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Stranded! Choose the best jump starter for your car

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21 December 2016

WHAT would you do when your car doesn’t start because the battery is flat? Some would recommend that you connect your car to another car and jump-start it.  But it’s not necessary to look out for another car – a jump starter comes in handy to start your dead car.

Plug-in units and jump boxes are the two types of jump starters. Jump boxes are sealed with lead acid, or gel pack batteries connected to alligator clamps. You needn’t worry about the spillage or leakage even if you tip over the unit, because batteries are tightly sealed. Plug-in units are battery chargers that provides enormous amount of amperage to start a car.

Carry jump boxes effortlessly

The best jump starters have enough juice to start off numerous cars between charges, while some don’t even have enough charge to start a golf cart. The reserve capacity and cranking amperage decide the jump box’s ability to start a car.

Furthermore, some jump boxes have air compressors, emergency lights, radios, inverters, and more. Even the basic jump boxes come with a 12-volt accessory socket to power your devices. This can be used to power your cellphones, laptops, or anything that requires a 12-volt power supply. Some of the jump boxes also have tyre compressors to inflate your tyre.

Your safety is top-priority while using a jump starter. Connect your jump box positive cable to the battery’s positive. The jump box negative cable can either be connected to the battery’s negative cable or grounded to the car.

Most jump boxes have short cables; it’s likely to sit on the engine compartment. This poses a potential threat to the electrical connections and sensors in your car. It’s recommended that you keep the jump box away from the radiator fan and accessory belts.

Extend your battery with plug-in units

Most plug-in jump starters charge your battery at a slower rate. You’ll not have the patience to wait longer for a 2 amp trickle charger. In that case, depending on the battery level, you can immediately charge them and start your engine. It’s not a preferred option, since it might not completely charge the dead battery.

The plug-in jump starters have an ability to instantly charge a dead battery. Whereas jump boxes don’t have the ability to do so, they just provide the sufficient amperage to start a car. You needn’t worry about being stranded in no man’s land while you own a jump starter.

The safest way to use a jump starter

Though there’s a bit of risk involved in jump starting your car, it can be largely minimised by being aware of the proper procedure. It’s not a good choice to frequently use the jump starters, especially with a hybrid car.

The auxiliary batteries of a hybrid car are of 12 V that’s very small. You’ll end up depleting your car to a point where it might not start. You shouldn’t connect the positive terminals of your jump starters to the fuse box. Always connect the jump starter to the positive terminal of the battery.

If there’s a question dangling over you whether to go for cigarette lighter jump starter, then the answer is a big “NO”. If you try starting your car with a cigarette lighter socket, chances are high that its fuse blows resulting in a fire accident.

The reason is your jump starter positive cable is as thick as your thumb, while that of a cigarette lighter is not even as thick as spaghetti!

Invest in a functional jump starter

It’s a good investment to have a good jump starter, which can come in handy when your car battery fails you. Jump starters are a boon when you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere. You’re independent, and don’t need to wait on someone to jump-start your car. Reviews and guidelines by professional can help you purchase the best jump starter.

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