3
WARNING
NEVER disassemble the charger or attempt to do internal repairs. Take
it to a qualified service technician. Assembling the charger incorrectly
may result in the risk of electric shock or create a fire hazard. If the
supply cord is damaged, it must be replaced by the manufacturer, its
service agent or similarly qualified persons in order to avoid a hazard.
PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS
WARNING
Battery posts, terminals and related accessories contain lead and
lead components, chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash
hands after handling.
1. Someone should be within range of your voice or close enough to come to
your aid when you work near a lead-acid battery;
2. Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby in case battery acid contacts skin,
clothing, or eyes;
3. Wear complete eye protection and clothing protection. Avoid touching eyes
while working near battery;
4. If battery acid contacts skin or clothing, wash immediately with soap and
water. If acid enters an eye, immediately flood eye with running cold water for
at least 10 minutes and get medical attention immediately;
5.
NEVER
smoke or allow a spark or flame in vicinity of battery or engine.
6. Be extra cautious to reduce risk of dropping a metal tool onto battery. It might
spark or short-circuit battery or other electrical part that may cause an
explosion;
7. Remove personal metal items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, and
watches when working with a lead-acid battery. A lead-acid battery can
produce a short-circuited current high enough to weld a ring or the like to
metal, causing a severe burn;
8. Use the charger for charging a lead-acid battery only. It is not intended to
supply power to an extra low-voltage electrical system or to charge dry-cell
batteries. Charging dry-cell batteries may cause them to burst and cause
injury to persons and damage to property;
NOTE
There are some wet, non-spillable, lead acid batteries on the market whose
manufacturers' make the claim that they are dry-cell batteries. These batteries are
sealed, gas-recombinant, starved electrolyte, possibly with AGM (Absorbed Glass
Matte) type construction. It is perfectly safe to use the INTERNATIONAL
BATTERY TENDER
®
to charge these types of batteries. The dry-cell battery
warning is intended for non-rechargeable, alkaline and other similar types of
batteries. If you have any doubt about the type of battery that you have, please
contact the battery manufacturer before attempting to charge the battery.
9.
NEVER
charge a visibly damaged or frozen battery.
10. Do not recharge non-rechargeable batteries.
4
PREPARING TO CHARGE
1. If it is necessary to remove battery from vehicle to charge it, always
remove grounded terminal from battery first. Make sure all accessories in
the vehicle are off in order to prevent an arc;
2. Be sure area around battery is well ventilated while battery is being
charged. Gas can be forcefully blown away by using a piece of cardboard
or other nonmetallic material as a fan;
3.
Clean battery terminals. Be careful to keep corrosion from coming in
contact with eyes;
4.
Add distilled water in each cell until battery acid reaches level specified by
battery manufacturer. This helps purge excessive gas from cells. Do not
overfill. For a battery without cell caps, carefully follow manufacturers’
recharging instructions;
5.
Study all battery manufacturers’ specific precautions such as removing or
not removing cell caps while charging and recommended rates of charge;
6.
Determine voltage of battery by referring to owner’s manual and make
sure it matches output rating of the battery charger.
7.
Locate
charger:
a.
Locate the charger as far away from battery as the DC cables
permit;
b.
Never place the charger directly above or below the battery
being charged. Gases or fluids from the battery will corrode
and damage the charger;
c.
Never allow battery acid to drip on the charger when reading
gravity or filling battery;
d.
Do not operate the charger in a closed-in area or restrict
ventilation in any way.
e.
Do not set a battery on top of the charger.
8. Connect and disconnect DC output clips only after setting any charger
switches to the off position and removing AC cord from the electric outlet.
Never allow clips to touch each other.
9. Follow these steps when battery is installed in a vehicle. A spark near
battery may cause a battery explosion. To reduce risk of a spark near
battery:
a.
Position AC and DC cords to reduce risk of damage by hood,
door, or moving engine parts like fan blades, belts, and
pulleys.
b.
Check polarity of battery posts. A positive (pos, p, +) battery
post may have a larger diameter than a negative (neg, n, -)
post;
c.
Determine which post of battery is grounded (connected) to
the chassis. If negative post is grounded to the chassis (as in
most vehicles), see item (d). If positive post is grounded to
the chassis, see item (e);
d.
For a negative-grounded vehicle, connect the positive (red)
clip from the battery charger to the positive (pos, p, +)
ungrounded post of battery. Connect the negative (black) clip
to the vehicle chassis or engine block away from battery. Do
not connect the clip to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet-metal
parts. Connect to a heavy gauge metal part of the frame or
engine block;
