Trouble starting your car? This may be a sign your car battery needs to be charged with a trickle charger. The battery in your vehicle is constantly being charged while driving. Sometimes a battery in a car that is not driven frequently might sit in the garage or outside in the hot sun. This can cause a “dead” battery.
Learn how to use a trickle charger for your automobile so that you never have a dead battery again. Charging your car battery with a trickle charger can ensure that the car starts every time.
Be Safe When Trickle Charging A Car Battery:
- Wear safety glasses for safety purposes
- Read the directions that came with the trickle charger
- Set the voltage and amperage appropriate for your battery
- Be aware of overcharging the battery
- Use caution when choosing the location you charge the battery
- Make sure to know which wire gets connected to the battery
- Be mindful of which terminal and which part of the battery you connect to
- Do not leave the trickle charger connected for an extended period of time
- Be sure to disconnect the charger once the battery is fully charged
How to Trickle Charge Your Car Battery
1. Park The Car In A Ventilated Area
When you connect the car battery trickle charger components, the vehicle can no longer be moved. Select a fixed location for the automobile – it might be parked in a carport or garage. Although it is normal, some fumes may emanate from the system during the trickle process.
Make sure you’re not in an enclosed space. In other words, you need some ventilation in the area where you will be trickle charging the battery on your car
2. Connect Black Wire To Car Frame
The safest way to connect the trickle charger to the battery is to make sure the trickle charger is NOT turned on or plugged in, be sure the trickle charger is not plugged into power.
There should be 2 wires coming from the trickle charger, red and black. Red is positive + and Black is negative -. Before connecting the red and black wires to the car battery, for safety reasons you should ground the black wire to the cars frame first.
Connect the black wire from the trickle charger to a clean area of the car’s unpainted area of the frame away from the battery. Do not connect the black wire of the trickle charger to the battery when trickle charging a battery still connected in a vehicle, as it can result in a spark and gases can be present.
Trickle Charge Battery In Vehicle Instructions
NOTE: The black wire from the trickle charger can be connected directly to the negative side of the battery but only if the car battery is already grounded.
If the battery is not located within the vehicle, there is no choice but to connect the negative black wire directly to the battery. Just be sure to connect the wires to the battery before you power up the trickle charger.
3. Connect Trickle Charger To Battery
Attach the red clamp from the trickle charger to the red positive + terminal on the car battery. Check that it is secure and will not fall off. The black clamp should have already been connected to the cars frame for proper grounding. Once the trickle charge clamps are connected, check that they are secure and not coming into contact with anything else.
4. Power Up The Trickle Charger
Once the clamps are connected from the trickle charger to the car battery and grounded correctly, you can safely plug the trickle charger into a power outlet and turn it ON.
If the trickle charger has lights that show everything is set up properly, take a look and be sure it shows power is flowing to charge the battery as intended. A light on the charger will illuminate to show it is working properly.
5. Check Charger And Battery Periodically
Look at the charger and battery now and then to be sure the lights on the charger are not showing a problem. Check that the clamps are still secure and have not fallen off.
Trickle charging your battery will slowly give the battery the power to start your car when you need to drive. When you’re ready to drive your car, the battery will be fully charged once more.
6. How To Disconnect Trickle Charger From Battery?
Once the battery in your car is charged, you can disconnect the trickle charger. Unplug and turn the trickle charger off. Remove the red clamp from the battery and then the black neg clamp from the car frame.
How Does a Trickle Charger Work?
A trickle charger uses a battery regulator to slowly charge your car’s battery at the same rate it discharges, this prevents overcharging and keeps the battery at full capacity. A trickle charger is usually only 1 or 2 amps.
How Long Can You Trickle Charge A Car Battery?
If the car battery is completely drained it can take 48 hours with a 1 amp trickle charger to recharge the battery. If you have a 2 amp trickle charger the battery should be fully charged in 24 hours.
My Car Sitting In Garage For Long Time
If your car has been sitting, the battery may not be properly charged and your car will not start. Infrequently used batteries can loose their “charge” if they just sit. Getting these batteries charged can be solved with a trickle charger. The best way to charge up an automotive battery not used often is with a properly configured trickle charger.
Our Car Has Not Been Started For Months
If you have not started your car for many months, you may need to use a trickle charger to charge the battery. If the vehicle does not start after months of not driving, it may be wise to use a trickle charger while the car sits.
A trickle charger will slowly and safely give the battery starting power so if your car needs to sit for a few months, you will not have a problem with the battery starting the car.
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