Battery Cable Safety
A battery cable is, essentially, any wire connected to a battery. Many people are most familiar with the battery cables in cars and automobile jumper cables, which are used to start a car with a dead battery by linking to another car's battery. When handling any battery cables it is important to follow basic safety rules.
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Explosion
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Because they emit flammable hydrogen as they charge, batteries can and do explode. To be protected in the event of an explosion, never lean over a battery when attaching or removing cables.
Labels
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When it is necessary to remove cables from a battery, any unmarked cables should always be clearly labeled as positive or negative as they are taken off. The labels do not have to be complex. Coloring the positive wire red or placing a piece of electrical tape on it will suffice. Battery terminals use this color coding.
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Jumper Cables
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Automobile jumper cables are used often but it is important to connect these in the proper order. First attach one end of the red cable to the positive post on the dead battery. Then attach the other end to the positive on the good battery. Then attach the black cable first to the negative side of the good battery and then to the bumper of the car with the dead battery to serve as a ground. Jumper cables should never be attached to the high voltage battery at the rear of of a hybrid car.
Running Engine
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Battery cables in a car or other engine should never be disconnected while the machine is running.
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References
- Photo Credit dead battery image by Katrina Miller from Fotolia.com
