Can I Charge a Car Battery With a Home Inverter?

There are several ways in which we can charge our car batteries. However, there are times and circumstances when we seem to run out of options. Have you ever pondered the possibility of charging your car battery using your home inverter? If so then you’re in the right place.

The short answer is Yes! It is 100% possible to charge your car battery with your home inverter. Most home inverters have a charging circuit that can recharge 12-volt batteries at 13 to 14 volts which is within the range to power your battery.

 This article may be the best you’ll find on the internet regarding the subject, so you don’t want to stop reading here!

Can I charge a car battery with a home inverter?

As stated above, a home inverter can very much charge your car battery. 

However, some people may wonder how possible this is, given that an inverter releases alternating current (AC) while batteries only receive and store direct current (DC). This is quite confusing, right? How can an AC supplier (home inverter) charge a DC receiver and supplier (car battery)?

Typically, when the main power supply is available at home, the battery charging circuit in the inverter device charges the car battery.

How can a car battery be charged with a home inverter?

This is quite easy if done rightly. Follow these nine steps chronologically.

1. Secure two cable wires. They should be 1.5 mm thick and 1.5 to 2 m long.
2. Disconnect the inverter from the main power supply. If you do not want to, you should turn off the inverter and the main power supply.
3. Locate your inverter battery terminals and identify the negative and positive terminals. It is noteworthy that the black cable indicates the position of the negative terminal, while the red cable indicates the position of the positive terminal.
4. Tightly connect the two cable wires to both terminals of the inverter. Ensure that the cable wires do not touch each other.
5. Open the caps of your battery cells to ensure that water escapes.
6. Connect the positive wire to the positive battery terminal denoted by (+) and the negative wire to the negative battery terminal (-).
7. Switch on your main power supply and inverter, or reconnect your inverter to your main power supply.
8. Check for the appearance of bubbles in the battery cell. The bubbles in your battery cells indicate that the battery is charging.
9. After charging, remove the wires and check the voltage reading of your car batteries using a multimeter.       

How long should I charge my car battery with a home inverter?

Several factors can determine this.

– Your battery’s capacity

Averagely, a car battery has a capacity of 50Ah. It can take about 1.5 hours for batteries with this capacity to charge fully with an inverter. At times, it can take up to about 4 hours. Batteries with smaller capacities will take less time, while those with larger capacities will take more time.

– How discharged your battery is

It is advisable to check the voltage of your battery before charging it. You can do this using a volt or multimeter. Knowing the voltage will help you estimate the time needed for your battery to charge fully. Deeply discharged batteries will require more time to attain full charge than slightly discharged batteries.

– The voltage of your inverter

Before using your inverter, you should check its voltage and current rating. If the current rating and voltage are high, your battery will charge fast. If the current rating is high and the voltage is low, the charging process will be quite slow.

How can I tell when my battery is fully charged?

It is important to know that car battery circuits consist of six galvanic cells. Each of these cells provides 2.1 volts. This means a car battery provides 12.6 volts (6 x 2.1).

Check the voltage with a volt or multimeter to know if your battery is fully charged. A voltage reading of at least 12.6 implies that it is fully charged.

Necessary precautions to take when charging a car battery with a home inverter.

• Ensure that you tightly connect the wires to the positive and negative terminals. If they are not, sparks will occur.
• Do not overcharge the battery. Overcharging can end up damaging the battery.
• Open the caps of your battery cells to ensure that water escapes during charging.
• Double-check the connections before turning on the main switch. This is to avoid battery damage caused by faulty connections.
• It is advisable to do it outdoors. This is because when charging, some batteries, specifically lead-acid car batteries, release hydrogen gas. Hydrogen is non-toxic. However, very high hydrogen gas concentrations in indoor environments or confined spaces will displace oxygen and cause hypoxia.

Is it safe to use a home inverter to charge a car battery?

If you take the necessary precautions and follow the right procedure, it should be safe.

Some prefer this method of charging because it is faster. However, irrespective of how fast and safe it is, it is still advisable to use your battery charger.

Note that overcharging your battery or connecting the wrong terminals may damage your battery or even cause it to explode.

Facts to know when charging a car battery with a home inverter.

• In some cases, the inverter may fail to recognize the extension cables (wire cables) for battery terminals. If this happens, keep aside the extension cables and use a connector to clip the polarity-matched Inverter lead to the battery tightly.
• Sometimes, inverters turn to use the charging car battery as backup power. Keep your main power supply on and turn off the inverter circuit to prevent this.
• If your inverter has a low voltage rating, charging will be slow. It will take approximately 4 hours for your car battery to charge fully.
• If the terminals are wrongly connected, your car battery may explode.
• If your battery is dead, this method may not work.
• You can only use a home inverter to charge a car battery when the inverter is connected to the main power supply.

Conclusion

Home inverters are not only used to power up electrical appliances in case of power shortage or outage. You can also use one to charge your car battery.

When connected to the main power source, most home inverters can charge 12-volt car batteries at 13 to 14 volts. The process is quite easy. Once you have properly connected your terminals and turned on your main current supply, your battery is sure to charge.

If your battery charger is not available, then use your home inverter. Just make sure that you take all precautionary motives to avoid unnecessary injuries.