How to Protect Your Car Battery From Overcharging
A healthy car battery is vital to your car starting and running properly. However, an unhealthy battery can become a mini-bomb in your vehicle. An exploding car battery can be dangerous because the acid contained in it can cause severe burns while fragments from the plastic housing can act as shrapnel and injure anyone nearby. One of the most common causes of car battery explosion is overcharging. Preventing a car battery from overcharging requires diligence.
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Instructions
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Have your engine regularly serviced to make sure it is operating efficiently. Malfunctioning engines put more strain on a car battery and are more likely to overcharge the battery while the engine is running.
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Conduct a battery load test on your battery every six months to a year. Auto supply stores frequently run battery tests for free, and this can tell you if the battery is in good shape or if it is more likely to experience problems and be more susceptible to overcharge.
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Use a modern battery charger if you need to charge the battery. More recent models will shut off before the battery becomes overcharged while older models may not have this safe guard. Read the instructions for the charger to make sure the charger has a shutoff system.
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Use proper procedure when jumping a car battery. The positive cable should be attached to the good battery and then the dead battery. The negative cable should then be attached to the good battery while the other end be attached to the car frame of the car with the dead battery. Never let the clamps touch each other and never connect a positive terminal to a negative terminal.
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Tips & Warnings
Eear goggles and gloves when working around car batteries to lessen risk of injury in the event of battery explosion.
References
- Photo Credit dead battery image by Katrina Miller from Fotolia.com
