CAR BATTERY CHARGERS

A Car Battery charger is used to charge the battery used in the cars from an AC electrical outlet or from its own battery.

It has three primary functions:  

Charging the battery 

Maintaining optimal charging rate 

Termination of Charging 

Batteries work by storing energy. Technically, Electrons get stored at the negative end due to various electrochemical reactions going on between the acids in the battery. When any conduit is provided to these electrons using a wire, these electrons are attracted to the positive pole and run towards it. Now, if this conduit is an electrical device, moving electrons provide enough energy for the electrical device to work. 

A car battery charger works by reversing the normal current in the battery by moving the electrons to the negative pole from the positive pole. This process recharges the battery as electrons are once again ready to move towards positive pole through a conduit.  

Both the lead Acid type battery and metal chloride battery can be charged with a car battery charger. Choosing a charger should not be a difficult job but there are many chargers available in the market at various price points. Your first concern should be safety than the price point. Battery contains hazardous acids. The fumes are also poisonous. There are intelligent charges available in the market today.  These chargers give full current to the battery till the battery has grown close to maximum capacity. It then cuts down on the power for charging by half or more till battery is fully charged. Normally your charger will come with a LED display. The display will turn green when the battery is fully charged.  You can also use the charger to check if the battery is charged at a given point of time to see whether problem lies with the battery or something else.  

You will plug the car battery charger into the normal socket available in homes to charge your battery. Since batteries use direct current and not alternating currently, which is what is available in our homes, your car battery charger should also invert the power type from AC to DC.  

Batteries can be charged at various rates. Typical rates are classified as below: 

·         Slow:   It will take around 14 -16 hours charging at 0.1 C rate. 

·         Quick Charge: It will take 3 to 6 hours at a rate of 0.3 C 

·         Fast : This can be done in less than an hour charging at rate of 1.0 C 

If you follow all the direction listed in the manual, almost all the Car battery chargers are normally safe to use. However, a battery contains dangerous acids and poisonous fumes. Therefore, a battery should never be charged in an unventilated area. It is always safe to keep the charging battery away from normal work area, so that if acid leaks or if there are fumes, they are dissipated quickly.