How To Charge A Car Battery Safely

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When using your car battery charger to charge your car's battery, it is very important to do it the right way, failing to do this can damage the battery or reduce its useful life. Correct charging is also important because of safety. Batteries are capable of producing an explosive gas called hydrogen, which is given off not only when charging is in progress but is also given off during the car's normal day-today running. If the car battery is charged too rapidly or overcharged, there is often an increase in the battery's temperature. High temperatures inside the battery can reduce it's life and this could mean that the battery will have to be replaced earlier than normal. Charging the car battery too fast could also cause it to produce hydrogen gas, which is potentially explosive, inside the battery. If it exploded, this could obviously result in injury to anyone nearby. Not just from fragments of battery but also from the acid contained in the battery. Damage to the vehicle and its surroundings could also occur.
Here are a few basic safety tips to ensure safe charging and avoid injury:
The first and most important thing is to make sure that you put on appropriate personal protective equipment such as eye wear that is designed for protecting the eyes from all angles. You should also wear a pair of protective gloves suitable for use with liquids if your skin is going to be anywhere near the battery acid.
You should have some clean water with you so that, if necessary, you can rinse your eyes or skin if they get splashed with the battery acid. If this happens, you need to rinse the affected area for a minimum of 15 minutes and then you should get some medical advice.
Be sure to read the instructions which come with the battery charger and always follow them carefully. It's better not to use chargers which do not have any instructions on how to use them.
If you are using a charger which is powered by mains electricity, you should connect the charger's cables to the car battery before you plug the charger into the mains electricity outlet. Doing it this way will help to prevent sparks which could ignite any hydrogen present.
Be sure to keep anything which may produce flames or sparks away from the battery. This includes lighters, cigarettes, matches, and electrical equipment.
Make sure that you charge the battery away from fuel vapour (e.g. from leaks or spills), in order to prevent an explosion.
Do not short circuit the terminals of the battery with metal tools or other objects made of metal, and do not short circuit between the battery's terminals and the car's bodywork.
Try to position the charger as far from the battery as you can, and you should also keep pets and people out of the area in which you are charging.
Ensure that you charge the car battery in a very well-ventilated area, to ensure that any hydrogen gas given off does not build up to explosive levels.
During cold weather, discharged car batteries may freeze. Do not charge a frozen battery otherwise it may rupture and cause a leak of battery acid.
Avoid overcharging the battery, most of the modern car battery chargers will prevent this, however there are still some models which may overcharge.
Charge on the lowest possible Amp setting, this should avoid excessive gas production and overheating.
Following these simple steps will ensure that your car battery will last as long as possible and ensure you avoid injury or damage to property.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

See the author's site for more information about car battery charging.

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