3 Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Car Battery Charger
If you’ve ever tried starting your car only to be greeted with a sputtering engine, you are not alone. You try turning on the ignition again and hope that it turns out differently, but the engine simply refuses to cooperate. Many drivers are familiar with that sinking sensation in the gut that almost always follows the realisation that the car won’t start.
After shock comes the anger. You feel helpless and betrayed. If you didn’t need the car for something important, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. But what if you were in a hurry, or worse, what if there was an emergency? There are real consequences to a car not starting when you need it to.
It is a universal truth that car batteries fail when we least expect it, or when we need the car the most. It’s as if the car decided out of spite to disable itself when you are running late for work or out in the middle of nowhere, hours from the nearest servo. It doesn’t matter what type of car you’re driving. The car battery will eventually and inexorably stop working. This part is where you wish you had a car battery charger.
Lesson time: There are many reasons why car batteries fail. Some of these reasons might surprise you. For instance, did you know that going on frequent short drives like driving to your neighbourhood store a few blocks away is bad for the car’s battery? The reason: Constantly starting and stopping the car forces the battery to exert more power. Meanwhile, the alternator cannot work long enough to replenish the consumed power. Couple the gradual decrease with the power demand from the car’s different accessories, and you’ve got a recipe for a dead car battery.
Accessories like the lights, radio and lighter require power to run, and if any or all of them are on at the same time, the engine cannot replace all of the power that is drawn from the battery in time. Repeat this process over and over again and eventually, you’ll end up with a battery so depleted that there is not enough power to start the engine. And no engine means no alternator.
It’s a classic catch-22. The engine won’t start if there isn’t enough juice in the battery. And the battery can’t be recharged if the engine won’t start. The only way to remedy this is to hire a mechanic or use a car battery charger.
Any responsible car owner needs a car battery charger in their toolkit. Sure, your car might work now, but do you really want to wait until your car won’t start before you actually do something? Here are a few reasons why you should get a car battery charger.
1. Time and money saver
One of the primary reasons why vehicles break down is a dead battery. Cars are practically hunks of metal without a functioning battery. Simply put, a dead battery means a dead car. Using a smart battery charger allows you to revive your dead battery and save time and money.
Smart chargers are designed to observe the battery’s status. Once a possible defect or anomaly has been observed, the charger then begins to correct the defect. This ensures that the battery remains in a working condition for a longer time, saving you money on costly repairs and replacements.
2. Safer to use
Old-fashioned car battery chargers are more inefficient than their smart counterparts and are also more dangerous to use. Many old chargers lack the internal safeguards that smart chargers have. Smart battery chargers don’t just charge a dead battery, it can also recondition old ones, extending service life. Smart charging is safer, more economical and more efficient.
3. Shockproof
One reason why traditional chargers are less safer than smart chargers is the possibility of electric shocks and sparks occurring. It is possible that the car battery may explode, or people might be electrocuted. Either way, if the worst happens, serious injuries are to be expected.
Smart car battery chargers have inbuilt safeguards that prevent electric shocks and sparks from occurring. For instance, some chargers prevent the occurrence of polarity reversal, rendering them practically immune to short-circuiting and spark formation. Smart chargers can detect whether the wrong end of the cord is attached to the battery post. Traditional chargers usually spark when this happens, but smart chargers simply stop working until the problem has been rectified.
