CHARGING THE BATTERY
Your MarCum system comes with a 3-stage battery charger. This style of charger has proven to
be the most effective and easiest to use of all charging systems available. While the rate of
charge is low, a completely discharged battery can be brought back to a full charge in as little as
12 hours. Because this is a 3-stage charger, there is no danger of overcharging your battery.
When properly cared for, a sealed lead acid battery will last for at least a couple of years.
Batteries are made to be used, and they need to be used to make the most of them. The most
important thing you can do is to promptly recharge your battery after each use. Not charging
your battery immediately after use is the number one thing that leads to battery failure. When
you get home from a trip, put your battery on charge right away, and leave it there overnight, or
for around 8-12 hours. We often talk to people who hesitate to charge their battery after each use
for fear that the battery will develop a “memory” and this will lead to a shortened run time—
THIS IS FALSE!!! ALWAYS CHARGE YOUR BATTERY AFTER EVERY USE!!! Be sure to
use the charger that came with your system, or a similar one that is between .5 amp and 1 amp.
Using a larger charger, like you would use on a car, truck, RV, or boat is likely to cause damage
to the battery. There is really very little danger of overcharging your battery with a low amp
charger, and most chargers automatically go into “maintenance mode” once a full charge has
been achieved.
3-Stage charger works like this—
Stage 1 (Bulk Stage): Constant current charging at a high voltage level at maximum amperage to
minimize charge time.
Stage 2 (Absorption Stage): Current tapers off for final 10% of charge.
Stage 3 (Maintenance Stage): Lower voltage mode to prevent electrolyte loss, keeping your
battery at full charge indefinitely.
SOME COMMON SENSE SAFETY TIPS:
For safety reasons, it is recommended that you place your system on a flat, hard surface like
cement or tile when charging it, away from any flammable materials. Be sure to disconnect the
charger from the wall when not in use, and avoid leaving your battery hooked up to the charger
for extended periods of time.
TO CHARGE YOUR BATTERY:
Your battery has a wiring harness attached to it that has “piggyback” terminals on it, enabling
you to keep the power cord from the unit attached to the battery at all times, as well as having the
wiring harness with receptacle for your charger attached at all times. To charge, simply couple
the end of the charger with the end of the wiring harness. It is normal for a green light to appear
on the charger at this time. Once connected, plug the transformer end of the charger into a 110
volt AC wall outlet. You will see a red LED light appear on the charger at this time. When your
battery is fully charged, this red light will change to green. Depending on the condition of your
battery, this process can take up to 20 hours to complete. At this time, you can disconnect the
charger from the battery and wall outlet. However, no harm will come to your battery if you
leave it attached to the charger.
If you need to remove the battery, unplug the two battery terminals from the battery. Remove the
hook and loop strap that is holding the battery in place and lift the battery out. To replace the
battery, place a new battery of similar specifications into the battery compartment and secure it
with the hook and loop strap and re-connect the positive and negative terminals.
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Versa Electronics
www.marcumtech.com
