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remove 1 cable from the battery

h90

By h90
in Thailand Motor Discussion

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h90 Star Member

h90

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Have an old Volvo which often stays for month. The clock (I guess it is the clock) eats up the battery, so I want to remove 1 cable. Naturally I would remove the +. But I want to teach wife. But when you touch metal by mistake while screwing the sparks are flying. So I think it is better for her to remove -

I can't see any problem removing - instead of +, or?

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h90 Star Member

h90

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You should always remove the negative 1st ( - )

Or you could just buy a battery tender, like this

http://www.amazon.com/CTEK-Multi-12-Volt-Battery-Charger/dp/B000FQBWCY

Plug it on to your battery whenever you are going to leave it standing for a while.

OK, than I can simply remove the -

I learned before to always remove + first....maybe outdated, or doesn't matter.

I actually have that CTEK, but where the car is parked is no electric and the narcotic people are roaming.....

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Kwasaki Star Member

Kwasaki

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Doesn't matter which one you remove first if you want to remove just keep them isolated.

Had an old 240 GL for years in UK use to leave for 6 to 8 months at a time and just left it and didn't do anything, came back and off she went.

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h90 Star Member

h90

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It doesnt matter which one you remove 1st, until you short something with the + because the - is still connected smile.png

Remove - 1st and you will have no problems...

Well I thought of removing only one......

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AussieRob Rookie Member

AussieRob

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Always remove the negative first . That way if you accidentally bridge the spanner between the terminal and the body , you won't do any damage . And the opposite applies when you are connecting a battery . Connect the positive first , negative last .

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h90 Star Member

h90

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Always remove the negative first . That way if you accidentally bridge the spanner between the terminal and the body , you won't do any damage . And the opposite applies when you are connecting a battery . Connect the positive first , negative last .

OK....and I guess it is OK to remove negative first and keep positive connected (to keep it easy for my wife)? I see no reason why not....

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Tywais Star Member

Tywais

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Indeed remove the negative terminal. If she is removing the positive terminal and the spanner (wrench) comes into contact with any of the car body or even the battery holder it will be a direct short and sparks will fly.

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WarpSpeed Diamond Member

WarpSpeed

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It doesnt matter which one you remove 1st, until you short something with the + because the - is still connected smile.png

Remove - 1st and you will have no problems...

What? Once the cable is disconnected it no longer has power, whether or not you touch anything with it unless you touch the positive battery terminal again. The only time you'll get a dead short (spark) is if you touch the hot lead to a ground source while trying to disconnect, but additionally you'll get a quick spark (arc) when you separate the hot lead from the battery, but that spark is harmless more startling than anything. This can be avoided if the negative is disconnected first but still likely it may arc.

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WarpSpeed Diamond Member

WarpSpeed

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Indeed remove the negative terminal. If she is removing the positive terminal and the spanner (wrench) comes into contact with any of the car body or even the battery holder it will be a direct short and sparks will fly.

And in the worst case scenario the battery could explode.

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phutoie2 Gold Member

phutoie2

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Used to work a lot with 12v batts in the back of landrovers and armoured vehicles for sigs equipment in my uniformed days. We were always taught remove negative first on disconnecting and positive first when connecting. A lot of squaddies learnt by their mistakes, as you do in life.

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cornishcarlos Platinum Member

cornishcarlos

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It doesnt matter which one you remove 1st, until you short something with the + because the - is still connected smile.png

Remove - 1st and you will have no problems...

What? Once the cable is disconnected it no longer has power, whether or not you touch anything with it unless you touch the positive battery terminal again. The only time you'll get a dead short (spark) is if you touch the hot lead to a ground source while trying to disconnect, but additionally you'll get a quick spark (arc) when you separate the hot lead from the battery, but that spark is harmless more startling than anything. This can be avoided if the negative is disconnected first but still likely it may arc.

What ???

I was referring to the short to battery terminal... Which could be via anything that connects them, even her wedding ring which always ends in tears...

So OP, back to 1st reply, just disconnect - 1st always and re connect it last.

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BSJ Ruby Member

BSJ

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Negative first when disconnecting. Make sure the battery is clean around the terminals as dirty terminals and dirty battery case can allow some of your + juice to leak out and eventually your battery is dead!

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h90 Star Member

h90

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It doesnt matter which one you remove 1st, until you short something with the + because the - is still connected smile.png

Remove - 1st and you will have no problems...

What? Once the cable is disconnected it no longer has power, whether or not you touch anything with it unless you touch the positive battery terminal again. The only time you'll get a dead short (spark) is if you touch the hot lead to a ground source while trying to disconnect, but additionally you'll get a quick spark (arc) when you separate the hot lead from the battery, but that spark is harmless more startling than anything. This can be avoided if the negative is disconnected first but still likely it may arc.

What ???

I was referring to the short to battery terminal... Which could be via anything that connects them, even her wedding ring which always ends in tears...

So OP, back to 1st reply, just disconnect - 1st always and re connect it last.

When you short a car battery with a wedding ring you can forget that finger as well.....Luckily I was so protective to my wife and never bought one smile.png

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h90 Star Member

h90

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If the car is parked in the sun? A dash "mounted" solar charger? Just to keep the battery up. can be removed to drive.

http://www.solarpowerbeginner.com/solar-car-battery-charger.html

Nice idea but I think if the car is parked in the sun for an extended period here, flat battery will be the least of your worries smile.png

we had it in the sun for a couple of years....got problems with the color (specially as some berries fall on it as well) and the leather inside is a bit broken, but no other problems on the old Volvo Dinosaur.

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