Manual

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INSTALLATION
AUTOMATIC / MANUAL BATTERY CHARGERS / STARTERS HOUSEHOLD CHARGERS
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HOW BATTERIES CHARGE
A charger DOES NOT FORCE current into a battery - it
makes a limited amount of current available and the battery
draws as much of it as it needs, up to or slightly greater than
the rated output current capability of the charger.
The closer a battery is to zero charge (dead battery), the
more charging current it will want to draw. When charging
begins, on a dead battery, the chargers ammeter will regis-
ter toward the high end of the ammeter scale and move
toward zero as the battery becomes more fully charged.
KEEP IN MIND, the ammeter registers the amount of
amperage being drawn from the charger by the battery, not
what the charger is capable of delivering.
One would expect a battery to draw zero amps when it
reaches 100% charge. But at 100% charge, the battery will
continue to draw a low level of current and convert it into
heat within the battery. If left connected and charging after
reaching 100% charge, the battery acid will begin to boil,
resulting in overcharging and possible battery damage.
NOTE: A slow bubbling sound may be heard coming from
the battery during the charging process. This is a normal
condition and just another indicator the battery is being
charged.
To reduce the risk of battery overcharging, it is important to
thoroughly read this instruction manual.
SPARK PREVENTION
MAKE SURE no sparks or flames occur near the battery,
especially during charging. It takes very little to ignite the
explosive gasses produced by a lead-acid battery. Read,
understand, and follow the safety information provided in the
SAFETY SUMMARY section of this manual before attempt-
ing to work with or near a lead-acid battery.
For more information about batteries and battery charging,
contact Battery Council International at [phone], and
request their BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL, which is avail-
able for a nominal charge.
DEEPLY-DISCHARGED LEAD-CALCIUM BAT-
TERIES
Some modern batteries can cause charging problems if they
have been deeply discharged. The plates in these batteries
began sulfating quickly, forming a barrier to accepting a
charge. This condition will be indicated by a extremely low
(or zero) ammeter reading. A deeply discharged battery
such as this may take as long as 4 to 8 hours before it will
accept a charge. When charging a battery with this condi-
tion, set the RATE SELECTOR to a 10-15 amp manual
charge rate and check on the battery every 30 minutes.
When the sulfate barrier has been broken through, the bat-
tery will began accepting a charge and the ammeter will reg-
ister a higher, normal charging rate. The amount of time to
charge the battery fully (determined in CHARGING TIME
INSTRUCTIONS) began when the battery begins accepting
a charge.