Cozy home - How to choose a jump starter or charger for a car battery

Every car owner is familiar with the situation when, for one reason or another, the car battery is discharged. Who has not had to solve questions like: «I forgot to turn off the headlights and the battery is dead — what should I do?» or «How to start the engine after a long period of inactivity?»

Most often, problems with starting the engine overcome in the cold season. And since in our latitudes this time stretches for many months, a gentleman’s kit of a motorist must necessarily include a starting or charging device. How to understand this and choose the right device?

Making the right choice is not difficult if you clearly understand what each of these devices is intended for and how they work.

Charger

A familiar power supply unit that runs on a 220 V network and is connected to the battery using clamps. Such a device should be in every garage for preventive inspection and recharging of the battery. With its help, in stationary conditions, you can restore a battery that has run down in the cold or after long-term storage. Simply put, it is only a charger, and one that works from the mains.

Starter

It is used specifically (and only) to start the engine and therefore in driver’s everyday life is called a start jumper or booster for a car battery. This is a full-fledged battery that can produce high starting currents and set in motion not only a passenger car, but any other vehicle (bus, tractor, truck, boat, moped, etc.).

Everything depends on the characteristics of a specific model of the starting device. Before work, an autonomous starting device is charged from the mains, but there are models that replenish the charge from the on-board network of the car (via the cigarette lighter).

Starter-charger

A universal design that combines the capabilities of the first two. With its help, you can both charge the battery and start the engine. Such devices are indispensable in a car service center where it is necessary to service a lot of different equipment.

And if a private household has several vehicles (including utility vehicles, such as a walk-behind tractor), a starting and charging device will also come in handy. They can be of different shapes and sizes — from very small to quite heavy devices on wheels.

Types of chargers

If you only need a device to monitor and replenish the battery charge, then consider two options.

Non-automatic chargers

Simple, inexpensive and quite common. True, when using them, you will have to set the current and voltage yourself, and then strictly control the process to prevent overcharging.

But if you have experience using such chargers and it is easy for you to understand the terminals and adjust the settings for adequate charging, then this is a good choice. Using a non-automatic charger, it is convenient to restore batteries with a zero charge level.

Automatic chargers

Compact «smart» devices that themselves determine the capacity and voltage of the battery, setting the necessary parameters. Some models show the voltage at the terminals, the charge level, etc. If you are a beginner and it is difficult for you to set up and control the process of «reanimation» of the battery, then this is your model.

True, this is a more expensive option to buy. But any «automatic» is a high-tech thing and cannot be cheap. The reduced cost of the model is most often due to low quality of production. Therefore, automatic chargers at a low price from an unknown manufacturer will not work correctly, for a long time and without warranty service.

Types of starting devices

If you need a means for emergency starting of a car with a dead battery, then consider a booster, a start jumper. Here, too, two varieties are possible.

Battery starting devices

Classic starting devices. Their main advantage is the ability to make several attempts to start. In addition, such starting devices usually have connectors for connecting various devices, which solves the problem of charging a phone, tablet, etc.

True, battery-powered «starters» have a small resource of charge-recharge cycles, are sensitive to temperature changes and take quite a long time to charge from the network (20-30 minutes). But if you need a budget starting device to start a car in a critical situation, this option is quite suitable.

Capacitor starting devices

Compact, have a large resource of charge-discharge cycles (up to 10,000). The «starter» on capacitors gives high starting currents and is capable of starting a powerful engine. It can be recharged by the residual charge of a dead car battery and is not afraid of critical temperatures.

But it should be taken into account that the accumulated charge of a capacitor PU is usually enough for only one start attempt. Then it will need to be recharged. However, if you need a portable starting device for a diesel car or truck, you should consider this particular jumper.

What characteristics to pay attention to

Any of these devices must match the characteristics of the battery that will have to be charged and the engine that will have to be started. Simply put, the main guidelines for selection can be called voltage, amperage and capacity.

Voltage

The device must match the operating voltage of the vehicle’s on-board network. The batteries of most cars and trucks have a voltage of 12 and 24 V, respectively. But there is also equipment with a lower voltage (6 V): motorcycles, mopeds, walk-behind tractors, etc., which also cannot be ignored.

If you have to charge batteries with different voltages, it is better to immediately focus on a universal device. For example, a starting device designed for 24 and 12 V or 12 and 6 V.

Battery capacity

This parameter determines the operating potential of the charger, starting or starting-charging device. For example, a starting device with a minimum battery capacity of 300 Ah can service not only a passenger car, but also an SUV and a minibus.

However, for the average car owner, it is quite enough to have a charger and a «starter» with a capacity of 10 to 25 Ah. It’s just that a model with a smaller capacity will have to be charged more often.

Starting current

The most important characteristic. It means the maximum amperage that the starting device can give to start the starter. Here, it is easiest to focus on the type of engine in your car (diesel, gasoline) and its volume (displacement). The starting device passport must indicate which engines it can be used for.

The approximate layout is as follows:

The starting current for most passenger cars with a gasoline engine of up to 2 liters is on average 200–280 A. But this is in the warm season. And taking into account the frosts (the main trigger of the problem), it is better to provide a «starter» with a peak current of about 300-350 A.
For gasoline engines with a volume of 2 to 4 liters and diesel engines up to 2 liters, the starting current should be 400 A and higher, and in cold weather 550 A may be required.
For heavier vehicles, use a starting and charging device with starting currents of 600-800 A and higher, depending on the engine volume.

A well-known brand or a no-name?

Buying a device from an unknown manufacturer is a dubious way to save money. A small price, as a rule, is due not to the lack of costs for advertising the brand, but to the low quality of components and assembly. Unscrupulous manufacturers can overstate the real performance of their devices.

Not all no-name devices are intuitive to use, and the lack of instructions may come as a surprise to the buyer. Remember that a brand and an expensive one are not synonymous. Among the well-known, proven and reliable brands there are not only premium ones but also very budget ones.

Additional useful options

The choice of a booster for starting a car should, first of all, make life easier for a car enthusiast. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to additional functions:

LED indicators — will show all operating parameters and help control the charging process.
Built-in protection — depending on the model, it can protect against various risks (overload, reverse polarity, short circuit, overheating, etc.).
Additional connectors — USB outputs through which you can charge various mobile gadgets, which is especially convenient on the road.
Desulfation mode — will help clean the lead plates of the battery from sulfuric acid salts.
BOOST mode — accelerated charging (hence the popular name «booster»). It will come in handy in emergency situations when you need to start urgently. This mode will also allow you to quickly restore a completely discharged battery. But you can’t use it often, so as not to ruin the battery.
Built-in flashlight — will greatly simplify the situation with «reviving» the engine in the dark.

How to use a car jump starter

To connect the booster to the car battery, just do three simple steps: open the hood, connect the clamps of the jump starter to the battery terminals (red to positive, black to negative), and then start the car.

Modern high-tech devices of well-known brands are easy to use and well protected from possible user errors. The main thing is not to be fooled by the attractive prices of unknown manufacturers and suppliers.

Where and how to store jump starters

In the warm season, they can be stored in the car, in a place convenient for you (glove compartment or trunk). But you shouldn’t leave the jump starter in the cold. At sub-zero temperatures, batteries quickly discharge, and when frozen, they generally lose their qualities and become unusable.

Therefore, in the cold period, it is better to take the jump starter with you. A portable booster of small or medium power for a passenger car will weigh no more than 400 g and will easily fit into any bag.

Let’s sum it up

A charger is necessary for any battery to keep it in good energy condition.

For preventive recharging, you only need a warm garage and an electrical network. For beginners, the best option is an automatic charger from a reliable manufacturer. And for experienced car enthusiasts who prefer to control everything themselves, a device with manual settings is suitable.

No matter how responsible and careful the car owner is, no one is immune from surprises. To protect yourself and your car from the risk of getting stuck on a cold and dark road, it is better to have a «starter», a booster, a start jumper — in general, a starting device. A battery «starter» can provide several starts, and a capacitor one will give a high starting current for a powerful engine.

For a gasoline engine with a volume of up to 2 liters, choose an option with a starting current of 200 A to 350 A.
For a gasoline engine with a volume of 2 to 4 liters and a diesel engine up to 2 liters, you will need a starting current of 400-550 A.
For larger and more powerful engines — 600-800 A or more.

A starting device is the best option if you plan to service a large number of vehicles both stationary and on-site. Among the starting devices, you can find not very powerful and more compact models for caring for your home fleet of cars and motorcycles. When buying any of these products, it is better to focus on well-known brands and trusted dealers.