Table of contents: Precautionary measures ↓ Charger ↓ Charging the battery without a… ↓ Charging a discharged and sulfated… ↓ Using an auxiliary battery ↓
Precautionary measures
Do not disconnect the battery while the engine is running.
Do not short-circuit the battery, i.e. do not connect the positive (+) and negative (-) poles together. When short-circuited, the battery heats up and may burst.
Do not expose the battery to open flame. The electrolyte is corrosive. Do not allow it to come into contact with your eyes, clothing or skin. If necessary, wash it off with plenty of water.
Do not unscrew the plugs on a battery with a central gas outlet when charging (ventilation), which modern battery models have.
Allow the battery to thaw if it is frozen. A charged battery freezes at about - 65°C, a half-discharged battery freezes at - 30°C, and a fully discharged battery freezes at about -12°C. Inspect the casing of the thawed battery and make sure it is not cracked. If necessary, replace the battery with a new one.
When charging the battery from a regular charger, as well as from a fast charger, the battery must be removed or, at a minimum, the power cables must be disconnected from it.
If charging is done using a portable charger (with low current) then the battery does not need to be removed. The wires are also not disconnected. However, in this case, you should strictly follow the instructions of the charger manufacturer.
The temperature of the electrolyte in the battery when connected to the charger must be at least +10°C.
Charger
15. Remove the battery.
16. Check the electrolyte level in the cells before charging. Add distilled water if necessary.
17. Charge the battery only in a well-ventilated area or outdoors. When charging without removing the battery from the engine compartment, leave the car hood open.
18. Make sure that the battery ventilation hose is not pinched anywhere and that the drain pipe is not clogged.
If the charger has an adjustable charging current, the charging current when using a regular charger should be about 10% of the battery capacity. This means that for a 50 Ah battery, the charging current should be about 5 A. The battery charging time in this case will be about 10 hours.
19. Connect the positive pole of the battery to the positive pole, and the negative pole to the negative pole of the charger. The charger itself must be turned off when connecting
20. Insert the charger plug into a power outlet. If necessary, turn on the charger.
21. Check the battery temperature by touch, with your palm if the battery is charged with direct current. The electrolyte temperature during charging should not exceed +55°C. If necessary, interrupt charging or reduce the charging current.
22. Turn off (if necessary) charger after charging is complete and disconnect it from the power supply.
23. Disconnect the charger wires from the battery.
24. Check the battery charge.
25. Install the battery back into place (see the relevant chapter).
Charging the battery without a central ventilation hose
26. Before charging, unscrew the battery cell plugs or use a narrow screwdriver to remove the corresponding cover above them.
Place plugs or a lid on the holes. This will prevent electrolyte from splashing out due to gases generated during charging.
27. Charge the battery until intensive gas formation in all cells ceases, and until the increase in the density of the electrolyte and the increase in voltage cease. These indicators are compared by three measurements taken in a row at intervals of 1 hour.
28. Allow the battery to stand for about 20 minutes after charging is complete.
Charging a discharged and sulfated battery
A battery that has not been used for a long time, for example, if it was in a car that has not been used, gradually discharges and, in addition, can become covered with sulfate salt deposits.
The battery is considered deeply discharged if the open circuit voltage is less than 11.6 V.
Electrolyte (a mixture of water and sulfuric acid) a deeply discharged battery consists mainly of water.
Attention! At negative air temperatures such a battery may freeze and its casing may burst.
A heavily discharged battery becomes covered with sulfate deposits. This means that the plate surfaces harden and the electrolyte takes on a whitish tint.
If a discharged battery is charged immediately after being discharged, the deposition of salts and hardening of the plates will continue, and the ability to accept charging current will be limited.
A heavily discharged and sulfated battery should be charged with a small current. The charging current in this case should not be higher than 5% of the battery capacity. The charging current, for example, for a battery with a capacity of 60 A/h should be 3 A. The charging voltage should not exceed 14.4 V.
Warning: A deeply discharged battery cannot be charged using a fast charger.
Using an auxiliary battery
Boost charging or emergency engine starting using a booster battery should be an exception, as the battery is subjected to a very high current in a short period of time. Boost charging uses a charging current of 20% or more of the battery capacity. Batteries that have been stored for a long time or are deeply discharged should not be charged using a boost charger, as they are then charged with what is known as a surface charge.
(This article was copied from the website Audimanual.ru)