Question, what would happen

Leroy · Jan 25, 2016

What would happen if you hooked up a 6 volt charger to a 12 volt battery? Would it put any power in battery if battery was 95% dead, what about 50% dead? Would it dammageg anything? I know 12 volt going to 6 volt could be bad, just don't know about other way around.

dr sportster · Jan 25, 2016

Since voltage is EMF [elctro motive force] ,it would not have enough " push" to move any electrons and would do nothing.

da.bees · Jan 25, 2016

There are so many different types chargers it depends on which you are talking about. Nothing good will come of it regardless which,but charger damage will occur with some. Probably not a good thing to experiment with.

dr sportster · Jan 25, 2016

Yes I should have said if it doesn't burn itself up trying. lol

jimg.allentown · Jan 25, 2016

Probably not much would happen. Even a nearly dead 12v battery would have more voltage than the charger would put out. Considering that to charge a 6v battery, a charger would put out 7 to 8 volts. Even a nearly dead 12v battery would still have an 8 or 9 volt potential, but would not have any significant current behind it. Logic would say that current would flow from the higher voltage to the lower voltage. As such, there may even be a potential to damage the charger, however slight. Just my thought on that.

Janicholson · Jan 25, 2016

I agree with Dr. At the point the battery was literally stone dead, the charger would take it to 6v, but in reality that is not the working voltage of each series cell, so it would take little time and do no good. What is the reason for the question? Jim

Leroy · Jan 25, 2016

My chargers are old and one is both 6 or 12 volt, 30 year old, no timer, and if it was turned to 6 volt and not realized it was on 6 volt and hooked to 12 volt battery. Then if I would just hook up a old 50's style 6 volt charger to 12 would it do any good, needing to try to bring back to life some 12 volt batteries. Thought if it would do anything get them started to come up and finnish with the 12 volt unit. Some may be 100% dead even tho have never been used. Batteries are out, not hooked to anything.

pete 23 · Jan 25, 2016

I have run many batteries to stone dead and then hooked up the charger on 6 volts for a short time to keep the 12 volt setting from going berserk when I switched to 12 volt.

old-9 · Jan 25, 2016

I have had very low/ dead 12 volt batterys and when I hooked up my 12 volt charger it would peg and trip out. I switched the charger to 6 volt for 2 or so hours then switched back to 12 volt. No damage and the charger did not peg and trip when returned to 12 volt.. You arn't going to hurt the battery, and if your older charger is like mine it won't be damaged either. I have also put a 12 volt light in series with a charger with a dead 12 volt battery to keep from triping the charger.

joe

Tim in OR · Jan 25, 2016

When I was a kid, I filled the alternator of my 4x4 with mud. It quit charging. I drove home with one headlight disconnected, just made it. Next day I got a jump and drove to my folks house. Daylight, nothing turned on, the engine died when I stepped on the brake as I rolled into the driveway. Battery was dead. I hooked Dad's old 6 volt charger up and then started disassembly and cleaning of the alt. After an hour or so, I finished assembly and tried starting it up. It worked!! It turned slow, but it got me started (alternator started working again too). Not an ideal thing, but it worked in a pinch.
Tim in OR

Question, what would happen

Leroy

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dr sportster

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da.bees

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dr sportster

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jimg.allentown

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Janicholson

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Leroy

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pete 23

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old-9

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Tim in OR

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