Lost Halfords Battery Charger Manual - need advice on what LEDs mean.

elsmandino

Hi there.

I am trying to charge a dead car battery but have lost the manual for my charger.

I would be really grateful if anyone might be able to tell me what all three LEDs on means (and what to expect when the battery is eventually charged).

I have tried to find a copy of the manual online but I cannot even find a model number.

Thanks very much.

Money_Grabber13579

At a guess (looking at the symbols underneath the LEDs), all three lights lit would seem to mean the battery is fully charged. Red by itself would seem to mean low charge, red and yellow would mean medium charge and all three fully charged. But that is a guess…

cymruchris

Red - power on, terminals correct. (See the 'OK')

Amber - Charging.

Green - Time to switch it off.

I just realised this is the green coloured plastic charger - it looked black on my screen - this isn't the fully automatic charger, so you'll have to keep an eye on it, and turn it off once it reaches green. 

elsmandino

Thanks guys.

The battery was taken from an old car, so it is completely flat.

Oddly, all three lights have stayed on overnight.

Doesn't quite make sense - I wondered if all three meant that there was some sort of issue (either with the charger, itself, or with the battery).

cymruchris

Likely to be the battery… if it’s from an old car and has been left flat for some time, a regular charger won’t be able to handle it. There are some battery conditioners available but it might be too far gone and you’ll throw good money away. Better to scrap it and get something reliable. 

elsmandino

Thanks for that.

It is quite an old (and sealed battery).  

My fault for leaving it for so many years.

Really appreciate the advice.

Ebe_Scrooge

elsmandino said:

Thanks for that.

It is quite an old (and sealed battery).  

My fault for leaving it for so many years.

Really appreciate the advice.

How old?  The average lifespan for a standard battery is usually no more than about 5-7 years or so.  And they really don't like being completely flattened, that'll shorten the lifespan further.  If it's more than about 5 years old, you're probably better off to just get a new one, odds on that one will struggle to hold a charge for long anyway.  There's plenty of good online places to buy batteries from that are a fair bit cheaper than the likes of Halfords or whatever.