand how discharged your maintenance-free battery is. That is, we calculate its capacity. But how to do that?

Again, it's simple - you and I know that a 100% charge is a voltage of 12.7 Volts. But a fully discharged battery is 11.7 Volts. Of course, you can discharge even more, but this is not recommended, in general 10 volts, this is already a serious discharge.

Accordingly, 0.1 X 5 \u003d 0.5. Now add 11.7 + 0.5 = 12.2V. This is a kind of discharge up to 50%.

Now a little about the capacity, for batteries it is 55 - 60 - 75, etc. ampere*hour. That is, this amount of current, he will be able to give in one hour. If we have a discharge of 50%, it means that we have lost about half of the capacity - for example, 30 Amperes have gone from 60, etc.

That is, in order to replenish 50% of the capacity, we need to supply a certain current and “fill” the battery. It is possible to apply 30A in one hour (in our example), but this will kill the battery. The recommended charge is 10% of capacity. In our case, this is 6A. And since we need to replenish 30A, then 30/6 = 5 hours. That is, at this current, we need to charge it for five hours.

I probably confused you, but the main thing is to learn how to determine the degree of battery discharge. Remember the lower limit is 11.7V, the upper limit is 12.7V.

Automatic charging stations

Of course, the “automatic machines” will do everything for you, there is no need to “steam” what current to supply and regulate the voltage. He will do everything automatically. And to be honest, there has long been no VOLTMETER or AMMETER, they were removed as unnecessary.

Such a charger will supply the maximum current in the first hour, in the second hour the current is two to three times less, but in the sixth or seventh hour, the current may generally drop to a minimum, approximately 0.05A. Therefore, even if your maintenance-free battery is on such a charge, it will never boil, because the currents during “filling” are minimal, and I read somewhere that they may be completely absent, that is, it turns off.

What happens if you recharge?

Okay, we figured out the automatic chargers. But what will happen if you constantly recharge with the old “charger”, where you set the current and voltage rigidly? That is, you need to recharge at 6 Amperes, say 6 hours, and you “fuck”, 8 or even 10!

Of course, the electrolyte inside will boil, this is a purely physical principle. However, the battery will not burst (like a ball), as many people think! It has a special valve inside, which in emergency cases designed to throw off - through the "chur" high pressure. It opens just when you have a long and very powerful recharge, which, by the way, can also kill the battery - the case will survive, but part of the electrolyte will evaporate, you need to understand this!

I'm a teapot, I don't want to calculate all sorts of amperes, what should I do?

You can understand, it’s not always easy to charge a maintenance-free battery - everyone needs time and current calculations. But even here the manufacturers took care of you, they made batteries with green windows for people like you (or many people call them lamps). The principle is simple: when it is normally charged, the green indicator is on; when it is discharged, it is black; if there is not enough electrolyte, it is white. , it's very detailed.

Can you charge at home?

Well, the last question - is it possible to charge at home? After all, let's say a served fellow - to put it mildly, because when boiling, harmful, and even explosive gas is released.

Modern intellectual Charger is able to independently properly charge the car battery with the restoration of its capacity, carry out diagnostics and desulfation in full automatic mode. With the help of such a device, motorists keep the battery in working condition. The device is useful if the car is used seasonally, and spends the rest of the time in the garage; you often move short distances or leave periodically, not every day, especially in winter: consumption is more replenishment. The car charger is an extremely useful device in the driver's inventory that will not let you get into trouble.

Content:

Types of chargers

There are two types of chargers: pulse or transformer. The range of stores is dominated by impulse memory. They are much lighter and more compact than their transformer relatives, increase battery life and produce desulfation (which will be discussed separately).

Modern chargers are automatic. They independently determine the type of battery, select the required electric current and charging stages. Some models allow you to adjust the current and voltage manually.

Universal chargers charge any batteries. Suitable for electric cars, motorcycles, cars and trucks. They give current with different voltages from 6 to 48 volts. The model is suitable for a battery with a voltage of 12 or 24 V.

Starters and chargers are especially relevant in winter. Start the engine with a fully discharged battery. To start, a current of 100 amperes is required. popular model gives 250 A: enough to start a two-liter diesel engine or four-liter gasoline.

Charging your car battery properly

First, make sure you need to charge. So we will not allow the battery to be recharged, which will shorten the battery life or completely ruin it. The maintenance-free battery requires no preparation, and the need for charging is determined by a special tester. If the car battery is serviceable:

  1. Before charging and upon completion, it is advisable to wipe the battery case from dirt and acid, remove the oxide film from the terminals.
  2. We unscrew the fill plugs.
  3. Checking the electrolyte level. It should cover the lead plates with a margin. Immerse the level gauge in the electrolyte up to the separator, collect the solution into it and take it out. The level will be 10-12 mm, if less, add distilled water. The level gauge can be replaced with any small diameter glass or plastic tube.
  4. We determine the degree of charge of the battery by measuring the density of the solution. Take a hydrometer and draw electrolyte into it. The density of a charged battery will be 1.27±0.01 g/cm3. A decrease in density by 0.01 g/cm3 corresponds to a decrease in battery charge by 5 percent.
  5. We determine the degree of charge by measuring the voltage of the battery. We lean the multimeter probes to the terminals: plus to plus, minus to minus. The voltage of the charged battery will be 12.6 ± 0.1 V.

We recommend using an automatic charger. Works safely and efficiently. Some models independently determine the state of the battery and report the need for charging. It takes place in several stages, during which the battery restores its original capacity and is fully charged. On the model example:

  1. Desulfation: removes sulfates from lead plates.
  2. Soft Start: Checks battery health.
  3. Primary charge: charges with a maximum current of up to 80 percent.
  4. Absorption: smoothly reduces the current and charges up to 100 percent.
  5. Diagnostics: Tests the battery's ability to hold a charge.
  6. Recovery: Eliminates electrolyte stratification.
  7. Buffer: maintains maximum battery voltage.
  8. Prevention: monitors battery voltage, maintaining a full charge.

We connect the charger to the battery using alligator clips: plus to plus, minus to minus. We feed the memory from the outlet and turn it on. According to the instructions, select the mode of operation. The charge has gone, no intervention is required in the process - it will end on its own.

Observe fire safety measures. Explosive gas is released during the process: ventilate the area and keep sparks away from the battery. Do not charge a cold battery, let it warm up to room temperature.

The charging time depends on the capacity of the battery and the current of the charger. With good batteries, it takes at least 12 hours. The optimal current strength is 1/10 of the battery capacity: it charges quickly and does not damage the battery. That is, for a car battery with a capacity of 50 Ah, a current of 5 A will be needed. The model will tell you how much you need to charge the car battery with a charger, it accurately displays the remaining time in hours.

Car battery desulfation

Sulfation is a normal process when using a battery. When the battery is discharged, a coating of lead sulfate crystals forms on the surface of the lead plates. They close the access of the plates to the electrolyte: the free surface of the plates decreases and the battery loses its capacity.

The reverse process occurs when the battery is charged. The crystals dissolve and the surface of the plates can freely contact the electrolyte. In some cases, large, sparingly soluble crystals are formed, which start the process of battery degradation.


One day the engine won't start. A normal battery will last 5 years, but it can degrade faster. The sulfation process will accelerate if:

  • Driving with an uncharged battery.
  • The vehicle is idle with a dead battery.
  • Ride in cold weather. Due to the cold, the battery is slowly charging.
  • Ride in the heat. Sulfation is accelerated by excessive heat.
  • Charging the battery incorrectly.
  • Desulphate the battery incorrectly.

Handle the battery with care. The automatic charger will detect the sulfation level of the battery, properly desulfate and charge it. If the car is going to have a long downtime in the garage: connect the charger to the battery, the charge will be maintained at a constant level.

Choosing a charger by type of battery

Choosing the right charger depends on the type of car battery. Lead Acid, Alkaline, AGM or GEL - the charger is designed to work with one or more battery types. Find out the voltage of the battery and its capacity. Take a look at these features:

  • Voltage: Corresponds to the battery voltage. Typically 12V for cars or 24V for trucks.
  • Current: 10 percent of battery capacity. For a battery with a capacity of 50 Ah, a charger with a current of 5 A is suitable.
  • Charging stages: The most effective battery recovery occurs with eight and nine stages of charging.
  • Weight and dimensions: models for cars weigh no more than a kilogram and fit freely in a bag; for cargo, you need to allocate space in the trunk.
Up to 5 thousand rubles
Place, model A photo Voltage, V Charging current, A Number of stages Battery capacity, Ah Battery type, lead+
1. 12 8 9 6-160 WET, MF, VRLA, Ca, AGM and GEL
2. 6, 12 4 9 6-120 WET, WET, AGM, GEL
3. 12 0,8 4 3-96 AGM, GEL
4. 12 4 9 1,2-80 WET, MF, VRLA, Ca, AGM and GEL
5. 12 2 3, no desulfation 4-80 WET, MF, VRLA, Ca, AGM and GEL

The most affordable chargers for everyday use. Suitable for car. The Aggressor AGR/SBC-040 model will charge the battery of a motorcycle and an ATV, as it works with voltages of both 12 and 6 V. The youngest Smart Power SP-2N model does not desulfate the battery and cannot be connected to maintain a charge for a long time.

Up to 11 thousand rubles
Place, model A photo Voltage, V Charging current, A Number of stages Battery capacity, Ah Battery type, lead+
1. 12 0,8-5 8 1,2-160 WET, Ca/Ca, MF, GEL, AGM
2. 12 0,4-5 8 3-240 AGM, GEL
3. 6, 12 2.5, 6 and 10 4 5-240 SLA, WET, MF, AGM, GEL, Ca/Ca
4. 12, 24 12.5 and 25 9 12V 50-500, 24V 25-250 WET, MF, VRLA, AGM and GEL
5. 12, 24 12-25 9 6-120 WET, AGM, GEL

Universal chargers for intensive battery support. Effectively restore a deeply discharged battery. Models SP-25N and AGR-250 with 12V or 24V are suitable for cars and trucks, construction equipment. Battery Service PL-C010P Expert has a voltage of 6 and 12 V. Golden mean among car chargers: Ctek MXS 5.0 and OptiMate 6 TM180.

From 15 thousand rubles

Professional chargers will cope with the most capacious battery. Charge the battery of a car, tractor or boat. These models regularly serve in the service. The Ctek XS 25000 model comes with a pair of accessories: an extended six-meter cable and a wall mount. The Ctek D250S Dual model is connected to DC generators: solar panels and windmills.

Conclusion

We hope our article helped you figure out how to properly charge a car battery. We told you which chargers you should use in 2017 and compiled a selection of current models. Feel free to contact us for advice. We will select the best device for your car.

Despite its fairly simple device, a car battery is still one of the most complex and incomprehensible parts of a car. Traditional questions related to proper operation motorists have quite a lot, and one of them is the question of whether it needs to be charged, how often it should be done, and whether it always needs to be removed for this. Any battery needs periodic charging and, basically, for this you need to remove it - for example, with a mandatory Maintenance.

Charging will also be required in the event that he just sat down, and is not able to provide adequate starting current. This often happens when an electrical appliance is running in a car all night - a radio tape recorder, headlights or dimensions, interior lighting. In other cases, the battery does not need to be charged. Subject to regular monitoring of the battery voltage, which recommended 4-5 times a year. To do this, it is enough to use an ordinary ammeter. In cold weather, the frequency of control can be increased.

Charging the battery - to remove from the car or not

In general, it is much more convenient to charge the battery that is removed from the car. So it can be carefully inspected for damage to the body, cleaned, check the electrolyte level and its density - and all in a comfortable environment. But car owners with a huge amount of complex electronics try not to do this, motivating possible problems with electronics arising after the charged battery returns to its place. In fairness, it should be noted that such fears are well founded.

The fact is that most complex on-board electronics are extremely sensitive to power outages. There are many cases when a newly supplied battery disabled sensors, controllers or on-board computer. The owners of such cars by hook or by crook try to charge the battery without removing it from the car. Or they go to the other extreme - they do not charge the installed battery at all, hoping that the on-board charging system will do this.

This is far from true. The fact is that while the engine is running, the battery is recharged by the alternator. But at the same time, it is necessary to ensure maximum safety of the process. In order for the gas emission process to remain under control and not exceed normal values, a special regulator is located near the generator, which is responsible for ensuring that the charging current does not exceed 14 V, while 14.5 V is required to fully charge the battery. In this way The car battery is never 100% charged.

Proper battery charging without removal

So, the answer to the question of whether it is possible to charge the battery without removing the terminals is yes. Therefore, you need to understand how to do it correctly, quickly and safely. To begin with, it is worth bearing in mind the fact that even the ignition key removed from the lock does not block the power supply to some devices. Fine, the supply voltage of all auto electronics does not exceed 12 V, while the charging current for the battery is 1.5-16 V. Therefore, if there is no certainty that all electronics are de-energized, it makes sense to remove the negative terminal from the battery - this will save the devices.

When charging the battery without removing it from the vehicle, proceed as follows:

  • release the battery from the protective cover, remove the metal bolts, clean the upper surface, including the terminals;
  • check the electrolyte level, if it is lacking, be sure to make up for the lack of distilled water - otherwise there will be no 100% charge;
  • prepare a charger - it must be disconnected from the network, when connected, strictly follow the polarity;
  • plug the charger into the network.

Attention! With this method of charging the battery, it is unacceptable to use home-made or outdated models of chargers, since it is extremely important to provide “high-quality” current and accurately maintain the desired voltage. This is the only way to charge the battery without removing it from the car.

How long does it take to charge well?

If you can charge the battery without removing the terminals, it is definitely possible, but with the time it takes to fully charge, everything is not so simple. The time it takes to charge each battery varies. So, especially powerful batteries charge much longer than low-capacity batteries. The time of full charge is also affected by the degree of its discharge - in the absence of energy in the battery, it will take quite a lot of time to charge it. Of course, the strength of the charging current, and the ambient temperature, and the charger itself also matter. You can look at the practical process of charging and its time in the video:

The purpose of the charge also matters. For example, if you urgently need to charge the battery without removing it from the car, then in order to start the engine, you can do the following:

  • disconnect the wires from it;
  • connect the charger, then turn it on;
  • set the current value to the limit;
  • wait 15 minutes;
  • turn off the "charger", connect the wires and start the car.

Such a measure is forced, and you should not resort to it too often. For a better and full charge, it is better to remove the battery. After completing all the necessary preliminary steps (cleaning, checking and correcting the electrolyte), leave it connected to the charger for the whole night. Just don't forget to leave the plugs unscrewed. The end of a charge cycle is best judged not by time, but by the charger.

Important! The arrow of its indicator should be located on the left side, either at 0 or below.

New battery - should it be charged

A newly purchased battery can also be charged without removing the terminals, but many motorists are concerned about the question - is it necessary to do this. It is worth starting with the fact that it will be new only for the buyer. Until the moment of purchase, it could “collect dust” in the store for many months, and if after purchase it is immediately installed in a car, its power may not be enough to start the engine very soon, especially in winter. That's why it would be more correct to charge it first, and only then begin operation.

Regardless of which battery is being charged and how - removing it from the car or not, all precautions must be observed, since improper charging can end very badly. The first thing to pay close attention to is good ventilation. In the process of "feeding" the battery releases into the surrounding air a huge amount of chemical compounds that are extremely aggressive for humans. These include sulfur dioxide, arsenic hydrogen and many others, and in addition, a huge amount of hydrogen, when combined with oxygen, forming an explosive mixture.

In addition, it is necessary to work with the battery only with gloves, since sulfuric acid can cause deep chemical burns of the skin. Naturally, if you start the charging process with the lids of the cans closed, the battery is very likely to explode. In the event that the charge is homemade devices, you must also remember the approximate time for the end of the charge, since overcharging is also harmful to the battery, like a complete discharge.

In the life of every car owner, there comes a time when the old battery needs to be replaced with a new one. Since anyone who owns a car is well aware that the battery needs to be charged, when buying a new power source, he may wonder: do I need to charge a new battery if I just bought it? The easiest way is to immediately put it in the car and start using it, relying on the seller's convincing words that the battery is new and completely ready for use. However, this is often not the case.

How to test a new battery before buying

Of course, each car battery must be checked immediately before its purchase, in the store. The check is not just a detailed questioning of the seller about which company the battery is and what its advantages are. Coming to a car shop, first of all, you should be guided by several simple rules, which will help you avoid unnecessary praise of the goods by sellers and once again insure against an unsuccessful purchase.

When buying a new battery, you should look at the date of its manufacture. If six months or less have passed from the date of manufacture indicated on the case, such a battery can be purchased, and it is considered new. If a year or more has passed since the date of production of the battery, there is a possibility that it has already partially exhausted its resource, and you have every right to ask for a substantial discount from the seller upon purchase.

How to charge a new serviceable battery

If we talk about how to properly charge a new battery, if it belongs to the serviced category, the method is best here when the voltage indicator is adjusted - it changes in the process. So it decreases, and this has a good effect on the further operation of the battery.

Proper charging new serviced battery is carried out as follows:

  • set the charger so that the current indicator is 10 percent of the battery capacity;
  • during charging, the voltage will increase;
  • when it reaches 14.4 V, you need to reduce the current by half;
  • you need to charge the battery, constantly monitoring the voltage;
  • when U reaches 16 V, it stabilizes - this means that the battery is charging correctly.

It is impossible to say exactly how to properly charge a new battery in time, how many hours it will last. But the approximate figure is 12-14 hours.

Since this is an alternating voltage method, the charging of a new battery must be carried out under constant checking conditions U. If your charger does not have a charge level indicator, you can check the state of charge of the battery using a hydrometer. It measures the density level of the electrolytic fluid. And if it remains unchanged for three hours, the charged battery can be disconnected from the charger.

Charging a new maintenance-free battery

If you purchased a maintenance-free battery, it is recommended to charge it using the method when the voltage is constant. Thanks to this method, the electrolyte inside the battery does not heat up so much.

For a maintenance-free “battery”, it is best to use a charger equipped with a charge level indicator and the ability to automatically regulate U.

After an hour of charging, the battery capacity is restored by more than half (if its indicator was initially much less than that declared by the manufacturer). And after 3-4 hours, you can raise the capacity level to 90 percent or more.

In general, it takes about five hours. If the charger is equipped with an indicator, it will always notify you of the end of the process.

Summing up

So, there is not much difference in how to charge a new battery. And whether it is necessary to charge a new car battery - can be determined based on the voltage indicators that have already been given above. If you find yourself the owner of a new battery, which for one reason or another has already lost part of its resource (for example, due to improper storage operation), such batteries are charged normally.

Often, after purchasing a new battery, motorists ask when the battery should be charged for the first time. In order to understand if the battery needs it, always check the voltage readings. Remember that the battery may need the first charge earlier than you expect: for example, when climatic conditions change, as well as in case of unplanned overuse of internal resources.

In order not to have to charge a new car battery too early and often, follow a few simple recommendations:

  • After your first ride comes to an end, measure the voltage immediately. The course during the test must be idle, and the vehicle's energy consumers are turned off.
  • Do not forget to inspect the battery from time to time for possible mechanical damage and accumulation of dust and dirt, remove dirt regularly.
  • Check car terminals to avoid them, watch the tightness of the housing and outlets.
  • If you "light" your car from another, do not burn out the wiring , turn off the ignition.
  • Check once a month the operating condition of the relay-regulator and the car's alternator. This will help to avoid force majeure situations with the battery.
  • Check battery voltage regularly , don't miss his critical drop to 30%.

In order for the new battery to last much longer, be careful and handle it carefully and carefully. In case you are not sure that you can handle it yourself, contact a service station.