Have you ever wondered how long it takes to recharge a lawnmower battery with a trickle charger? My recent experience with my electric lawnmower gave me pause and a moment of reflection at the idea of having a spare lawnmower battery so I can interchangeably use one battery while the other is charging. Take it from me, electric lawnmowers usually run out of battery when you least expect it. This mostly happens when you leave your electric lawnmower idle for a very long time without fully recharging it first.
Luckily, a trickle charger was on hand to help me restore the battery back to fully charged status, however, the downtime can be discouraging especially when you are using a trickle charger which takes time to recharge batteries. A trickle charger is a low amp charger used to charge a drained battery to ensure that it runs at a maximum capacity. A trickle charger connected to an idle battery slow-charges the battery, ensuring that it does not get depleted, when the battery is full, the trickle charger will automatically stop charging. So, if you are planning on cutting your lawn over the weekend, you need to consider the time your trickle charger needs to recharge your electric lawnmower beforehand.
Trickle chargers take 20-24 hours to recharge a lawnmower battery fully. Though trickle chargers are effective at recharging batteries, a mower battery that has been fully discharged will take about 20 to 24 hours to be charged using a trickle charger.
Many factors can also influence the charging time that it takes to charge the battery using the trickle charger. Included in those factors are the capacity of the lawnmower battery, discharge levels, output current, and recharge efficiency of the battery.
Understanding the battery’s operation is also essential because it helps you choose the right way to fill up your mower’s battery. The battery also requires continuous charging after using it. Most chargers give you a range of options that you can choose from when it comes to charging. For instance, you may choose to use the fast time charging mode, trickle charging mode or the timed charging mode.
Overcharging your mowers with a trickle charger can be very bad for the battery. When overcharged, the battery can end up getting damaged. However, you may also choose to use a battery regulator which helps to prevent overcharging.
Trickle chargers can be automatic, whereas others can be manual. The manual trickle chargers do not have many advanced features as compared to the automatic chargers. An automatic trickle charger has a feature that automatically switches itself off; this is based on how much the battery has been charged.
The two-amp, six-volt, and 12 volts trickle charger are the most commonly used for charging lawnmowers. Such a trickle charger can also be used for charging large batteries as well as small batteries. The charger can also be used for classic batteries. The charger also has a reverse lookup connection to ensure that there are no problems with the connectivity. The charger works in a slow state; this also ensures that the battery does not get damaged or exploded. The charger can also be used for vehicles and other purposes, especially during the winter season.
How to Use a Trickle Charger
A trickle charger is very easy to use. usually, trickle chargers have a box, a power cable, and alligator clips for connecting the charger to the battery. The first thing to do before doing anything is to set the current and the voltage for the battery.
Safety precautions
Firstly, ensure that the clothing you are wearing is protective clothing. This can include safety glasses as well as clothes. Then make sure that the charger is unplugged from the electrical outlet. Then find you mowers battery. Most of the time the battery is located beneath your seat. You can also use the manual to see where your mower’s battery is found.
Ensure Battery Is Ready for Charging
You should also ensure that the mower is placed in a place where there is no rain. It should not be an enclosed space because charging the mower can cause it to produce extra hydrogen gas and the concentration of this gas can lead to an explosion. The ignition should also be turned off. Make sure that the key has been removed from the ignition.
Locate a Suitable Ground Location
To ensure that there is a safe connection, you should ensure that the ground located is suitable. The negative terminal of the charger is attached to the ground. Using the negative terminal on the battery can cause a fire or cause the battery to explode. Therefore, you can use an engine block or a large bolt.
Prepare the lawnmower for charging
The next thing is to prepare your charger for mowing. Most mowers allow you to charge the battery while it’s still being housed inside and while it’s outside. The cables are also colored for easy determination. The positive terminal cable is colored red, while the negative terminal cable is colored black. When connecting the cables, you start with the positive terminal cable and then follow up with the negative terminal cable.
Connect properly
You also need to ensure that your lawnmower is well connected before you start charging it. You can look at the manual for the guide on your lawn mowers state before you start charging it. This is very important because it also improves the life span of your mower.
Attach Cables
The alligator clips are used for connecting to the battery. Once a connection has been established between the battery and the charger, you should connect the negative wire to the ground that has been chosen. The negative wire should be attached to the ground solidly before you plug the charger into the socket. Avoid touching the charger when its plugged into the socket because this may cause an injury or a shock.
Connect your charger
The next step is to connect your charger to the battery and then later on to the socket. Make sure the socket is off when you are connecting. The switch off the charger once you have finished charging the charger.
What steps to follow when you are charging your lawnmower
You need to follow a lot of precautions when you are charging your lawn mower battery. Charging should be done in an area that is well ventilated.
Choosing the right charger
To ensure that your lawnmower is effectively charged, the first thing that you need to do is to ensure that the charger you are using is the right one. When choosing a battery charger, you look at the battery’s voltage. Some lawnmowers may have a voltage of 12 V, while others may have a voltage of 6V.
Charging at the right amount
Some lawn mowers may take one hour to be fully charged. It is very important to make sure that your lawnmower’s battery is not overcharged because this may destroy the battery. Overcharging also mostly deals with the charger that was used to charge your lawnmower, some chargers ensure not to overcharge the mower’s battery.
When to charge your mower’s battery
A mower can be used for up to several months without charging it. There are certain times when it will run out of battery and will require you to charge it. You may need to charge your mower before you start mowing when it’s springtime.
The mower may also require you to charge it before you store it when you are about to enter winter. Another instance where you may need to charge your mower is when the battery has died before you start mowing.
Most modern chargers nowadays have great features when charging your mower’s battery. Some of the features include:
- Mode settings: most chargers can include a variety of modes from which you can easily choose to charge your mower. Some modes may include fast charging mode, slow charging mode, jumpstart mode, and more.
- Hookup-fail safe. This feature can become very useful when there are improper connections that ensure that they are prevented.
- Integrated charging time: This feature can be used for timed charging and you can easily set the timer for charging your battery.
- Automatic shut-off. This feature is also very important and can be used to shut off the mower when it is done charging automatically. Other features include: Controlling amp rate feature, Float modes feature
How will the battery charger of the mower work?
The mower battery works in a similar way to that of the car. The battery charger works by ensuring that current is provided to the battery cells and ensuring that it gets energy in the end. There are some chargers that use lower charge while others use electric current to ensure that the batteries are not undercharged or overcharged.
Conclusion
When using a trickle charger, your battery will take about 12 to 24 hours in order to be complexly charged. You can also jump-start a lawnmower, especially if you want to use it very fast; sometimes you can charge it at a high rate. There are some trickle chargers that you can leave on your lawn mower battery, this is most common if you are charging a lawnmower that is not usually used. some trickle chargers are specifically built for this. Most trickle chargers have many features that they can support, including mode settings, integrated charging time, and automatic shutoff features. When using a trickle charger, there are several steps that one has to follow to ensure effective charging. Choosing the right charger is also ensures effective charging.
