Kane Dan
A battery charger is a device that every car owner should have in their garage. It’ll come in handy during times when your car battery depletes, and you need to charge it.
There are many battery chargers in the market, but they don’t all work the same. Some are of a higher quality, standard, and have more to offer.
In today’s article, we’ll discuss the Schumacher battery charger and how to use it proper way.
Schumacher is a company that has been manufacturing electrical products for automotive since 1947.
It’s therefore a reputable manufacturer that you can rely on for some of the best battery chargers in the market.
And here’s my top 3 picked below…
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What’s The Schumacher Battery Charger?
This charger is the product of the Schumacher company that also produces jumper cables, engine starters, and other automotive electrical devices.
It’s very different from traditional battery chargers and can be used to charge car batteries of any type and size.
This device is also different from others in the market because it can do so much more than charge your car battery.
It’s the ideal equipment to get to charge your battery faster and keep it safe from damage caused by issues such as overcharging.
But since there are different types of Schumacher battery chargers, you should consider the various specifications that come with the one that you get.
Here’s a look at some of the Schumacher battery charger types available:
1. Manual Charger
The Schumacher manual chargers are the most traditional you can get.
As the name suggests, they require to be operated manually from start to finish.
When using a manual battery charger, you should keep an eye on it so that you can turn it off at the right time to avoid overcharging.
If you fail to unplug, it’ll keep charging your battery even after it’s full. This will cause can damage your battery.
2. Automatic Charger
An automatic charger is more convenient than a manual charger, and an ideal choice if you don’t want to monitor the charging process manually.
When the battery is fully charged, the automatic charger stops charging. This prevents overcharging. With the charging done, the charger switches to Maintain Mode.
This is a mode whereby it ensures that the battery remains fully charged, while preventing overcharging at the same time.
If after charging the voltage drops past a preset value, the charger will go back to charging mode and provide a small current to recharge again. When it’s full, it’ll go back to Maintain Mode.
The automatic charger will maintain this cycle of charging and maintaining until you turn it off.
3. Microprocessor Charger
This is the safest, most efficient, and fastest battery chargers you can get.
A microprocessor charger can charge a wide range of batteries despite their type or size.
Such a charger monitors the entire charging process and works to protect the battery from damages caused by charging mishaps.
It collects information as the battery charges so that it can adjust the voltage and current based on the charging progress.
In this way, it can fast charge when the battery is low, and reduce the current when it’s nearly full.
The processor goes ahead to prevent overcharging once the battery is full. In this way, it helps keep the battery capacity and cycle life safe.
How To Use The Schumacher Battery Charger
Using the Schumacher battery charger is quite easy and doesn’t require any complicated steps.
To use your Schumacher charger, follow these steps:
- Connect the clamps on the charging cable to the corresponding terminals on the battery. Once you do this, the charger will show the cell voltage and determine the charging period for the battery.
- Depending on the voltage requirements of the battery, select the correct output on the voltage selector. You can select whether you want the battery to charge slowly or at a fast rate.
- Plug the Schumacher battery charger into an electrical outlet.
- Switch the charger on, and charging will commence.
- Your battery will be fully charged when the charger shows a green light.
Schumacher battery chargers are fitted with a LCD screen that show you how the charging is progressing.
When your battery is fully charged, the charger will automatically go into Maintain Mode to prevent overcharging.
A Schumacher battery charger can also work as an engine starter or be used to jumpstart a dead car battery.
Here’s the good instruction you can also learn from:
How To Use A Schumacher Battery Charger To Jumpstart Your Battery
If you need to jumpstart your battery using a Schumacher charger, follow these steps:
- First of all, ensure that the car and the battery charger are turned off.
- Secondly, connect the jumper cables.
- Plug the charger into an AC outlet and turn on the jumper cables.
- Crank your engine and wait for about 5 seconds to see if it starts.
- If your engine doesn’t turn on, wait another 3 minutes before trying to jump start again.
- After you manage to start the car, switch off the charger and disconnect the jumper cables.
Here’s the good video:
How Does The Schumacher Battery Charger Work?
One of the things that set the Schumacher battery charger apart from others is that it does so much more than charge your battery.
It can also help maintain your battery power and keep it safe from various damages.
Here are some of the features available on Schumacher battery chargers and how they work:
Maintain Mode
The charger goes into Maintain Mode when the battery is fully charged. This is the mode where it ensures that after charging is done, the battery voltage doesn’t drop.
Each time it drops, the charger delivers a small current to keep the battery fully charged.
Automatic Desulfation Mode
Sulfation is a process that happens in wet cell batteries. Here, lead sulfate crystals build up and leads to premature battery failure.
Schumacher battery chargers have an automatic desulfation mode whereby they remove the crystals and repair damaged cells.
This is an automatic process that happens if the charger detects any sulfation.
Float Mode Monitoring
Float mode monitoring is a feature that’s found in microprocessor Schumacher battery chargers. It maintains the battery’s charge at optimal level when it’s in storage.
This is different from the Maintain Mode, which maintains full charge when the charger is still plugged in and connected to the battery.
The float mode monitoring feature ensures that even if you don’t use your battery for a while, it’ll still be charged when you put it back into your car.
Without such a feature, an idle battery will discharge over time.
Reverse Hookup Protection
When you connect the charging cables and the battery terminals incorrectly, you run the risk of damaging both your charger and the battery.
This situation is referred to as reverse hookup. When the cables and terminals are connected wrongly, the battery will get discharged since the current will go the wrong way.
Schumacher battery chargers however have a reverse hookup protection feature that prevents this from occurring.
If you make a faulty connection, no power will be transmitted between the charger and the battery.
FAQs
Q1. How Long Does The Schumacher Battery Charger Take To Fully Charge A Battery?
A Schumacher battery charger takes half as much time as a standard charger to charge a battery. This is thanks to its advanced technology.
The rate of charging may differ depending on whether you use a manual, automatic, or microprocessor Schumacher battery charger.
Also, note that this fast charging doesn’t put your battery at risk because the charger automatically prevents overcharging.
Q2. Can I Use The Schumacher Battery Charger Outdoors?
The Schumacher batter charger can be used as long as there’s an electrical outlet to plug it in.
Therefore, you can use it outdoors, but only if you have a power source. Otherwise, you’ll not be able to use it without an electrical outlet since it doesn’t come with an in-built battery.
Q3. Can I Leave My Schumacher Battery Charger Working?
Schumacher battery chargers have the Maintain Mode that prevents overcharging. Therefore, you can safely leave your battery charger working without risking your battery.
Q4. How Will I Know That My Battery Is Fully Charged?
To check the battery’s charging progress, you should look at the amp meter.
At the start of the charging process, the meter will show that a high amount of current is being discharged to the battery.
As charging progresses, the reading on the meter will show that the current output rate has dropped to about half of the originally set rate. This is an indication that the battery is fully charged.
Conclusion
A Schumacher battery charger is one of the best you can find on the market. With the various technologies used to advance its functionality, it’s one of the most efficient battery chargers ever.
It makes it easy to keep your battery safe and can charge it fully within a fraction of the time used by traditional chargers.
As long as you have an electrical power outlet, this is a charger that you can use at any time to revive your depleted car battery.
