5
WORKING WITH A DEAD BATTERY OR A BATTERY WITH A
VERY LOW VOLTAGE:
If you try to charge a dead 12-volt battery with a very low voltage, below 9
volts, the DELTRAN BATTERY TENDER® POWER TENDER PLUS
Battery Charger will supply its full power to the battery. However, there is
no guarantee the recharge will be successful. There is a good chance that
the battery has already been damaged, and it is important to follow all of
the standard safety precautions. Check the battery often to see if it is
getting very warm, or to detect a sulfur odor and/or a hissing sound. If you
any of these symptoms are present, immediately remove the AC power
from the battery charger. The hissing sound should stop within 30 seconds
after you remove the AC power from the charger. Let the battery sit, open
a window or a door to increase ventilation in the area; if available, use a fan
to increase air circulation. Do not attempt to remove the DC cables from
the battery until it has cooled down and the sulfur odor has dissipated.
NOTE:
If a 12 Volt, Lead-Acid battery has an output voltage of less than 9 volts
when it is at rest, when it is neither being charged nor supplying electrical
current to an external load, there is a good chance that the battery is
defective. As a frame of reference, a fully charged 12-Volt, Lead-Acid
battery will have a rest-state, no-load voltage of approximately 12.9 volts.
A fully discharged 12-Volt, Lead-Acid battery will have a rest-state, no-load
voltage of approximately 11.4 volts. That means that a voltage change of
only 1.5 volts represents the full range of charge 0% to 100% on a 12-Volt,
Lead-Acid battery. Depending on the manufacturer, and the age of the
battery, the specific voltages will vary by a few tenths of a volt, but the 1.5-
volt range will still be a good indicator of the battery charge %.
6
STATUS INDICATOR LIGHTS:
The following describes the
indicator light operation:
<
RED
- FULL RECHARGE (Automatic): BULK & ABSORPTION: When
the red light is on, the battery charger is in the process of fully charging
the battery.
<
GREEN FLASHING
– ABSORPTION: When the green light is flashing,
the charger is in the constant voltage absorption mode. The charger
automatically switches to float maintenance when the charge current
drops below 0.4 amps or 8 hours after the absorption mode begins.
<
GREEN
– CHARGE COMPLETE: FLOAT / MAINTENANCE: When
the green light is on and not flashing, and the red light is off, the battery
charger is in the storage / maintenance mode. In this mode the
charger will maintain the battery at full charge by attempting to keep a
constant voltage across the battery terminals. If the battery becomes
partially discharged due to an external current draw or excessive
internal battery losses, the charger will automatically switch itself back
to the full recharge mode of operation.
<
RED & GREEN Alternating
– ERROR: When the red and green light
are alternating light is flashing, the most likely cause is either a high
resistance connection between the charger and a battery with a voltage
less than 12 volts, or the battery is sulfated.
TROUBLESHOOTING CHECK LIST:
1.
NEITHER OF THE CHARGER LIGHTS TURN ON AFTER THE AC POWER
PLUG IS CONNECTED TO THE AC ELECTRICAL OUTLET:
Check the
charger AC power plug connection at the AC electrical outlet. Verify that the AC
electrical outlet is functioning properly by plugging in another appliance or a
voltmeter.
2.
THE CHARGER GREEN LIGHT GOES ON IMMEDIATELY (within a few
seconds) WHEN AC POWER IS APPLIED TO THE CHARGER:
The charger
connections at the battery may be intermittent, the output fuse may be blown, the
battery may be defective, or the battery might already be fully charged. Note: Since
the battery charger is not spark proof, there is no way to determine if the green light
indicates that the battery is fully charged, or if the charger output cables have an open
circuit, either a fractured wire, a blown fuse, or a corroded, high resistance connection
between the charger rings or clamps and the battery terminals. However, when you
first apply AC power to the charger, if the red light comes on but stays on for less than
3 seconds and then the green light comes on, it is very likely that the charger output
circuit is open. Check fuses first.
3.
CHARGER IS CHARGING BUT THE GREEN LIGHT DOES NOT TURN ON
IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME:
The battery may be large and requires
more time to fully charge than originally expected, there may be another appliance
drawing electric power from the battery while it is charging, or the battery may be
defective. Also, a newly purchased battery may not be fully charged and may take
longer to charge initially.
4.
THE RED LIGHT COMES ON AGAIN AFTER THE GREEN LIGHT WAS
ALREADY ON:
There may be another appliance drawing electric power from the
battery causing its voltage to drop below the reset level. The battery charger then goes
back into full charge mode. Also, the charger connections at the battery may be
intermittent or the battery may be defective.
