How to charge the car battery: charger, maintainer or starter

How to charge the car battery

If the your car battery has run out of charge or you suspect that it is going to do so, there are several ways to load it according to the needs you have. In any case, if your problem is that you need to start the car now, to get going, it is better that you consult how to boot a car without a battery. If it's not too old, a 20 minute spin at about 2.000 rpm should fix the problem.

If what you want is charge the battery at home and keep it in an optimal state, the solution is different. These are battery chargers or maintainers. A more suitable solution for vehicles that for whatever reason do not move and they end up downloading. In these cases, it is not good to let it "die" because it suffers a lot and can be completely damaged if it remains without charge for a long time.

Battery charger

Chargers to charge the car battery

Battery chargers are a frequent element in the workshops and in the garages of many hobbyists. They are not all the same as there are with different power levels and therefore with different charging speeds. If you want the battery to have enough charge to start the car in a few minutes, you better go for one with a lot amps (A). For example, a Greencut CRB300 with 30A. Although this type of charger requires plugs with an amperage at its height that are more typical of a workshop. Domestic ones usually have much less amperage, except perhaps in the kitchen (for ovens and washing machines).

You can check in our comparison which is the best jump starter o battery charger for cars

You can opt for other chargers with less amps, such as the Einhell CC-BC 15M. This one for example is more suitable for amps that can be found in homesso you won't have any problems. Also, although it is a little slower, you can charge the battery enough to start the car in 30 minutes or 1 hour. Although that depends on how powerful it is.

As you can see, in the case of chargers, the charging speed depends above all on the amps. That is why you should look carefully at the specifications to see how many the device you are going to buy has. There are very low powerand Ferve F-806, which only has 4A. Although that does not have to be an inconvenience if time is not a factor for you. Anyway, take a look at the next section because there are better alternatives to a charger with little power.

Important announcement

Whether you choose a charger, a maintainer or a starter, it is very important that you select one with the proper voltage. Most car batteries have 12V, but you better make sure and take a quick look under the hood.

battery maintainer

Smart car battery maintainers or chargers

battery maintainers not to be confused with chargers, although since they can also fulfill that function, the sellers advertised as smart chargers. In reality, its mission is to maintain a battery with a good level of charge when it is not going to be used for a long period. However, it is normal for them to be designed to maintain a battery that is already charged.

Still, over time can charge batteries with a very low charge level. But we are talking about several days or weeks working to achieve it. There are several good options on the market such as Black & DeckerThat of Suaoki or of dr auto. First is a good example of a device merely maintainer due to its low amperage level. the next two they could be best slow chargers because they have 4A and 8A respectively. Of course, we must not forget that in principle that is not its specific function.

car starter

car battery starters

Since we are reviewing the devices to breathe life into the car battery, it is also convenient to talk about the starters. These are devices with their own battery capable of delivering a lot of amperage. We are talking about between 600A and 2.000A. That is, enough power so that the car can start immediately or almost. They don't usually charge a car battery by themselves, but once you start them you can always resort to charging by keeping it at 2.000rpm until the battery is full.

There are very good options on the market such as TackLife and of Vetomile, with 600 and 800 amps respectively. Of course, depending on the engine you have, it is better that you opt for very powerful starters. The larger the motor, the more powerful the starter should be. And if it's diesel, even more so. In the specifications it usually comes down to what type of engine it can start, but keep in mind that they are usually quite optimistic about what they can do.

If you want to know more about this part of your car, do not miss the article: Discharged car battery How to check if there is electrical consumption?.

Why do I need a battery charger?

If you don't know if you're going to need a charger or a maintainer, the best way to find out is check how well your battery lasts. To do this, we recommend the following video, which explains how to check the battery status in a very simple way and without the need for a tester that they have in workshops.

As you can see, it is an easy and safe method that consists of ccheck battery voltage after charging it well. Which indicates how much time it has left of useful life. Of course, we recommend that you follow all the steps to the letter because they are important.

How to use a multimeter
Related article:
The best multimeters for your car

What if the battery is hopeless?

In that case we recommend that you buy a new one and change it, because normally it is a very simple task. In the following video we show you how to do it in a few steps, even without losing the memories.


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