If your battery is flat, you can jump-start the vehicle using special car battery chargers and related accessories: jump leads, battery crocodile clips, AC battery chargers & boosters (jump starters).

Types of battery chargers

If the battery is dead but near there is a car with a charged one, you can use it as a donor. Jump leads with crocodile clips at their ends will help you to do it. These accessories transmit current from a charged battery to the dead one.

These special leads, used for jump starting a car, differ in length. It might vary in the range from 1.5 to 4 m. Note that they have to be long enough to connect both batteries without taking any of them out of the car. You should also consider the fact that the longer the lead is, the higher the resistance is, which reduces the effectiveness of the electric current transmission.

These products also differ in the maximum cranking current. The more powerful the engine of the car is, the higher this parameter should be. Crocodile clips differ depending on the cross-section of the cables they are attached to.

Special AC battery chargers & boosters (jump starters) help to conveniently start a vehicle even if there isn’t any other car near, as they are the sources of current themselves. The following categories of such devices can be distinguished:

• Mains powered. It is convenient to use them in your garage.
• Battery powered. These portable devices with an in-built battery are indispensable while travelling.

When charging a battery, a voltage surge might occur, which can damage the onboard electronics. Surge and overvoltage protection devices can help to prevent this problem. Among the available products there are items with a LED screen.

Battery chargers usage tips

Use these devices according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. It is important to connect jump leads correctly to start a vehicle. So, positive alligator clips are connected to the positive terminals of the batteries in both cars. The negative lead is connected with one of its clips to the negative terminal of the battery of the donor car, and with the other end - to the engine block of the car with the discharged battery.

It is also important to observe the polarity when using AC chargers/boosters. It is recommended not to leave the device in use unattended. The only exceptions are products with a timer control which allow setting the time of charging at the end of which the device switches to standby mode. Manufacturers recommend to avoid exposing battery chargers to moisture and low temperatures.

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