Girly question re battery chargers...

pinkteapot

Thanks all - from the sounds of it a jump start kit would be a better option. As I said, we've only had the battery problem once so it's not like we regularly need to charge the battery.

forgotmyname

I had a new battery last year and charge mine up every now and then.

I do lots of short journey's. So it gets little chance to put the charge back. Doesnt help
when its cold it automatically switches all the heated bits on for me.

I prefer to let the car start and the battery to recover from that for a few seconds before i
switch all the electrics on.

Stupid thing progress.

victor2

If you have a local independent mechanic or garage you know, ask them to check the condition of your battery. A lot have tools to do that, so can tell you if it's near the end of its life. Of course they might just see it as a way to sell you a new one, so it helps if it's someone you can trust.
If the battery is on its way out, invest in a new one and don't worry about a jump starter or charger, although you could pick up some jump leads quite cheaply if you want that little bit of extra comfort. A new battery should last for years now you know to give the car a decent run every now and then if it's just doing short journeys.

anotherbaldrick

If you have totally drained the battery ( by leaving an interior light on or such) one of the home battery chargers will not get the battery to start charging again. To get the charge started it will either have to be jump started or the battery taken to a garage for a boost charge.

Azari

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

If you have totally drained the battery ( by leaving an interior light on or such) one of the home battery chargers will not get the battery to start charging again. To get the charge started it will either have to be jump started or the battery taken to a garage for a boost charge.

Where on earth do you get that idea from?

Of course it will charge a completely dead battery.

It wouldn't be much use if it couldn't.

birkee

Azari wrote: »

Where on earth do you get that idea from?

Of course it will charge a completely dead battery.

It wouldn't be much use if it couldn't.

No "Where on earth" about it.
I have a charger which will only work if it recognises a battery is connected. A flat battery is a 'brick'. (I do have two chargers)

Second point is, that it is better to maintain the onboard battery, than to overcome it with a jump starter. Are you going to use the jump starter all day, as you go about your business doing short runs?

Third point, is that short runs are battery killers. Back when dynamos were common, it was reckoned by experts, that the charge removed when starting the car, took 20 miles driving to replace.

Fourth point is, that a lead acid battery that has gone below 10.5 volts, will become irrecoverable fairly quickly. (days) A FLAT battery is a 'deal with it NOW' problem.

My authority on batteries?
Several years working in a battery testing laboratory evaluating all their characteristics.

Azari

birkee wrote: »

No "Where on earth" about it.
I have a charger which will only work if it recognises a battery is connected. A flat battery is a 'brick'. (I do have two chargers)

OK, but that's a specific type of charger. Normal battery chargers just provide ~12v when turned on.

Yours seems to be a pretty stupid design as it would be useless if someone left the lights on over a weekend. You'd need a second charger to take care of that situation.

Second point is, that it is better to maintain the onboard battery, than to overcome it with a jump starter. Are you going to use the jump starter all day, as you go about your business doing short runs?

Seems a bit of a straw man argument. I don't remember anyone ITT suggesting you should use a jump starter instead of a working battery.

Lum

The OP flattened their battery once last year, has charged it and it's been working fine all year. She is just concerned that it may conk out, now that it's winter time again.

There is no evidence that she has managed to kill the battery, or that it will die again this year. It could still be a perfectly good battery.

A jump start pack will provide sufficient peace of mind to the OP that if it does go again, even miles away from home in the middle of nowhere, she will be able to start the car again. All she then needs to do is give it a decent run to charge the battery up. It will also cost a lot less especially given that the OP seems unlikely to be replacing the battery herself.

Of course if this keeps happening then it is time to replace the battery as chances are it's knackered. The jump start pack is still a handy thing to have around though.

mikey72

Trickle charger would be best.
If the car is used for short journeys, even if it's jump started, it'll be flat again next time.
It's better to put it on charge occasionally, then it won't be flat in the first place.
Smart chargers won't charge a flat battery, mine refuses to switch on, until I use the old 4A charger to put a bit of charge back in. (But it will cook the battery if left on too long)
Then I can connect the smart charger and forget about it.
Lidl and aldi do a decent one occasionally.

anotherbaldrick

Azari wrote: »

Where on earth do you get that idea from?

Of course it will charge a completely dead battery.

It wouldn't be much use if it couldn't.

Will it hell , a trickle charger will not work on a totally dead battery. and you can totally drain a battery with an interior light that did not switch off in less than 2 days from full, a weary battery overnight/.