You must check to see if the battery needs water before charging unless it is maintenance free. If battery needs water...that is why it is dead. Add ONLY distilled water to the upper part of each cell and charge with fill caps off.
Checking a battery's liquid level, and topping off with distilled water if necessary, is critically important. It is not hard to do, but many folks don't know their vehicle's battery has a fluid level that needs occasional checking. Im curious why you say to charge the battery with the caps off after topping off with water though. I've always just add enough distilled water to cover the plates and put the caps back on. I'd be concerned leaving them off any longer then needed since accidentally kicking one over and spilling battery acid everywhere is super not fun... Done it dozens and dozens of times now and never had any issues charging with caps on. Well I did have one swell up and blow the cap off one side, but pretty certain my charger going haywire was to blame. Put the multimeter on it and discovered a few amps at 16.5 volts had been boiling the poor thing for the past hour. So that charger went immediately into the trash, and thankfully haven't any problems like that one since...
Surprised on how well you explained each charger , basic English for dummies not alot of people actually can understand the differences of chargers available, I love me a noco product I use their Jumpstarter like and mad man at work. Now Schumacher I use to charge the semi's that parked for a month time being or long term parking so when I go to crank the engine that bad boy starts up. I try to push more towards the smart stuff items but there is times you want the old school stuff.
Great video one fast tip new or old battery if you charging before charge see if you can open the cells tops if you can open them and and ✔️ chek if the liquid is on all the cells this is acid so don't touch if one of them is empty or not fill add destile water not regular water destile water live the tops open during a long charge after is charge let it cool put tops back in and be ready to use the reason why they explote is becouse one cell if is got low acid when charge will fill the empty spaces Whit Hidrogen and when you add a load it will spark and boom 💥
hey brother thanks so much for the quick lesson there. I certainly appreciate people that make sense when they are making videos for public. keep up the good work.
Storing my car for 6 months. Going the use a trickle float charger. Best to keep the battery hooked up to the car? Red to positive terminal and black to terminal or unpainted steel? Or best to take battery out and put both clamps onto the terminals?
Hello! Thank you for great information. I got a new battery August 2021 but went dead this week because of cold here in Toledo and I have the old fashioned battery charger. Do you think that it can fully renew it or should I but a new one?
If it’s a lead acid battery similar to what was in the video low amps put a better charge opposed to charging with high amps. So I would use the two amp setting if I was using the charger in the video.
this is brilliant made things easier to understand , i bought a maypole mp173 a year ago but the ammeter does not move at all any reason why i trie everything possible the battery bubbles so its charging but ammeter not moving always on zero
Me sittin here lookin at my mud mower in the shed stoned asf after just arcing this powerfist charger right onto this old bulged battery. 😂👌 Ay maybe next time ill remember this i always just thought it was hard on chargers, not eyebrows too
thanks for the explanation. I learnt that volt is controlled by source and amp is controlled by the device. In case of battery chargers, how does the source (charger) defines/controls the amp it is charging at?
@@ramcholan2034 I believe it’s done by the resistance and voltage of the battery. As the battery gains voltage it doesn’t require as many amps of power to recharge it. Bad batteries draw more amps and they don’t reduce the amperage from the charger because the voltage won’t increase.
Great and useful video. I want to ask about an old car battery charger I have at home and on it, there is a switch which has N and S. Any idea what this switch is ? Thank you
I looked around and couldn’t find anything, maybe you could search and find an old manual for that charger and that would certainly spell out what N and S are.
Except I don’t charge trust most battery chargers unattended. I look at the meter and when it drops to half of what it started at, usually in 24 hours I unplug it.
there around 4:57 you mention that if the 2 leads touch, it could short out the 2 clamps. Can you explain more about that. Would that ruin the charger if it is set at 12v 2 amps and they touched for 1 to 2 seconds , probably 1 second ? I have a reason why I would actually like to do that, IF it won't ruin my charger.
I can’t really say because there are so many different manufactures of the battery chargers. However, even though I’ve been using them over 50 years, I always go to great links to make sure I hooked to the battery before I ever plug the charger in. as many goofy things I’ve done in my life, touching hot things together, I feel my battery charger is worth more than seeing a spark come off the clamp.
Hello, why is my smart charger 15-2 amps only charging at .4 amps? I've connected to 2 different batteries and it still only charges at .4 amps? The green light is on indicating it's working but at .4 amps it can't be doing anything. I can select other amps but regardless of the one I choose it's stays at .4 amps!
@@tableshaper4076 it’s very hard to say from here however, either your battery is fully charged or possibly it’s dead or has a dead cell and it won’t allow very much to flow through it.
@@MrHardware1 Thanks for the response. I left it on overnight and it was actually working. It showed no response (.4amps) from 8am to 9pm but this morning it was 90% charged and up to 6amps. I just wasn't patient enough... as usual. Thanks again.
Is there a particular brand, price, or model smart charger you'd recommend? I'm having to keep my 2003 BMW Z4's battery charged for storing. I don't drive it much, but want it to start when I do drive it on occasion.
@@DJE-motion mine is made by Interstate, I also have it on a day week timer, so it only runs every Friday for one hour. I hate the trust anything that runs on its own that I’d leave on my car for months at a time, that’s why I have it on a timer. If somehow it malfunctions and keeps charging the battery, it can overcharge it and boil the acid dry and totally ruin the battery.
Deep cycle is for the camper or similar battery that can run down to zero. Use your regular charging mode because your tractor is using a regular mode battery.
I got the same charger I connected the black to black and red to red and then I plug in the cord and turning it on power thats how I done it making it safe for me
I guess I will charge at 12 0 2 app instead of 12. 6 app. When I put it at 12 o'six app it jumps down to where it says it's charging when I put it to 12:02 AM the. Meter goes all the way up by number 2. By word says it is charged next question is that I didn't hear you say anything? Do you leave these caps completely On or do you crack the caps open
I don’t understand your question, however, I usually leave the caps loose because many times I’m charging after I’ve refilled with distilled water. The caps are vented in unless they’re clogged you really don’t have to remove them when charging
Can you get batty to begin to boil some with the big 50 amp? I bought a 75 amp charger but returned it as can not equalize the charge... no boiling seen 5 hours of charge -I may end up with 200 amp but hope not too huge
50 amps will definitely boil the electrolyte in a lead acid battery. 1st, clean the battery, pop the caps off and check the fluid levels, top off if needed with distilled water. Check the battery voltage, if below 4-5 volts, run the charger (manual mode) 30-40 amps, it should start 'boiling' for about 10-15 min, monitoring it constantly and watch for boil-over. This should get the charge up enough that a smart charger that has a desulfate (pulse) function, can do the rest safely. If you are in no hurry, 2 amps is best. The recovery process can take several days to weeks, depending on how badly the sulfation is. Patience is the key.
I bought a 3.8amp powertec charger for a trickle on 170 amp deep cycle to maintain charge , the booklet says it will only do 120 ah, anyone out there know if it’s still ok to use? Jef
It’s usually half of what it started out at so if it started out at 10 and went down to five that’s usually OK. The age of the battery means a lot too, after four or five years of age things start going downhill.
I need a 1 volt trickle charger. Can I take a 6 volt charger to charge a 12 volt battery? Can I put a inline draw like lights to pull the volts down to 1 to two volts goin into the battery?
You mean a 1 amp charger. No, do not use a 6v charger to charge a 12 battery unless you put two 6 volt batteries in series. Again, we're talking 1 or 2 amps, not volts.
My battery is showing a different charge level between the 2 amp setting and the 10 amp setting. The 10 amp is at the #2 mark, the 2 amp setting shows it's below the 0 mark. Why would this be?
These new battery smart chargers are the dumbest shit i wish they had a manual bypass so you can charge a dead battery...ic they had that it would be amazing.
@@earthling2022 i tried to trick it with a working battery it will charge for a while then it discharges it and you have to reconnect so its really hard to recondition a battery with it. I have to buy an old school manual charger.
@@mikes6998 so I'm not crazy. I had to do the same shit. I thought it was a crappy charger. I guess not, it's just how it works. Now I feel dumb. Lol thank y'all
@@mikes6998 Exactly, jumper a good 12v battery in parallel with the discharged battery for 10-15min, this should put a surface charge on the battery so the smart charge should sense the battery to start charging, and be sure to remove the good battery from the old. The key here is that smart chargers won't start charging if the battery voltage is below 5-6 volts.
My car battery charger says 6/2 amps. I've always used 2 amps because I assumed 6 amps wore out the battery faster. Is that true? I've heard of overcharging, but I've left batteries charging on 2 amps for 48 hours without problems. I assume 2 amps is good for charging and going to bed zzzzzz and 6 amps is good for when you need the battery charged in a hurry.
You are correct, I use 6 A when I hope to get my battery up to speed that same day. I use 2 A just like you said for about 48 hours to bring the battery up slower and get a better charge. One precautionary thing I do as I keep the battery in the charger on a metal shelf so if anything ever went wrong with the electrical device that I’m not watching if it goes bad it won’t catch anything on fire. Just a little tip not mandatory.
My battery is dead and I took my battery out the car and is charging right now. Is it ok to charge it at 6amp? Thats the highest my charger can go to right now. CCA is 630 so I just set my alarm for about 5-6hrs for it to charge? I just hope that I didn’t miss anything along the process of charging it cause this the first time I’m charging a car battery
@@Callmebento-i1k sorry it’s been a day since your question, a lot of this depends on the age of the battery after 6 to 8 years. I don’t put too much effort in the saving an old one because it will only get me stranded. i’ve had them go 10 years, but it’s not something I would recommend unless you were able to get help easily.
Thanks for taking the time to make this for those of us who did not have a mechanically inclined father around
Keep your father out of jt, you learn yourself what you need to, they gave you life, put some respect on that 🙏
P
That was fantastic! Kind of like having your non-arse-munch older brother to explain something simply, without talking down to people. Well done!
You must check to see if the battery needs water before charging unless it is maintenance free. If battery needs water...that is why it is dead. Add ONLY distilled water to the upper part of each cell and charge with fill caps off.
Checking a battery's liquid level, and topping off with distilled water if necessary, is critically important. It is not hard to do, but many folks don't know their vehicle's battery has a fluid level that needs occasional checking. Im curious why you say to charge the battery with the caps off after topping off with water though. I've always just add enough distilled water to cover the plates and put the caps back on. I'd be concerned leaving them off any longer then needed since accidentally kicking one over and spilling battery acid everywhere is super not fun... Done it dozens and dozens of times now and never had any issues charging with caps on. Well I did have one swell up and blow the cap off one side, but pretty certain my charger going haywire was to blame. Put the multimeter on it and discovered a few amps at 16.5 volts had been boiling the poor thing for the past hour. So that charger went immediately into the trash, and thankfully haven't any problems like that one since...
Surprised on how well you explained each charger , basic English for dummies not alot of people actually can understand the differences of chargers available, I love me a noco product I use their Jumpstarter like and mad man at work. Now Schumacher I use to charge the semi's that parked for a month time being or long term parking so when I go to crank the engine that bad boy starts up.
I try to push more towards the smart stuff items but there is times you want the old school stuff.
This was so informative thank you so much
Great video one fast tip new or old battery if you charging before charge see if you can open the cells tops if you can open them and and ✔️ chek if the liquid is on all the cells this is acid so don't touch if one of them is empty or not fill add destile water not regular water destile water live the tops open during a long charge after is charge let it cool put tops back in and be ready to use the reason why they explote is becouse one cell if is got low acid when charge will fill the empty spaces Whit Hidrogen and when you add a load it will spark and boom 💥
hey brother thanks so much for the quick lesson there. I certainly appreciate people that make sense when they are making videos for public. keep up the good work.
Storing my car for 6 months. Going the use a trickle float charger. Best to keep the battery hooked up to the car? Red to positive terminal and black to terminal or unpainted steel? Or best to take battery out and put both clamps onto the terminals?
I trickle w the battery hooked up. Don’t want to lose settings on a newer car. Negative to chassis.
Well Mr. Hardware thank you for your video appreciate your time and your efforts you put in.
Thank you. What is the range of charge rating for safely charging an sla? Is 1.5c too much?
That question can be best answered by customer service of the sla distributor.
Hello! Thank you for great information.
I got a new battery August 2021 but went dead this week because of cold here in Toledo and I have the old fashioned battery charger. Do you think that it can fully renew it or should I but a new one?
Yku can renew it I've had minus 70c make my battery dead multiple times and still good
I have a camping battery, but I don't know what amp charger is suitable to it.
I'm not sure if all amp charger compatible with the battery.
If it’s a lead acid battery similar to what was in the video low amps put a better charge opposed to charging with high amps. So I would use the two amp setting if I was using the charger in the video.
Thank you, Mr. Hardware!!!!!
this is brilliant made things easier to understand , i bought a maypole mp173 a year ago but the ammeter does not move at all any reason why i trie everything possible the battery bubbles so its charging but ammeter not moving always on zero
Thank u Mr hardware Clear loud and very informational !!
Me sittin here lookin at my mud mower in the shed stoned asf after just arcing this powerfist charger right onto this old bulged battery. 😂👌 Ay maybe next time ill remember this i always just thought it was hard on chargers, not eyebrows too
Very well done! Informative & entertaining. 😊
thanks for the explanation. I learnt that volt is controlled by source and amp is controlled by the device. In case of battery chargers, how does the source (charger) defines/controls the amp it is charging at?
@@ramcholan2034 I believe it’s done by the resistance and voltage of the battery. As the battery gains voltage it doesn’t require as many amps of power to recharge it. Bad batteries draw more amps and they don’t reduce the amperage from the charger because the voltage won’t increase.
Thanks for the video, for long term charging (2 months ) with. A 6 amps charger is it good even if I not disconnect the battery on the car
Thank you for sharing knowledge! 😊
Thank You
Great and useful video. I want to ask about an old car battery charger I have at home and on it, there is a switch which has N and S. Any idea what this switch is ? Thank you
I looked around and couldn’t find anything, maybe you could search and find an old manual for that charger and that would certainly spell out what N and S are.
so a higher amp charger doesn't really damage a battery if it switches it self off when the battery is full....?
Except I don’t charge trust most battery chargers unattended. I look at the meter and when it drops to half of what it started at, usually in 24 hours I unplug it.
Thank you. I am newbie in this and need it today badly. Subscribed for next challenge :)
Nice, was wondering about the different amps, cheers.
there around 4:57 you mention that if the 2 leads touch, it could short out the 2 clamps.
Can you explain more about that.
Would that ruin the charger if it is set at 12v 2 amps and they touched for 1 to 2 seconds , probably 1 second ?
I have a reason why I would actually like to do that, IF it won't ruin my charger.
I can’t really say because there are so many different manufactures of the battery chargers. However, even though I’ve been using them over 50 years, I always go to great links to make sure I hooked to the battery before I ever plug the charger in. as many goofy things I’ve done in my life, touching hot things together, I feel my battery charger is worth more than seeing a spark come off the clamp.
Thank you--very clear.
Hello, why is my smart charger 15-2 amps only charging at .4 amps? I've connected to 2 different batteries and it still only charges at .4 amps? The green light is on indicating it's working but at .4 amps it can't be doing anything. I can select other amps but regardless of the one I choose it's stays at .4 amps!
@@tableshaper4076 it’s very hard to say from here however, either your battery is fully charged or possibly it’s dead or has a dead cell and it won’t allow very much to flow through it.
@@MrHardware1 Thanks for the response. I left it on overnight and it was actually working. It showed no response (.4amps) from 8am to 9pm but this morning it was 90% charged and up to 6amps. I just wasn't patient enough... as usual. Thanks again.
Is there a particular brand, price, or model smart charger you'd recommend? I'm having to keep my 2003 BMW Z4's battery charged for storing. I don't drive it much, but want it to start when I do drive it on occasion.
@@DJE-motion mine is made by Interstate, I also have it on a day week timer, so it only runs every Friday for one hour. I hate the trust anything that runs on its own that I’d leave on my car for months at a time, that’s why I have it on a timer. If somehow it malfunctions and keeps charging the battery, it can overcharge it and boil the acid dry and totally ruin the battery.
@@MrHardware1 Thank you!
I have same banshee charger but mine also have a SLI or deep cycle on it, which one do I use to charger my riding mower?
Deep cycle is for the camper or similar battery that can run down to zero. Use your regular charging mode because your tractor is using a regular mode battery.
@@MrHardware1 You dont run a deep cycle down to 0, ever
Thank you for the useful information Sir.
I just got a Carlyle 10amp intelligent charger. Is that ok for cars with dead battery?
The charger should be fine, but sometimes when the battery goes dead, it gets ruined, depending on how it got dragged to zero.
@@MrHardware1 thanks man
I love u Tube!!!
thanks, helped a lot! now I want to hear you say hot and hat to see if there's a difference? Is there a Mrs. Hardware?
Chapeau
lol merci!@@MrHardware1
can you start a car while the charger is plugged in or not? How can I tell IF the battery is charging?
I have. Some models are made to help start a car. Possibly not all, check the on-line manual when in doubt.
Can I do u1 300n at 25 amps?
I got the same charger I connected the black to black and red to red and then I plug in the cord and turning it on power thats how I done it making it safe for me
Thank you 😊
I have a 2019 gas fusion my car barrel went low on me I have a triple charger 6 and 2 amps compo charger which I have it set on 2amp
My Atec is flashing FUL, what does this mean?
@@olehemlock sorry but I’d have to search for the manual online, it appears the battery is fully charged, but that is only a guess.
I guess I will charge at 12 0 2 app instead of 12. 6 app. When I put it at 12 o'six app it jumps down to where it says it's charging when I put it to 12:02 AM the. Meter goes all the way up by number 2. By word says it is charged next question is that I didn't hear you say anything? Do you leave these caps completely On or do you crack the caps open
I don’t understand your question, however, I usually leave the caps loose because many times I’m charging after I’ve refilled with distilled water. The caps are vented in unless they’re clogged you really don’t have to remove them when charging
Can you give the names of the first two chargers?
Schumacher and Interstate.
Forget 50, mostly 10amp for 1-2hr then 0vernight 2amp take off caps. I’ve had my Sears 10/2amp for 20yrs
Why forget 50amp?
Can you get batty to begin to boil some with the big 50 amp? I bought a 75 amp charger but returned it as can not equalize the charge... no boiling seen 5 hours of charge -I may end up with 200 amp but hope not too huge
I’ve boiled batteries with 10 amps, monitoring a big charger is a must!
50 amps will definitely boil the electrolyte in a lead acid battery. 1st, clean the battery, pop the caps off and check the fluid levels, top off if needed with distilled water. Check the battery voltage, if below 4-5 volts, run the charger (manual mode) 30-40 amps, it should start 'boiling' for about 10-15 min, monitoring it constantly and watch for boil-over. This should get the charge up enough that a smart charger that has a desulfate (pulse) function, can do the rest safely. If you are in no hurry, 2 amps is best. The recovery process can take several days to weeks, depending on how badly the sulfation is. Patience is the key.
My station has a 24v 5a 120w charger, can I upgrade?
24v is an unusual battery, sorry I’m not familiar w/ them
Close up please to SEE amperage meter!!!!!!!! Thanks
Thank you!
I bought a 3.8amp powertec charger for a trickle on 170 amp deep cycle to maintain charge , the booklet says it will only do 120 ah, anyone out there know if it’s still ok to use?
Jef
That was helpful. Thanks
Thank for the video! 💖
So when it go's to 5 on 2 amps it's ready
It’s usually half of what it started out at so if it started out at 10 and went down to five that’s usually OK. The age of the battery means a lot too, after four or five years of age things start going downhill.
Thanks
Thank you for this
Do they make a battery charger that plugs into the car cigarette lighter? Asking for a friend.
@@Orange-Jumpsuit-Time I know they made a jumper out of 2 cigarette lighters but stuff like that is usually a gimmick. Not in my field of expertise.
I need a 1 volt trickle charger. Can I take a 6 volt charger to charge a 12 volt battery? Can I put a inline draw like lights to pull the volts down to 1 to two volts goin into the battery?
I would not leave a homemade charger un-attended. Try Abel Electronics, 586-777-8232 to get the proper charger.
You mean a 1 amp charger. No, do not use a 6v charger to charge a 12 battery unless you put two 6 volt batteries in series. Again, we're talking 1 or 2 amps, not volts.
@@carolinafirewood Thanks.
Thanks for sharing 🦏🐈
My battery is showing a different charge level between the 2 amp setting and the 10 amp setting. The 10 amp is at the #2 mark, the 2 amp setting shows it's below the 0 mark. Why would this be?
Sounds like your battery is already charged or could be unchargeable.
Thanks for this video for a battery-ignorant guy!
These new battery smart chargers are the dumbest shit i wish they had a manual bypass so you can charge a dead battery...ic they had that it would be amazing.
if you disconnect the battery totally from the cars electronics, it may charge
@@earthling2022 i tried to trick it with a working battery it will charge for a while then it discharges it and you have to reconnect so its really hard to recondition a battery with it. I have to buy an old school manual charger.
@@mikes6998 so I'm not crazy. I had to do the same shit. I thought it was a crappy charger. I guess not, it's just how it works. Now I feel dumb. Lol thank y'all
@@mikes6998 Exactly, jumper a good 12v battery in parallel with the discharged battery for 10-15min, this should put a surface charge on the battery so the smart charge should sense the battery to start charging, and be sure to remove the good battery from the old. The key here is that smart chargers won't start charging if the battery voltage is below 5-6 volts.
My car battery charger says 6/2 amps. I've always used 2 amps because I assumed 6 amps wore out the battery faster. Is that true?
I've heard of overcharging, but I've left batteries charging on 2 amps for 48 hours without problems.
I assume 2 amps is good for charging and going to bed zzzzzz and 6 amps is good for when you need the battery charged in a hurry.
You are correct, I use 6 A when I hope to get my battery up to speed that same day. I use 2 A just like you said for about 48 hours to bring the battery up slower and get a better charge. One precautionary thing I do as I keep the battery in the charger on a metal shelf so if anything ever went wrong with the electrical device that I’m not watching if it goes bad it won’t catch anything on fire. Just a little tip not mandatory.
I wish I could find a new battery charger with a needle ammeter.
My battery is dead and I took my battery out the car and is charging right now. Is it ok to charge it at 6amp? Thats the highest my charger can go to right now. CCA is 630 so I just set my alarm for about 5-6hrs for it to charge? I just hope that I didn’t miss anything along the process of charging it cause this the first time I’m charging a car battery
Currently charging it at 12v 6A
@@Callmebento-i1k sorry it’s been a day since your question, a lot of this depends on the age of the battery after 6 to 8 years. I don’t put too much effort in the saving an old one because it will only get me stranded. i’ve had them go 10 years, but it’s not something I would recommend unless you were able to get help easily.
My car is slow cranking. I plug in charger and set to 12v 2amp overnight
@@MrWhitelightning73 if itwas still weak consider its age. After 6 to 8 years I don’t attempt to save an ‘iffy’ battery
nice
👏