3
PREPARING TO CHARGE
1. Determine voltage of battery by referring to car owner's manual.
2. If it is necessary to remove battery from vehicle to charge, or to clean terminals, always remove grounded
terminal from battery first. Make sure all accessories in the vehicle are off, so as not to cause an arc.
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 manufacturer's
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. 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 such as a fan.
7. Make sure the initial charging rate is not over battery manufacturer's suggestion.
CHARGER LOCATION
1. Locate charger as far away from battery as cables permit.
2. Never place charger directly above a battery being charged; gases from the battery will corrode and
damage charger.
3. Never allow battery acid to drip on charger when reading gravity or filling battery.
4. Do not operate charger in a closed-in area or restrict ventilation in any way. Marine batteries must be
removed and charged on shore.
5. Do not set a battery on top of charger.
DC CONNECTION PRECAUTIONS
1. Connect and disconnect DC output clips only after removing AC cord from electric outlet.
2. Never allow clips to touch each other.
3. Attach clips to battery posts and twist or rock back and forth several times to make a good connection. This
tends to keep clips from slipping off terminals and helps to reduce risk of sparking.
FOLLOW THESE STEPS WHEN BATTERY IS INSTALLED IN VEHICLE. A SPARK NEAR BATTERY MAY CAUSE 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 part.
b. Stay clear of fan blades, belts, pulleys, and other parts that can cause injury to persons.
c. Check polarity of battery posts. POSITIVE (POS, P, +) battery post usually has larger diameter than
NEGATIVE (NEG, N,-) post.
d. Determine which post of battery is grounded (connected) to the chassis. If negative post is grounded
to chassis (as in most vehicles), see (e). If positive post is grounded to the chassis, see (f).
e. For negative-grounded vehicle, connect POSITIVE (RED) clip from battery charger to POSITIVE (POS,
P, +) ungrounded post of battery. Connect NEGATIVE (BLACK) clip to vehicle chassis or engine block
away from battery. Do not connect clip to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet-metal body parts. Connect
to heavy gauge metal part of the frame or engine block.
f. For positive-grounded vehicle, connect NEGATIVE (BLACK) clip from battery charger to NEGATIVE
(NEG, N, -) ungrounded post of battery. Connect POSITIVE (RED) clip to vehicle chassis or engine
block away from battery. Do not connect clip to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet-metal body parts.
Connect to a heavy gauge metal part of the frame or engine block.
g. When disconnecting charger, disconnect AC cord, remove clip from vehicle chassis, and then remove
clip from battery terminal.
h. See operating instructions for length of charge information.
i. Do not change the battery while the engine is operating.
VEC093
A062003
