Have you ever faced a situation where you had to go out suddenly, but your vehicle’s battery didn’t have enough charge? Most car owners may face this issue. So, how exactly do you deal with this kind of problems? You may feel a little bit uneasy about charging a automobile battery with home electricity since it is uncommon. Since we will guide you on how to charge car battery with home electricity step-by-step, you have no reason to worry. Let’s dive in!
Don’t have any nearby garage? Knowing some hacks can help you from the stress of where to recharge car battery. How about learning about charging car battery at home?
Recharging your van battery with home electricity is possible if you know the proper method. You will either need a home inverter connected to the electrical source or a 12V battery charger.
How to Charge Car Battery with Home Electricity
Wondering how to charge a car battery? You can do it in two ways. You should know battery charge duration time and charging procedure.
Method 1—Charging Battery Using Vehicle Battery Charger
One of the simple methods is utilizing a charger to charge the battery. Buy a quality charger. Most battery chargers are standard type so that they can be compatible with most car batteries.
But selecting the latest and advanced batteries gives you added benefits since they have high-grade technologies. They work fast and efficiently. You don’t need to do much.
Step 1—Preparation
First of all, wearing all the safety gear for enhanced protection is necessary. It saves you from unwanted accidents. Wear both goggles and hand gloves. Rubber gloves are better since electricity doesn’t go through them.
Before wearing gloves, keeps your hands clean and dry. And, the area where you are standing should be free from water. Besides, go through the charger instruction manual. It gives an overall idea about how to charge car battery.
Step 2—Battery Remove
Your next task is to remove the battery from the car to charge it using a charger. To take out the battery, you will detach both the positive and negative cable separately. Make sure you separate the black cable first and then go for the red one.
Choose a dry surface to ensure the safety of the battery. If you didn’t replace the battery for a long time, filth or dirt might be accumulated on the battery surface. Wet the cloth on the baking soda mixture to rub the battery surface. Alternatively, you can use sandpaper too.
Step 3—Charge Battery
You don’t need to connect the charger to the power source until you charge it. Each car charger has one red port to connect the red cable and one black port to connect the black cable. Connect them properly. Use a connector for assistance.
Avoid touching the wire points with your bare hands. They might have electricity. Any hazardous may occur. Finally, put the charger port into the electrical source to charge the battery.
Step 4—Charge Completion
Let the charger charge the battery. The latest batteries feature a light signal that notifies you if the battery reaches 100% charge.
So, how many hours do you have to charge the car battery to get a 100% charge? It depends on your battery quality, charger quality, battery capacity, and how much voltage is supplied while charging the battery. Usually, it takes 3 to 12 hours. But it may take more time too.
If it takes more than 10 hours, you should charge it before going to sleep. So, you will have a battery with 100% charge, and it will be ready to use.
Method 2—Charging Car Battery Using House Inverter
Wondering how recharge automotive battery without charger? If you want to do quick battery charging, this option is a better choice. Though the process is pretty straightforward and hassle-free, avoid using it regularly. It may deteriorate the battery quality. Also, it may lower its performance.
Let’s go through the step-by-step process of how to charge a car battery without a charger.
Step 1—Connection Set-Up
Make sure you don’t connect the house inverter to the electrical source unless you make everything ready. We believe you know how to connect a wall plug to a car battery. If you connect the car battery to outlet without ensuring the proper connection, it may cause accidents.
Like the first method, connect the battery’s red port to the inverter’s positive point, and you should connect the black port to the negative point. These are proper guidelines to learn how to connect inverter to car battery.
Step 2—Power Supply
When you use house inverters, they supply electricity to the automotive battery directly. Recheck both the positive and negative points of the inverter before finally connecting them.
Finally, connect the inverter carefully to the electrical source and check whether your battery is charging correctly or not. Failing to connect the battery port to the correct port of the home inverter may lead to damage or even an explosion.
Step 3—Charge Completion
Charging battery while connected to inverter seems easy. Since home inverters supply electricity rapidly, fully charging the battery may take 1.5-2 hours on average. Few may require 3 hours of charge. You can charge vehicle battery with power supply so easily!
Disconnect the inverter when the battery reaches 100% charge. Detach the ports carefully. Do it from both ports. We believe you know how to connect a wall plug to a car battery.
So, these are all the easy-going steps if you are wondering how to charge a car battery with a wall outlet. Knowing charging battery without charger can save your time too, if you don’t have time for an overnight charge.
FAQ
1. Can you charge a car battery with a house outlet?
Yes, charging a vehicle battery with a house outlet is possible, but don’t do it too often. Otherwise, you will notice a voltage variation issue on the battery, or it may get damaged.
2. Can I charge my car battery with electricity?
Yes, you can charge your battery with electricity at home. But it should be completely dead. You can either use a charger or a home inverter to charge your car’s battery.
3. Can I charge my battery overnight?
Charging your battery overnight depends on your battery capacity, voltage, electricity supply per hour and what method you are using to charge the battery. As most car battery chargers take around 10-12 hours to charge it entirely, you can use a charge it overnight.
4. Is it OK to leave a battery on trickle charge?
No, it is not OK. Though the latest batteries have advanced technologies to stop overcharging, you should avoid practicing it. You can charge the battery for up to 15-16 hours at most and then disconnect it. Otherwise, it will damage battery performance if you continue doing it.
5. What is the average life of a 12 volt car battery?
Most 12 volt car batteries may last around 3-5 years on average. Even if they last more than five years, you should replace them and reset idle after replacement. The battery performance won’t be as same as the fresh one, and you will have to charge it frequently.
Final Takeover
Having a dead car battery doesn’t mean you will stop using your car. When you know how to charge car battery with home electricity, you can charge it and drive your car again. If your car didn’t get charged even after fully charging it, take it to a nearby shop. If necessary, replace the battery.