Tow Truck Bakersfield

Battery Jumpstart Bakersfield CA

Do you want to know how to jumpstart your own car battery? Read below for the basic steps. It's an excerpt from  Julie Sussman, et al (Dare To Repair Your Car) . If you would rather have a professional come and help, call us for a tow truck Bakersfield CA residents trust in providing excellent roadside assistance!

Jump-Starting the Battery

Before we teach you the steps to jump-start a battery, there are some safety tips you need to know.
Clothing, Jewelry and Long Hair
Whenever you are working near an engine that’s running, do not wear loose clothing, and if you have long hair be sure to put it up so that it doesn't get caught in any moving parts. Also, remove any rings and bracelets. Metal jewelry can cause a short circuit between two electrical contacts, creating a spark that will burn the area of skin where the jewelry is worn.

Tools

Be very careful when working with any metal tools, such as a wrench. If the wrench touches the positive terminal while also touching the metal on the engine or frame of the car at the same time, you will create a short circuit and the electrical current may go through your body, as well as possibly igniting the acidic fumes from the battery.

Protective Eyewear

The organization Prevent Blindness America states that thousands of people each year are seriously injured or blinded by sulfuric acid that's released when a battery explodes.
To prevent this from happening you need to use protective eye-wear, and we don't mean sunglasses. Regular glasses and sunglasses are not designed to keep flying fragments or caustic fluids from entering your eyes. The best eyewear for automotive use is a pair of safety goggles, which protect the eyes on all sides. They can be purchased at most hardware or auto parts stores.
If an accident happens and you get sulfuric acid in your eye, immediately rinse your eye with a drinkable liquid – water, milk, or even soda – for about 15 minutes and call 911 for help.
If you get a flying fragment in your eye, do not flush the eye. If the eye is punctured, you don't want to lose any fluids in the eye that are protecting it. Call 911 for help.
Prevent Blindness America provides at no cost (but a donation is welcome) a sticker that's an informative step-by-step guide to jump-starting a battery. This is great because you can attach it under the hood of your car for easy reference.

Don't Jump-Start a Battery If...

• The battery is frozen, cracked, or has a bulge, because it will explode.
• The Jumper cables are rusted, or have exposed wires, because it may cause severe burns or the battery to explode.
• You don't have safety goggles to wear. It's not worth risking your eyesight.
• You're smoking or you've lit a match."

Continuation in the next post.  See you there!