Why We All Need Our Own Car Battery Charger
Most of us who drive a car have experienced trying to start the engine on a cold morning and having the car battery to fail us.
Well guess what, it wouldn't have happened if you had owned and used a car battery charger!
Usually this type of battery failure happens in cold weather or when your vehicle has not been started for a few weeks.
It happened to me a couple of weeks ago when I returned home from a two and a half week trip overseas. But I had an auto battery charger in my garage, and was able to get going again fairly quickly. I was fortunate I didn't need to be any place on time that morning.
However, battery failure does not happen if your auto battery is in good condition and if you're driving your car for a few days every week, because driving the car means the engine is turning the alternator, and when the alternator is turning it is charging the car's 12 V battery.
But if the battery is not in perfect condition; perhaps it is old, perhaps it has been overcharged at some time or other, or maybe it has never had its electrolyte level topped up with distilled water. Then you may have a battery that doesn't accept a charge, or if it does accept an electric charge it loses it again very rapidly.
It is also possible that your vehicle's alternator may be faulty and therefore it fails to charge the battery, or your battery's terminals may be dirty and electrical connections might be loose. Any of these faults can prevent your battery from being charged, and if it isn't charged full of electricity, then the chances are very high that it will fail you when you try to start your car in the morning.
And of course, Murphy's Law states that troubles like this are especially likely when you are on your way to an important meeting, such as a job interview, where you cannot possibly afford to be late.
An automobile battery charger is not expensive, and it is very cheap insurance against having this kind of excitement when you'd really prefer that things ran smoothly... without any dramas.
Like any mechanical checks on your vehicles, it is important to check your car's battery every week, just as you probably check your vehicle's tires and made sure that the lights and traffic indicators are all working as well.
And if you're 12 V car battery has been giving you any trouble at all, you'll take it to a carriage and ask the mechanic or technician there to test the battery for you. if your vehicle's battery proves to be faulty, and you should replace it immediately. I would suggest you buy it from the carriage that just helped you rather than shopping around to save a couple of dollars. It will be money well spent.
Deciding which kind of auto battery charger to buy can be a bit tricky because there are so many types of car battery charger that you can buy. These range from low powered trickle battery chargers which can be left running for days at a time without overcharging your battery. Then there are larger, more powerful car battery chargers which can take a flat battery and charges up to full power within an hour or so; however you cannot leave these things running longer than that because they can overheat and damage your car battery.
The best automobile battery chargers contain sophisticated electronic circuitry that will test and analyze the health of your car battery. They can recharge it quickly if it is flat, and then change to a trickle charge to make sure your battery does not overheat or overcharge. But naturally, you will have to pay more if you want this convenience.
Some car battery chargers are so big and heavy that they have their own set of wheels so you can push them around the workshop. Others also small that they just plug into your car's cigarette lighter socket and boost your auto's battery overnight.
All you need to do now is decide which type of automobile battery charger you require, then do a little bit more research to find the best mix of price and features. Good luck.
Car Battery Charger Pages
- Automotive Battery Chargers
Automotive battery chargers are designed to charge all kinds of vehicle batteries. These include motor cars, motor cycles and motor boats. - here are not a lot of tools that one needs to perform basic car maintenance.
Rather than buying lots of items that you may never use, you should concentrate
on buying high-quality tools that will be sure to give you good service. Many of
the better brands offer a lifetime warranty, which you will come to appreciate
when a socket cracks during intense use. Once you have the basic items you
need, you can get specialized tools or tools specifically designed for your car and
its components.
The first thing you’ll need is a socket set. Socket sets consist of a ratcheted
handle (often referred to as simply a ratchet) and a number of sockets in
different sizes. The sockets are available in metric or SAE (fractions of an inch)
sizes, most cars today use metric although many older American cars used
SAE. A given ratchet handle will work with metric or SAE sockets; in the US and
Canada, these handles (and the sockets that attach to them) typically come in
two formats – 3/8”and ½”. The ½”sockets and handles are beefier and typically
come in larger sizes. Sockets also come in standard or “deep well” types; there
are also a number of adapters, extensions, breaker bars, etc. that are available.
To start out, though, most do-it-yourselfer mechanics will want to get a metric 3/
8”, standard-depth socket set and buy additional pieces as they go.
The next thing you’ll need is a set of screwdrivers in various sizes. You should
get flathead and Phillips types; it’s also a good idea to get various lengths. The
best screwdrivers have hardened tips such that they won’t get damaged on
particularly difficult seized screws. A set of wrenches in various sizes (metric or
SAE, depending on your car) is also a must; nowadays one can get wrenches
with built-in ratcheting mechanisms, but this is not necessary. It is more
important to get good quality wrenches than ones with lots of features.
You will also need a torque wrench. This tool allows one to tighten nuts and
bolts using a specific amount of force; many automotive repair and maintenance
tasks require specific amounts of torque be applied to certain fasteners. Torque
wrenches come in beam type (which have a scale mounted perpendicular to
the wrench itself and have a dial showing the amount of force applied) and
conventional style (which have rotary adjustment dials or a digital display that
lets one “dial in” the amount of torque desired, which is indicated by a clicking
noise when the setting is reached). Torque wrenches are used with the sockets
from your socket set, and thus come in 3/8”and ½” sizes, with larger-sized
wrenches having higher indicated amounts of torque that can be applied. A 3/8”
conventional style torque wrench with adjustment up to 200 or 250 foot-pounds
of force is great to start with; some maintenance tasks are easier to accomplish
with a beam type torque wrench, so you might consider getting one of those
down the road.
The last item you’ll need is a toolbox – a place to keep your stuff. This is mostly
a matter of personal preference, but keep in mind you’ll want to get something
big enough to hold the tools you no doubt get in the future.
M.Shahid Zahid
No comments:
Post a Comment