Car battery chargers have been around for some time, and leading brands have them as part of their lineup. But are these devices as helpful as their manufacturers claim?
Could a car battery charger charge a completely dead battery?
Yes, a car battery charger can indeed recharge a dead battery. It offers a convenient way to recharge your battery without turning the engine on or driving around for hours. Instead, what you need to do is connect the charger to a power source and let it recharge your battery overnight. This is ideal for dead or rarely used batteries.
Let’s take a closer look at car battery chargers and how they can be helpful to you.
What Is a Car Battery Charger?
A battery car charger is precisely what the name suggests: it's a charger that you can use to recharge your car battery. The device connects to a wall socket where it taps electricity and uses this to recharge a drained battery.
Remember that when the engine is running, the car recharges the battery automatically. For that reason, many people will not find a car battery charger a necessity.
However, that’s a double-edged sword. For example, what happens if you need to charge a car battery but don’t want to keep your engine running the whole time?
Well, that’s where a car battery charger comes in handy.
How Is a Car Battery Charger Different from Jumper Cables or Jump Starters?
As you might imagine, a car battery charger could be a lifesaver in the case of a dead car battery. But how does this differ from simply hooking it up to another car with jumper cables or using a jump starter?
Well, here’s a hint for you: The difference is in the word ‘jump’. Jumper cables and jump starters work by delivering a strong jolt of electricity to your dead battery so your car can start and recharge the battery itself.
Although a jump start is necessary for many situations, it’s also damaging to the battery’s overall health. That’s where something like a portable car battery charger is superior.
You see, a car battery charger takes the slow route. It delivers a slow and steady charge to your battery, allowing it to regain power without any sudden jolts. That way, the battery experiences less wear and lasts longer overall.
Is It Worth Buying a Car Battery Charger?
First and foremost, it’s essential to understand that a portable car battery charger is not a necessity for everyone. You can certainly survive without it, especially if you only drive around in urban environments. Even if you want to get one, you won’t have to splurge on buying the best car battery charger available on the market because an entry-level model will do just fine for you.
However, this device could be a lifesaver for those driving in the outback or anywhere else far away from civilisation. In these conditions, something like a solar car battery charger could get your vehicle back on the road if there’s no one else to help you jumpstart your battery.
In other words, a car battery charger could be a nice-to-have accessory for some drivers and an absolute lifesaver for others.
Advantages of a Car Battery Charger
Still, no matter which side of the coin you are, there are clear benefits that can be had by owning a car battery charger:
- Better Battery Health: Firstly, car battery chargers offer you a way to recharge a dead battery that’s safe and healthy for the battery. That’s because these devices deliver a slow and steady charge that doesn’t jeopardise the battery in any way.
- Useful in Maintaining Unused Batteries: Chargers are also handy for batteries that don’t get used often. For example, you could use it to keep spare batteries ready to go at all times. Plus, you can keep batteries in rarely driven cars healthy and fully charged as well.
- Restoration Functions: The best car battery chargers on the market have come a very long way since these products came out. Many have restoration functions that help you 'heal' your car battery. For example, some have Restoration and Desulfication programs that remove sulphur deposits from the battery by delivering low-level electrical pulses.
- Emergency Jumpstarts: Even though jumpstarts are not good for the long-term health of a car battery, they are still crucial in emergencies. Car battery chargers also have the option of delivering strong jolts for jumpstarts alongside the option for regular slow charging.
What Is the Best Way to Charge a Dead Battery with a Car Battery Charger?
Yes, you can charge a dead battery with a battery charger. As mentioned above, there are two ways you can go about doing this:
- Regular, Slow Charge: This is the healthier option for the battery. However, it will take at least 24 hours to charge a dead battery fully, so you’ll have to be prepared to wait.
- Emergency Jumpstart: If you’re in an emergency, a car battery charger can also deliver a jumpstart instead. That will be enough to get the car started so that the alternator can take over and recharge the battery as you drive.
The catch here is that you will need access to a wall socket and regular power supply to use the charger. That can be a problem if you’re trying to recharge a dead battery while out camping.
Alternatively, you could invest in a solar car battery charger instead.
Depending on the condition of the dead battery, the car battery charger might also restore it to full health. That’s because some of the best car battery chargers available on the market have restoration functions that help remove build-up from inside the battery by using electricity.
How Long Does It Take for a Car Battery Charger to Charge a Battery?
A car battery charger will need at least 24 hours to charge a car battery fully. The reason for this is that these chargers do not deliver strong jolts of electricity all at once.
Instead, a car battery charger delivers a slow and steady charge that doesn’t cause the battery to heat much. As such, it’s much safer for the battery overall.
Fast charging a battery might be convenient, but it can also cause a battery to explode if done incorrectly. Even without that, charging a battery too fast can cause it to wear out faster.
I hope you enjoyed and found this article useful. To discover more about helpful devices like a car batteries and battery chargers, check out the blog at Carpart.com.au. There, you’ll find plenty of informative articles to help you become a better-informed driver in Australia and elsewhere worldwide.
By Ray Hasbollah