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car battery basics

By cheryl wheeler

Explains basic car batteries
“Car Battery Basics”

Without a battery your car won’t start. Batteries, even today’s maintenance free ones, do require some maintenance. Inside your battery is a mix of sulfuric acid and water. This produces the electricity required to start your car and supplements the alternator when demand is high. I can not stress enough the importance of safety when handling your battery. Sulfuric acid is highly corrosive and will eat through your clothes. So wear work clothes when performing battery maintenance. Also it is a very good idea to wear gloves and goggles. If you do get some on your skin, flush with loads of water right away. If it gets in your eyes, flush your eyes with baking soda water and seek medical attention immediately. A charging battery gives off hydrogen gas. So no flames or sparks should be allowed anyway near the battery.

In the old days, and I’m old enough to remember, we had to take the vent caps off the top of our batteries and pour in water to replace that which had evaporated. Today that is not usually necessary, because today’s batteries have side vents and baffles that allow the battery to vent its hydrogen gas but let the condensed water fall back into the battery.

There is some maintenance to perform, however. You should regularly inspect your battery to be sure it is clean and fastened securely in its holder. Some corrosion will collect around the battery and this should be cleaned to keep your battery in tip top condition. To do this, use a solution of baking soda water and a wire brush to clean all the metal parts such as the battery posts, the cable ends and the holder. It is a good idea to coat these parts with grease to prevent corrosive build up between cleanings. When removing the cables for cleaning, remember to remove the negative cable first. When reinstalling the cables, the negative cable goes on last. Also make sure not to get any of the cleaning solution into the battery.

About the Author

Cheryl Wheeler is mother of six, publisher and author. You can check out her website at http://www.simply-amusing.com

This article courtesy of http://laptopbatteriesreview.info/.
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How to Properly Care for Your Batteries

By Bryan Noonan

Get the most out of your batteries, by properly caring for and storing your batteries. Learn the secrets and find out about the myths...
Caring for your batteries can be a confusing process. One conventional myth circulating about battery care is that the refrigerator is the best place to store your batteries. This is not true by itself. While it may help extend the life of your battery, doing this alone will not get the most out of your batteries.

Caring for your batteries is actually quite simple. You can get the most from your batteries by following these simple rules:

1. Don’t overheat. Do not attempt to charge non-rechargeable batteries. This will overheat them and could cause a fire. Keep batteries out of hot places, like your car. Your car can be an oven, and baking your batteries shortens their life.

2. Store properly. Keep your batteries in a cool, dry place. The refrigerator is cool, but not the driest location. You could store your batteries in the refrigerator and maximize their life by using a silica gel to keep the batteries dry. This however, is an expensive and inconvenient option.

3. Don’t short the connections. Keep your batteries organized. Don’t let the ends touch the wrong thing or you’ll short the battery.

4. Don’t mix and match. Use the same chemistry and brand. Never mix rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries.

5. Properly dispose of used batteries. Go to www.RBRC.org to find the recycling location nearest you.

Following these simple steps will end up saving you money and hassle in the long run.

About the Author

Bryan is the Operations and Marketing Manager for Zbattery.com. He has helped to bring this Internet business from obscurity to one of the top battery businesses online. He also operates his own independant web development and marketing company, AdvantageSolutions.net

How to Choose the Very Best Battery

By Bryan Noonan

Choosing the right battery for your electronics can be a complicated process. Make sure you get the right battery to get the most for your money.
If you are like most consumers, you are becoming more dependent on portable electronic devices. Even your kids are using more electronic toys today than 10 years ago. And if you’re like most consumers, you go through so many batteries in a year that you’ve asked yourself why you don’t have stock in Energizer or Duracell.

We can’t tell you how to make money buying Energizer, or Duracell stock, but we can tell you how to save money by choosing the right battery and properly caring for it.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BATTERY When shopping for batteries, consumers are faced with so many confusing options. ‘What’s better, Titanium, Ultra, Coppertop, Maximum, alkaline, lithium, heavy duty, etc., etc.?’

Determine the type of application The two main types of devices are high drain and low drain. Some applications fall about in the middle, like most CD players. Other applications, like MP3 players, or boom boxes are high drain, while clocks and desk alarms are low drain.

Determine the right battery Lithium batteries are designed for higher drain devices, and devices that need a quick recovery like a camera flash. Some alkaline batteries, including the Duracell® Ultra and Energizer® e2™ Titanium are also designed for high drain applications and will last up to 50% longer than standard alkaline batteries. Heavy duty batteries are designed for low drain devices like wall clocks.

Determine the ‘use by’ date Some stores may stock batteries for a long time before they are sold. Make sure to check the ‘use by’ date on the package before buying. The freshest alkaline batteries have a date no less than 5 years away. ‘Expired’ batteries have about 85% of their fresh capacity.

Choosing a brand Duracell, Energizer, Rayovac, and hundreds of smaller brands flood the market with advertising. Energizer claims their batteries will keep going, and going and going…outlasting the other brands. Duracell claims their power packed batteries will last longer than other brands. Rayovac claims their alkaline batteries last 2x longer than ANY other alkaline battery in digital cameras. But who’s right?

Independent tests by companies such as Zbattery.com and TechTv have shown some batteries to be better adapted than others to different devices, but the tests are not conclusive. The best way to find a battery that works for you is to try different brands and keep track of the amount of life you get from each brand.

RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES Rechargeable batteries are growing in popularity, especially with the boom in portable electronic devices. So how do you know when you should make the investment in a charger and batteries?

Knowing the types There are two main types of rechargeable batteries in the standard form factors: • NiMH (nickel metal hydride) • NiCad (nickel cadmium)

NiCad is used widely in cordless phones and electric razors. These tend to be charged before being completely discharged. This is the best chemistry for this type of operation.

NiMH battery has grown in popularity and is widely used in digital cameras and other electronic devices. With power lasting almost as long as an alkaline battery and the ability to recharge more than 500 times, you end up saving a lot of money over time.

If you use a lot of AA or AAA batteries your best bet is to buy a couple of sets of rechargeable batteries and a good charger…you’ll be better off in the long run.

About the Author

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car battery basics

How to Properly Care for Your Batteries

How to Choose the Very Best Battery

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