Knowing how to use a car battery charger is vitally essential for anyone with a vehicle – dead car batteries are a fairly common problem. 

If you are concerned about a dead battery, or you are having problems with starting your car, consider bringing a portable charger in the vehicle with you. It’s better to be overly cautious than to find yourself without a way to charge your battery. 

The following guide on how to use a car battery charger will ensure that you will know exactly what to do when it comes to charging the vehicle’s battery.

Make Sure You Have the Correct Car Battery Charger

First and foremost, make sure you have chosen the correct car battery charger for your vehicle. You will want to ensure that the charger you purchase has the same Amp hour rating that the battery has. A charger that has a lower rating will take much longer to charge your battery fully. 

Also, consider all of the different features that the chargers you are looking at have to offer. Some aspects like portability, size, and how fast it can charge are all important to weigh before making your final choice. 

Connect the Car Battery and the Charger

After choosing your ideal product, you can now learn how to use a car battery charger correctly. 

Get familiar with the charger you chose, and then connect it to the battery by attaching the positive (red) clamp to the battery’s positive post. It will have a plus sign on it.

Then, attach the black negative clamp to the negative battery post. It has a minus sign on it. 

You can either charge the battery while it’s inside the car or after it’s been removed. 

Set the Charger Volt and Amps

Once you have connected the battery and the charger, you will need to set the amps and voltage. If you want the battery to trickle charge slowly, it will need to be at a lower amperage than if you want it done quickly. 

If you have time to spare, trickle charging does a much better job of ensuring that your battery is thoroughly charged. 

Start Charging

After you have gotten everything plugged in and in its place, you can plug the charger into the wall. Depending on the charger, you may be able to ask for a specific amount of time for it to charge, or it may shut down on its own when it’s complete.

It’s a good idea to leave the cord and charger alone while it’s charging – otherwise, it could become a safety issue. 

Disconnect the Charger

Once your car battery is fully charged, you can turn the charger off and unplug it. 

To disconnect the cables, you will want to do it the opposite way they were attached. Meaning that the negative clamp should be removed first, and then the positive one. 

At this point, you are ready to start driving. 

Final Thoughts on How to Use a Car Battery Charger

Following this guide on how to use a car battery charger will ensure that your vehicle is always ready for the road. 

However, if you find yourself having more extensive battery issues that can’t be so easily fixed, you may want to consider selling it as a junk car and getting cash for it. If you are searching online for “money for junk cars near me,” look no further than US Junk Cars for a great deal. 

Check out our service areas to find a US Junk Cars location near you.