What current to charge the car battery for its more durable operation? How much current to charge a car battery.

Battery Charging Methods

In practice, two methods of battery charging are used, or rather, one of two: battery charge at constant current and battery charge at constant voltage. Both of these methods are valid for proper observance their technologies.

Battery charge at constant current

A feature of this method of charging the battery is the need to monitor and regulate the charging current of the battery every 1-2 hours.

The battery is charged at a constant value of the charging current, which is equal to 0.1 of the nominal capacity of the battery in a 20-hour discharge mode. Those. for a battery with a capacity of 60A / h, the car battery charge current should be 6A. it is to maintain a constant current during the charging process that a regulating device is required.

for batteries latest generation without holes for topping up, it is recommended to increase charging voltage to 15V, once again reduce the current by 2 times, i.e. 1.5A for a battery of 60A / h.

The battery is considered fully charged when the current and voltage remain unchanged for 1-2 hours. For a maintenance-free battery, this state of charge occurs at a voltage of 16.3 - 16.4 V.

Battery charge at constant voltage

This method is directly dependent on the amount of charging voltage provided by the charger. With a 24-hour 12V continuous charge cycle, the battery will be charged as follows:

• at a voltage of 14.4 V by 75-85%;
• at a voltage of 15 V by 85-90%;
• at a voltage of 16 V by 95-97%;
• the battery is fully charged when charging for 20-24 hours and the charger voltage is 16.3-16.4 V.

As a rule, the criterion for the end of the charge in these chargers is the achievement of a voltage at the battery terminals equal to 14.4 ± 0.1. The device signals green indicator about the end of the battery charging process.

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The battery is an integral part of any car. It serves as a source of energy for him, he starts the engine, it is the battery that supplies energy to all the electronics of your car until the engine starts, and finally, it is she who removes the excessive load from the generator of your car.

The production of car batteries does not stand still, it keeps pace with the times. Behind last years Batteries have improved in technology to increase their capacity, significantly reducing the number of charge cycles during use.

From the moment you buy a car, well, or a new battery, a lot of time will pass before you. However, this moment will still come, and a logical question will arise:

On dashboard each car has an indicator, the operation of which tells the owner of the car about the low battery level. The battery can also give other signals, in particular, interruptions in its operation during engine start and are the reason for diagnostic work.

If you notice that your battery needs to be recharged, then you need to do the following:

1. It is necessary to measure the density of the electrolyte. To do this, you can use a special device called a thermometer. The data obtained with its help must be compared with the data in a special table and, based on them, a conclusion can be drawn about the degree of sparseness of the battery. It is also worth noting that the amount of charge that you will find in the table for a single cell in summer season should not be more than 25% and for the winter period - 50%.
2. The voltage level of the battery needs to be determined. To do this, you can use a load plug, which will help you get data on the voltage in each battery bank. The battery is considered discharged if the voltage for each cell does not exceed 1.7V.

Preliminary diagnostics can be carried out without removing the battery from the car. However, if the method preliminary diagnosis still speaks of the need for recharging, then you have to. But before you do that, you need to find a suitable charger.

How to choose a battery charger?

When choosing charger for the battery, it is worth considering the capacity of your battery, the cost of the device will also depend on the same parameter. If the battery is not large capacity, then a relatively inexpensive charger option is quite suitable for it. Well, if it is large, then you will need a much more powerful charger.

In addition to power, chargers may differ in a set of functions. There are options with smooth voltage regulation, devices. that turn off after full charge battery.

The price of the device is closely related to each of the parameters, and if you want to purchase a "smart" charger, you will have to spend money.

However, if you do not plan to use the device daily, then there is no point in such an expensive purchase. Here, a conventional mechanical charging device will fit perfectly.

Important! Be careful! Do not try to make the charger yourself. Without the necessary knowledge and experience, you can cause irreparable harm not only to the battery, but also to your health.

Battery charging procedure

Diagnostics and the choice of a charger are already over, and now it's time to move on to an equally important step - directly to the charging process.

1. Before connecting the battery to the charger, it must be removed from the vehicle. In fact, you can charge the battery without removing it from the landing slot. But this is highly undesirable. The thing is. That, taking out the battery, we, one way or another, inspect it for electrolyte leakage, cracks and other defects. In addition, the battery needs care. Before charging, the battery must be cleaned of dirt. Thus, we prevent the formation of plaque between the battery terminals, which means we increase it without additional charging.

After completely cleaning the battery, including the terminals, you can proceed to the next step.

1. It is necessary to remove the plugs on the battery banks and make sure that the electrolyte level in them is within normal limits. You should also clean the plugs themselves.
2. Now you can connect the battery to the charger. Everything is simple here, the main thing is. To do this, just connect the "plus" and "minus" of the charger to the "plus" and "minus" of the battery, respectively.
3. Now you can turn on the charger and start the discharge process itself. If you have the simplest mechanical device to charge the battery, it is necessary to set maximum current(based on the capacity of the battery), and after reducing the voltage, add it. If your charger has a function electronic control behind the charging process, then you just have to turn it on and wait until the battery is charged.

Battery charging. What do you need to know?

These tips will be essential for those using a mechanical charger.

Since a conventional charger does not have the function of monitoring the current and charge level of the battery, you will have to control these parameters manually. Experienced motorists believe that it is necessary to charge the battery with small currents. And in no case should the battery be charged uncontrollably.

If the battery is fully charged, and you do not disconnect its charger at this moment, then overcharging will begin. This can adversely affect the battery life and frequency of recharging.

When should the battery be disconnected from the charger?

Disconnect the charger after the battery is fully charged, not earlier and not later. To do this, you need to understand in time that the battery is already fully charged.

A full charge can be indicated by a constant output voltage that lasts for an hour (without changing the charging process).

To measure this value, you can use any type of voltmeter, the accuracy of its readings and the class do not matter, the main thing is to fix the constant voltage.

Do I need to disconnect the battery from the on-board network?

Even if you want to charge the car battery with a charger without removing it from the car's car seat, you still have to disconnect the battery from onboard network.

This is primarily due to the fact that even the ignition off cannot guarantee that any electronic device is not connected to the on-board network. This is especially true for modern cars. Such nuances should be described in detail in the car's operating manual, but it's better not to tempt fate and still disconnect the battery from the on-board network.

Otherwise, charging the battery in this manner may damage the electronic device, which was enabled at that moment.

How often should the battery be charged. If it is not being used?

The battery may not be used for some time, primarily due to the fact that some motorists do not use the car in winter period.

If you do not plan to use the vehicle for a long time, then you definitely need to remove the battery. Store the battery in a warm place to avoid freezing of the electrolyte.

Even if you remove a well-charged battery from the car, this does not mean that it no longer needs to be recharged. Such a battery is still self-discharging, therefore, it also needs to be charged. It is difficult to accurately determine the battery charging period. On average, this should be done every 3 months.

If you did not remove the battery from the car, but it is not in use, then charging should be carried out more often. Approximately 1 time in 1.5 months.

What current during charging to put and how much to charge?

There are certain standards by which the amount of current should be set during charging. According to these standards, charging current should be 10% of the battery capacity. However, the magnitude of the current depends not only on the capacity of the battery, but also on the degree of its rarefaction.

That is, if the battery is not yet completely discharged, then you need to set the current approximately 2 times lower than that required by the standard. This charging mode is called gentle. This increases the charging time. If you do the opposite and put a high current in order to charge the battery as quickly as possible. Such actions will definitely affect the battery life.

If you use all the tips in the article, then the life of your battery will be much longer than the promised 5 years warranty. The main thing is to monitor all the parameters of the battery, service it in time and charge it correctly.

At first glance, it may seem that charging a battery is simple procedure. It would seem that there is such a thing - you just need to connect the battery to the network and wait until it is 100% charged. However, there are some nuances in this matter that must be taken into account. What current should be charged car battery? Below you will learn about it.

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General principles of battery charging

In order for a charged battery to function for a long time, it is necessary to use a good and necessary battery charging current. The current strength of a 60 Ah battery in a car should not exceed the norm, otherwise the motorist may encounter certain problems. It should immediately be noted that charging car battery not so difficult, especially if you understand something in chemistry and physics. Before you charge the battery, you must carefully examine it operational features and properties.

It is also necessary to study the characteristics of the memory itself, but the most important point is to know what current is better to charge the device at 60 Ah or any other. First of all, remember that the car battery in any case must be permanent. If you do not know how to limit this impulse, you can use special rectifiers. These devices are necessary to adjust the voltage and other indicators.

When buying or renting a memory, you need to carefully read its characteristics and capabilities. For example, the charger required to work with 12-volt batteries allows you to increase the voltage level to 16.6 volts, if necessary. As a rule, this is required in order to charge any maintenance-free device.

Methods for charging car batteries

So, if you decide to independently charge the charge current through the car battery at 60 or more Ah, it will be useful for you to familiarize yourself with the methods for carrying out the procedure. In practice, two methods can be used for this purpose, either at constant current or at constant voltage. Fundamental differences there are none in these methods - both methods are complete. Of course, when right approach and compliance with all technologies.

Method 1 - at constant current

To begin with, consider the scheme for charging the battery of a passenger car or truck with this parameter constant. One of distinctive characteristics This method is that the car owner needs to control the parameter on the memory from time to time and adjust it if necessary. As a general rule, the inspection and control procedure should take place every one or two hours, but not less frequently.

How much current to charge a car battery? The procedure for charging a car battery is carried out taking into account the constant value of the above indicator. This parameter is equal to 0.1% of the total capacity of the battery when it is continuously discharged for twenty hours. Accordingly, if the capacity is 60 Ah, then the current for charging the device should be 6 amperes. To maintain the constancy of this indicator throughout the process, it is necessary to use the regulator, which is equipped with many memory devices.

To keep the battery level vehicle was higher, experts advise using the function of stepwise reduction of the impulse strength. The activation of the step-down function is relevant when the resistance indicator begins to increase.

Separately, it is necessary to highlight recommendations regarding unattended devices of the latest generation. In this case, you should increase the voltage parameter to 15 volts, while reducing the current parameter in the car battery by half. In other words, if the capacity of your device is 60 Ah, then the low current parameter should be set to 1.5 amperes.

After charging the battery with an asymmetric current, the device can be considered ready for operation when all parameters remain unchanged for one to two hours. In the event that the device is out of service, then the corresponding state will occur when the voltage level is 16.4 volts (the author of the video is Learning to drive a car. All secrets for beginners).

Method 2 - at constant voltage

What current to choose in this case? This method completely depends on the value of the above parameter provided by the device for charging.

If you recharge the battery throughout the day, the process will be carried out as follows:

• if the voltage level is 14.4 volts, then in 24 hours about 75-85% of the charge will be replenished, depending on the characteristics of the unit;
• if the above indicator is about 15 volts, then the device’s charge level will be about 85-90%;
• in the event that the parameter is 16 volts, the vehicle battery will be able to charge approximately 95-97%;
• to fully charge the device, it will take at least 20 and no more than 24 hours, while the voltage level should be 16.3 volts.

To understand that the device is fully charged, the main indicator for this will be the voltage level at the outputs of the device. This value should be 14.4 volts. If the charger is equipped with a light indicator, then it will inform the motorist about the end of the procedure with a green light. According to many experts, unattended batteries should be recharged to about 95% - in this way they can work out their entire service life, while the voltage should be at least 14.4 volts.

Remember that when charging a serviced device, it is advisable to unscrew all the plugs on it before starting the process. If the plugs are tightly tightened, this can provoke excessive pressure in the system, which in theory is fraught with an explosion. The plugs do not have to be completely unscrewed, just loosening them is enough.

In winter, topics related to car batteries are especially relevant, because cold start can drain it quickly. Many change old batteries (), buy new ones (the main thing) - however, most try to recharge them and use them further. Good modern batteries go long enough (about 4 - 5 years), but this period can be much reduced! If you apply current incorrectly and calculate the wrong charge time, the battery can quickly fail. So today detailed information How long does it take to charge your battery...

I would like to make a reservation right away - with a special charger, at an approximate temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, this is important, because if the temperature exceeds 35 degrees, then it is better not to start the process (here is the dependence of the temperature of the electrolyte and the ambient air)! The thing is that the electrolyte has a different density at different temperature(by the way, you can look -). However, I propose to recall the principles of charge and discharge.

The principle of the battery

In order to charge it, you need to understand how it works - no, I will not decompose it into various components now, everyone already knows what the lead plates are inside. We need to understand - what is, for example - 55 Amp * hour and 12 Volts.

• Amp and clock – measured in ampere/hours. That is, if your battery ( accumulator battery) 60 A * h - then it can give 60 amperes for one hour. Accordingly, if the load drops, for example, to 30A, then it can already give two hours and so on. I think this is understandable.
• Voltage - it is generally accepted that the voltage is 12 volts, although this is not entirely correct. The normal value of the working option is 12.6 - 12.7V (there are options with more), this is 100% fully charged.

If the voltage is 12V, then we can state that the battery discharge is about 40 - 50%, but you can drive with such indicators. If your car is working properly and the generator gives a normal "charge", then the voltage will quickly recover. I would also like to note that an indicator of 11.5 - 11.6V indicates "", this is very "unpleasant" for the battery. The process of “sulfation” of lead plates inside begins, which simply reduces the capacity of the battery - it can be so much that the car simply does not start.

That is, we understand that normal indicators are 12.7V (charged), it is with this voltage that 60 amperes will be given for an hour, and then it will drop to 11.6V (discharged). Then charge and re-use.

Two battery structures

This is also an important line, the whole point is that you need to charge each of the types in different ways, or rather prepare for the charging process. SO:

First type are the so-called maintenance-free batteries. Which have an electrolyte inside and it is, as it were, “sealed” inside, that is, it cannot evaporate. If it turns into steam, it further condenses on the walls and re-falls into the main electrolyte. This is the most trouble free type. No need to worry about level replenishment, density, etc.

Second type - (which is a thing of the past) - serviced. It does not have a sealed case, so the electrolyte (or rather the water from it) can evaporate, thereby lowering the level. This option is one of the most problematic, you need to be able to take care of it and charge it! For example, if the level is lowered, charging should not be done! You need the right preparation.

Battery preparation

Before charging the battery, it must be properly prepared, because if you remove it, then you need to check everything at once. As I wrote above, we will talk about a serviced battery.

• First you need to remove all condensation, oxide and dirt from the surface and contacts. To do this, simply take an ordinary rag, soak it in a solution of ordinary soda and wipe the upper part - the contacts. Thus, we achieve purity - this is important! After all, if your battery has screw caps on top, then dirt can get into them during dismantling - which is highly undesirable! After all, it can be the cause of battery failure, simply.
• You can open the covers. We check the electrolyte level, if it is extremely low - it does not close the plates, then it is necessary - MANDATORY, to add distilled water. Otherwise, you will simply "kill" your battery. Lead plates heat up and crumble.
• Ideally, you need to measure the density of the electrolyte. Remind for the worker normal battery it is - 1.26 - 1.30 g / cm3.

After preparatory work you can start charging. However, it is worth noting - that it comes in two versions - with the help of direct current and with the help of constant voltage, the time can vary greatly from these parameters. Unless of course you have a universal charger, there you have a minimum of settings.

DC charge time

I think it’s not worth explaining that you connect the negative terminal of the battery to the minus of the “charger” with the plus in the same way. Many adhere to this particular option, because the "Amperage" that we apply to the battery is very important parameter- in no case should it be exceeded, and if it is greatly underestimated, then the battery will take a long time to charge.

I also want to warn you - that the voltage should be greater than the nominal - that is, we get about 13.8 - 14V from the charger, about the same gives car alternator. Only then will the charge go, if the voltage is less than 12 (and even more so 11V), then nothing will happen, but most likely it will further aggravate the discharge.

SO : The optimal voltage is 10% of the total battery capacity, that is, if you have 75 Ah, then you need to charge with a current of 7.5A.

Thus - if your battery is completely discharged (voltage less than 11.7V), then it should recharge in 10 hours! However, the time may be shortened by the discharge level.

In the variant with a serviced battery, it is quite easy to determine this - as soon as bubbles appear from the surface of the electrolyte in the banks, this means that the charge has completely taken place.

From myself I want to add - in ancient times (about 20 years ago), my father very often charged the battery at home, especially in winter. He set the current to 2A on the 60Ah option and left it overnight, so the battery took the right amount of energy from this small current. It should be noted that the discharge was then not deep. Therefore, if you just want to “energize” your battery, for example, the voltage at the contacts is exactly 12V, set it to a current of 1 - 2A at night!

However, now there is another way that also requires a minimum of human intervention.

Constant voltage charging time

This option is gaining more and more popularity - it is this principle that is implemented on many Chinese devices, where there are practically no "VOLTAGE" and "AMPERAGE" indicators, but only luminous "dots" or a scale that signals the charge. This device is designed specifically for maintenance-free batteries, because you will not be able to watch the boiling of the electrolyte and the release of gas from it, because everything is hermetically sealed. Therefore, the first option is not very good. Voltage and amperage are automatically adjusted here.

SO A: The voltage can float between 13.8 and 14.5V, the higher the voltage, the faster the charge.

So in the first hour, the battery can absorb from 50 to 60% of the nominal capacity. THEN, if it is 60A, then 60X60% = 36A

In the second hour - the voltage drops, and the charge is slower, about 15 - 20%

The third hour is even lower, about 7 - 8%

Fourth - almost full capacity of 90 - 96%.

Now let's get specific. We will be interested in how to properly charge a car battery 60 amps, 55 amps, and possibly batteries with a different capacity.

The first thing to be done is to decide on the real charge, i.e. measure it. Do it better load fork or a voltmeter if you have the skills.

If the weather is cold, you should wait 5-6 hours and only then take measurements.

By the value of the voltage at the battery terminals, one can draw a conclusion about the state of charge, taking data from the table:

It remains to properly charge the car battery. Let's say we have a device with passport data for 60 amperes. Let us describe the process of charging produced by the method of constant value of the charging current.

1. For a 60 Ah battery, the current must be set to 6 A.
2. This method requires adjustments and some changes to the process. Upon reaching a voltage of 14.4 V, the charging value should be halved, i.e. up to 3 A.
3. At 15 V, the supply value is further halved to 1.5 A.
4. The recharging process will be considered completed when both the current and the charging voltage are constant for an hour or two.

How to properly charge a 55 amp car battery in a garage

If a 55 A battery is available general scheme The charge stays basically the same.

1. Charging in progress direct current 5.5 A.
2. Adjustment of parameters is made in one and a half to two hours.
3. The process is carried out until the voltage reaches 15-15.5 V. This moment is easy to catch: the electrolyte begins to boil.
4. The current level is reduced to a value of 2.75 A.

Accordingly, if you need to properly charge a 65 Ah battery, then the charging value should be equal to 6.5 A. Then you just need to follow the ammeter needle, remembering that it should move to zero.

On average, such a recharging operation lasts about 10-12 hours. It is only necessary to monitor the temperature of the electrolyte. If something went wrong due to errors, and the temperature rose to + 40⁰С, you need to urgently reduce the supplied current by half.

Properly charging a car battery is half the battle. He needs care. It must be treated with care, protected from blows. Its use in idle engine undesirable.

Teor21