Jump Box/Starter Battery

What is a Jump Box/Jump Starter?

They make a great backup power source for camping or for emergencies. When camping I do not run any lights or anything on my van when the engine is not running so I do not run down the battery in my vehicle.

Led LIghts

Most of the newer Jump Boxes have a built in led work light, I believe this light would burn for hundreds of hours without running down the battery much, but I have not tried that yet. It comes in really handy if you are changing a flat tire at night.

Cigarette lighter Outlet/Inlet

This is really handy for plugging in an inverter. The inverter will convert the 12 volts to 120V AC power. This is what I plug all of my small electronics in to recharge them.

120V AC Plug In

Many of the larger jump starter boxes now have a 120V AC plugin. This is basically just a built in inverter. There will be a warning right on this as to how much wattage the built in inverter can handle. Be sure you do not try to plug in a high power draw appliance to this plugin.

USB Charger

Some of the newer Jumper boxes have a USB charger built in. You can just plug in your USB chargeable accessory and let it charge. This is a very low draw plugin so you will be able to charge several different cell phones or usb devices from one charge of your jump starter.

Battery Air Compressor

One of my jump boxes has a built in air compressor for blowing up tires. I have used it on both vehicle tires and bicycle tires. Warning: air compressors build up significant heat if left on very long. If you are in very warm weather, do not run your compressor for more than 5 minutes or you will risk overheating it. Also this is a fairly energy intense usage of your battery power. Your battery will drain fairly fast using the air compressor.

Recharging your Jump Box

There are two ways to recharge most jump boxes. They all come with the ability to plug in to 120V AC with a cord or extension cord and the built in charger will do its job. On all the boxes I have played with the directions state you can leave your box plugged in all the time and it will not overcharge your battery. Read the directions that came with your jump box to make sure.

Recharging your Jumpbox from the cigarette lighter of your vehicle.

Almost all jump boxes can be recharged directly from the cigarette lighter. Some Jump Starters come with a cord with double male cigarette lighter plugs. Be careful it is easy to overcharge your jump box from the cigarette lighter of your vehicle. There is no regulator in your box to keep from overcharging when directly hooked up to the cigarette lighter of your vehicle. The directions on two different jump boxes both warned of overcharging your jump box from leaving it on your cigarette lighter to long while driving. From my experience you will go from a low charge to full charge in two hours or less while driving your vehicle.

How Often should I recharge my Jump Box?

Most batteries loose between 5 and 20% of their charge per month even without use. It depends on the temperature the battery is stored at and the design of the battery. The directions all recommend topping off the charge in your Jump Starter every Month. The ones I have looked at have said their built in chargers are ok to be left plugged in all the time.

What Kills a Jump Starter/Box?

The three hardest thing on a battery are Over discharging, Over charging and Overheating while charging. The built in battery charger in any box will do a great job of charging your battery slow enough when plugged into 120V AC. Be very careful if you are recharging your Jumper Box from your cigarette lighter plug in your vehicle.