You have probably jumped in your car, turned the key only to hear the dreaded click. Your car battery’s charge is flat, and the vehicle won’t start. Jumpstarting the car is the only best option and involves supplying the dead battery with an electric charge from a donor via jumper cables.
Being stranded due to a flat battery on a calm day is bad enough, let alone having a dead battery when raining. Jumpstarting a car in dry climatic conditions is relatively easy as long as you have jumper cables and a good person to help you with your battery car. But, can you jumpstart a car in the rain?
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So, Can You Jump-Star a Car in the Rain?
The answer is definitely yes! You can jumpstart your car in the rain. It is ultimately safe to jump-start your vehicle in the pouring rain, similar to doing it on a sunny day. If you are going through this because you have concerns about being electrocuted when jumpstarting a car, you can talk away your concerns. You might get soaking wet or even catch a cold but not be electrocuted by a car, and also the car parts don’t suffer as well.
A car operates on twelve-volt DC power. With this low voltage and the amount of amperage a car battery produces, it is highly unlikely that any harm will occur to you. The electrical system produces thousands of volts but in very low amperage that normally cannot cause severe harm to you.
But it will still hurt, and you will surely remember to avoid doing that next time. Generally, in rain or sun, the important thing you should keep in mind is installing the terminals correctly to avoid causing damage.
Precautions for Jump Starting a Car in the Rain
While it is not ideal to jumpstart a car in the rain, it is totally safe with the right precautions. To jumpstart a car in the rain, you should first ensure that your jumper cables are in good condition. Check whether the insulation is damaged, especially if the cables are old, as it might result in short-circuiting if the rain comes into contact with the naked wire.
Also, if it is a huge downpour, you should consider covering yourself as well as the battery from the rain with an umbrella if possible. If you don’t have an umbrella, you can have the hood open as low as possible to avoid rain flooding all over the engine bay. Although some water won’t hurt underneath, the hood houses many sensitive electronics that should be protected as much as possible.
You should ensure to take all the normal precautions for jumpstarting a car, such as wearing gloves, connecting the leads in the proper order, and avoiding coming into contact with both battery terminals concurrently.
Although most car batteries have a capacity of just twelve volts, you still need to be careful because it is a DC voltage. Otherwise, there is nothing to worry about jumpstarting a battery in the rain.
According to Jeffrey Spring, an Auto Club spokesperson, “the water should not be a problem; the important thing should be ensuring the cables are connected in the right order“. So, be careful when connecting the cables on your car and the donor car, this should be done the right way.
A Quick Guide about How to Jumpstart a Car the Correct Way
Here is a quick guide on jumping-start a car in the right way while following all the necessary instructions.
- Get both vehicles as close as possible to each other because most jumper cables are not very long. After they are close to each other, turn the electrical systems of both cars off, including the lights, radio, AC, and wipers.
- First, connect the red cable to the red terminal (positive) of the functioning car battery and then connect the other clamp end to the red terminal of the other car’s dead battery.
- Then, connect the black cable to the black terminal (negative) of the functioning car battery and connect the other end of the cable to the non-moving metal component far away from the battery. This serves to prevent any sparks from igniting the hydrogen gas emitted by the battery.
- Make sure you don’t cross-connect the cables as it can result in a very dangerous short circuit. Also, ensure everything, including the cables and electrical components of the car, is placed correctly to reduce the chances of short-circuiting.
- Start the car with a good battery and leave it idling for about ten minutes. This will help to charge the dead battery. After it idles for the prescribed minutes, start the flat-battery car.
- After the car is running, start by disconnecting the black cables and then disconnecting the red cables.
- Drive the dead-battery car a little and let it idle for a minimum of thirty minutes to enable the alternator to recharge the battery significantly. This will enable the car to start later.
Can Anything Bad Happens To The Car Battery When It Gets Wet?
When jumpstarting your car in the rain, the battery is likely to get wet from the downpour. However, you don’t have to worry because nothing bad will happen. The car battery is a well-sealed unit, and the terminals are made from non-rusting lead.
The battery is made to keep water out, and it is not likely that it will allow any of the water to get in. so, by large, the battery may be exposed to water and not get any damage, so if you have to jumpstart a car in the rain, you will be fine. However, wipe any excess water from the battery and keep it as dry as possible while jump-starting it.
Conclusion
As you can see, if your car battery becomes flat in the rain, it is still possible to jumpstart it. If done correctly, it can take a few minutes. You just need to consider some precautions such as; ensuring the cable is well insulated, avoid crossing cables, and jumpstarting in a dry place if you are using a battery charger. We don’t choose the climatic conditions to have an emergency in. If you need to jumpstart your car in the rain, go for it!
