5
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 bat-
tery manufacturer. This helps purge excessive gas from cells. Do not overfill. For
a battery without cell caps (maintenance free), carefully follow
manufacturer's charging instructions.
5. Study all battery manufacturers' specific precautions such as removing or not
removing cell caps while charging and recommended rates of charge.
6. Area around battery should be well ventilated while battery is being charged.
7. Make sure the initial charging rate does not exceed battery manufacturers
requirement.
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 specific gravity or fill-
ing battery.
4. NEVER operate charger in a closed-in area or restrict ventilation in any way.
5. Marine batteries must be removed and charged on shore.
6. Do not set a battery on top of charger.
DC CONNECTION PRECAUTIONS
1. Connect and disconnect DC output clamps only after removing AC cord from
electric outlet.
2. Never allow clamps to touch each other.
3. Attach clamps to battery posts and check for secure connection. This will hold
clamps securely on terminals and helps to reduce risk of sparking.
FOLLOW THESE STEPS WHEN BATTERY IS INSTALLED IN VEHICLE. A SPARK NEAR THE
BATTERY MAY CAUSE A BATTERY EXPLOSION. TO REDUCE RISK OF A SPARK NEAR
THE BATTERY:
1. Position AC and DC cords to reduce risk of damage by hood, door, or moving
engine part.
2. Stay clear of fan blades, belts, pulleys, and other parts that can cause injury to
persons.
3. Check polarity of battery posts. POSITIVE (POS, P, +) battery post usually has
larger diameter than NEGATIVE (NEG, N,-) post.
4. Determine which post of battery is grounded (connected) to the chassis. If nega-
tive post is grounded to chassis as in most vehicles), see (5). If positive post is
grounded to the chassis, see (6).
