were trying to get my parents van running, but the battery is dead. The battery charger were using has 2 settings: 12v 2A and 12v 6A, i remember someone telling me one would charge faster and one was for a deeper charge. We just wanna get it fired up, so which setting should i use to charge the battery a little faster?

6A

The higher amperage will charge the battery faster. The lower amperage will take longer, but is usually a more thurough charge.

[This message has been edited by Khw (edited 09-26-2009).]

That's IF the battery will take a 6a charge rate. Many newer chargers have a charge sensor/regulator, that will kick the rate down to a lower current automatically if it will not.

Yeah there is always that to.

Almost all batteries can handle a 6a charge rate. 12A and up becomes problematic with older batteries, and can shorten the life of any battery.

alright thanks guys

Depends on condition of battery internals, temperature, and degree of discharge. 6a should be fine, but I have had some of my equipment that I rarely use, not take a 6a charge. I get a "fault" display on 6a--then try it again at 2a and it goes ahead and charges fully.

If I am in a hurry, I usually start it on a trickle, then once electron displacement begins, I kick it up to a higher setting.

It's always best to use the lowest amp setting for the slowest charge rate. Use the higher settings when you need to charge the battery faster, but it's harder on the battery.
My charger has 2A, 10A, and 50A settings. The 50A is only to be used for a few minutes to get the car started, but I can leave it set on 2A or 10A indefinitely and it will cutoff when the battery is fully charged.

Why not jump it? It take like 5 min to get it fired.

quote Originally posted by kawana: were trying to get my parents van running, but the battery is dead. The battery charger were using has 2 settings: 12v 2A and 12v 6A, i remember someone telling me one would charge faster and one was for a deeper charge. We just wanna get it fired up, so which setting should i use to charge the battery a little faster?

12V 200A.

quote Originally posted by 87antuzzi: Why not jump it? It take like 5 min to get it fired.

Agreed.....if it is completely dead because the battery has gone past its lifetime, all the charging in the world won't make it hold a charge. You will have to have the immediate amps ( like jump starting ) to start the engine.