PREPARING TO CHARGE
1. Determine voltage of battery by referring to car owner’s manual and make sure that output voltage
selector switch is set at correct voltage.
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 as a fan.
7. Charge battery initially at the 2 Amp (lowest) rate.
CHARGER LOCATION
1. Locate charger as far away from battery as cables permit.
2. Never place charger directly above battery being charged; gases from 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.
5. Do not set a battery on top of charger.
6. If battery charger is used in a commercial garage or aircraft hangar application or in an area where
combustible gas fumes can accumulate, the battery charger must be located at least 18 inches above the
floor as stated by the National Electrical Code.
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, turn switches to off, disconnect AC cord, remove clip from vehicle
chassis, and then remove clip from battery terminal.
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Summary of Contents for START-IT VEC078
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