It takes 8 hours to charge a 48 amp battery with a 6 amp charger. This time decreases when you increase the number of charging amps. However, charging on too high of amps can be dangerous.
Amp-hours is how many amps an hour a charger can put out. If a battery has 36 amp-hours, it can output 1 amp for 36 hours, 3 amps for 12 hours, 6 amps for 6 hours, etc. A 10 amp charger puts out 10 amps an hour to the battery.
Before you start charging, make sure you're in a well-ventilated area, and your battery and charger are compatible. Check your owner's manual for more information.
Step 1: Identify the positive and negative terminals. The positive terminal is either red or has a plus sign near it.
Step 2: Disconnect the battery cables and remove the battery. Always disconnect the negative, or ground, first.
Step 3: Clean your battery terminals. Make sure you remove any dirt or corrosion to ensure a proper charge.
Step 4: If required, fill the cells with water. If you have a maintenance-free battery, you can forgo this step.
Step 5: Set the charger to the proper voltage. The appropriate voltage should be on the battery or in the owner's manual.
Step 6: Attach the cables. Attach the positive cable first and then the negative.
Step 7: Plug in the charger. Make sure you're using a grounded outlet without an adapter.
If you know how many amp hours your battery has, you can calculate how long the battery takes to charge. To figure that you can use a simple formula. Time= Amp-hour/Battery Amps. For these examples, we are using a 48 amp battery.
Using a 2 amp charger on a 48 amp battery takes 24 hours to charge from empty. The charger puts out 2 amps an hour and has to work for 24 hours to reach 48 amps.
Using a 4 amp charger on a 48 amp battery takes 12 hours to charge from empty. The charger puts out 4 amps an hour and has to work for 12 hours to reach 48 amps.
Using a 6 amp charger on a 48 amp battery takes 8 hours to charge from empty. The charger puts out 6 amps an hour and has to work for 8 hours to reach 48 amps.
If you need a charge in a hurry, it makes sense to increase the amperage. Going above 12 amps can be risky if done for an extended time. Charging for too long puts the battery at risk of exploding. To avoid this, only use chargers above 12 amps for an hour at a time.
Using a 12 amp charger on a 48 amp battery takes 4 hours to charge from empty. The charger puts out 12 amps an hour and has to work for 4 hours to reach 48 amps.
Using a 40 amp charger on a 48 amp battery takes 1.2 hours to charge from empty. The charger puts out 40 amps an hour and has to work for 1.2 hours to reach 48 amps.
Using a 50 amp charger on a 48 amp battery takes a little less than 1 hour to charge from empty. The charger puts out 50 amps an hour and has to work for almost 1 hour to reach 48 amps.
If your battery isn't charging, there could be a few things wrong. It could be as complicated as a chemical issue in the battery or as simple as a faulty terminal. Here are some common issues:
When your battery isn't charging, it can be demoralizing. However, before you dispose of the battery, try and troubleshoot it yourself. Some battery issues are solvable at home. Troubleshooting yourself can save you money and time.
To do some simple troubleshooting on your car battery, you need a few tools. A voltmeter, cleaning solution, and an appropriately sized wrench are the tools you need. The whole troubleshooting process should take about 10 minutes. If troubleshooting doesn't resolve the issue, then your battery likely needs to be replaced.
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