Lincoln Electric IM10138 User Manual

AUTOMATIC / MANUAL BATTERY CHARGERS

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/ STARTERS HOUSEHOLD CHARGERS

For use with machines having Code Numbers:

Safety Depends on You

Century battery chargers and
Starters household chargers
equipment is designed and built
with safety in mind. However,
your overall safety can be
increased by proper installation
... and thoughtful operation on
your part. DO NOT INSTALL,

OPERATE OR REPAIR THIS
EQUIPMENT WITHOUT READ­ING THIS MANUAL AND THE
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS CON­TAINED THROUGHOUT. And,

most importantly, think before
you act and be careful.

11863, 11864

K3152-1 10/2/55 Automatic / Manual

IM10138

December, 2012

K3153-1 15/2/100 Automatic / Manual

OPERATORʼS MANUAL

Century Equipment

2345 Murphy Blvd. Gainesville, GA 30504

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SAFETY

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Congratulations on the purchase of your new battery charger. We wish
to acknowledge Underwriters Laboratories (U/L) for contributing the fol­lowing important safety precautions. Please read and retain these
instructions for the continued safe use of your new charger.

This manual contains important safety information. DO NOT OPERATE
this equipment UNTIL YOU HAVE READ this safety summary!

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS. SAVE

THESE INSTRUCTIONS

9. NEVER operate this battery charger if it has received a sharp blow,
been dropped, or similarly damaged, until after being inspected
and/or repaired by qualified service personnel.

10. NEVER disassemble this battery charger. Take the battery charger

to qualified service personnel when service or repair is needed.

11. ALWAYS plug in and unplug the ac power cord by grasping the

power cord plug, NOT THE POWER CORD, to reduce risk of dam­aging power cord.

SAFETY INFORMATION

The following safety information is provided as guidelines to help you
operate your new battery charger under the safest possible conditions.
Any equipment that uses electrical power can be potentially dangerous
to use when safety or safe handling instructions are not known or not
followed. The following safety information is provided to give the user
the information necessary for safe use and operation.

A procedure step preceded by WARNING is an indication that the next
step contains a procedure that might be injurious to a person if proper
safety precautions are not heeded.

A procedure preceded by a CAUTION is an indication that the next step
contains a procedure that might damage the equipment being used.

A NOTE may be used before or after a procedure step to highlight or
explain something in that step.

12. ALWAYS remove personal metal items such as rings, bracelets,

and watches when working with a lead-acid battery. A lead-acid
battery can produce a short circuit current high enough to weld a
ring or any jewelry to metal causing a severe burn.

13. ALWAYS unplug the battery charger from the ac outlet before

attempting any cleaning or maintenance. Turning the chargerʼs con­trol(s) OFF, alone, will not remove all electricity from the charger.

14. An extension cord should not be used unless absolutely necessary.

Use of an improper extension cord could result in a fire or electric
shock. If an extension cord
must be used, make sure that:

a. the pins on the plug of the extension cord are the same number,

size, and shape as those of the plug on the charger,

b. the extension cord is properly wired and in good electrical condi-

tion, and

SHOCK HAZARDS

1. This battery charger is intended for indoor use only. Do not expose
the charger to rain or snow.

2. NEVER attempt to charge a marine (boat) battery while the boat is
on or near the water. A boat must be on a trailer and located indoors
before attempting to charge its battery(s). The boat manufacturerʼs
battery charging instructions must be followed exactly.

3. NEVER set the charger, output cable or clamps, or ac power cord
plug in water or on wet surfaces.

4. NEVER use this charger on a pier or dock. Charger could fall in
water, creating an electric shock hazard.

5. NEVER attempt to plug in or operate the battery charger with defec­tive or damaged wires, power cord, or power cord plug. Have any of
these parts that are defective or damaged replaced by qualified per­sonnel IMMEDIATELY.

6. NEVER attempt to plug in the charger or operate its controls with wet
hands or while standing in water.

7. NEVER alter the ac power cord or power cord plug provided with the
battery charger.

8. NEVER use an attachment not recommended or sold by the battery
charger manufacturer for use with this specific model battery charg­er.

c. the wire size is large enough for the length of cord as specified in

the following chart:

1. Working in the vicinity of a lead-acid battery is dangerous. Batteries
generate explosive gasses during normal operations and, at an even
higher level, during charging.
If anything is allowed to ignite these gasses, the battery may
explode, sending pieces of the battery and extremely caustic battery
acid out in all directions and with extreme force. Since just the slight­est spark is sufficient to ignite these gasses, it is of UTMOST
IMPORTANCE that you read this manual and follow the instructions
exactly, before using your battery charger each time.

2. NEVER operate this battery charger near any fuel tanks or gas cylin­ders. This charger can produce sparks that could ignite gasses and
cause an explosion.

3. NEVER attempt to permanently mount this battery charger on a
marine or recreational vehicle.

4. NEVER attempt to connect this chargerʼs output cables directly to
the battery(s) in the bilge or engine compartment of a boat. Follow
the boat manufacturerʼs battery charging instructions exactly

Length in feet: 25 50 100 150
cord AWG size: 18 18 16 14

EXPLOSIVE GAS HAZARDS

AUTOMATIC / MANUAL BATTERY CHARGERS / STARTERS HOUSEHOLD CHARGERS

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BATTERY EXPLOSION HAZARDS

SAFETY

14. ALWAYS make sure the battery compartment is open and well ven­tilated before charging.

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1. To reduce the risk of battery explosion, read, understand, and follow
these instructions, those published by the battery manufacturer, and
those of the manufacturer of any equipment you intend to use near
the battery. Review cautionary markings on these products and on
the engine. If unable to determine the battery manufacturerʼs require­ments for charging, always charge the battery with the cell caps in
place. In addition, make certain that anyone else that uses this
equipment, or is a bystander in the vicinity of a charging battery,
understands and follows these safety instructions as well.

2. NEVER smoke or allow a spark or flame in the vicinity of the battery
or engine.

3. NEVER operate the battery charger in a closed-in area or restrict
ventilation in any way.

4. NEVER charge a frozen battery as battery explosion can result.

5. NEVER connect BOTH battery charger clamps DIRECTLY to the two
posts of the same battery. See OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS for
connection procedures.

6. NEVER charge batteries other than a LEAD-ACID type. Especially,
DO NOT use for charging dry-cell batteries that are commonly used
with toys and home appliances. These batteries may burst and
cause injury to persons or damage property.

1. NEVER use an attachment not recommended or sold by the battery
charger manufacturer for use with your specific model charger.

2. NEVER disassemble the battery charger; take it to qualified service
personnel when service or repair is needed.

3. ALWAYS make sure that the ac power cord is unplugged from the ac
outlet or extension cord, BEFORE connecting or disconnecting the
battery charger clamps, to prevent arcing or burning.

1. ALWAYS have someone within range of your voice and close
enough to quickly come to your aid when working near a lead-acid
battery.

2. ALWAYS have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby in case battery
acid contacts eyes, skin, or clothing.

3. ALWAYS wear complete eye and clothing protection and avoid
touching eyes while working with a battery.

FIRE HAZARDS

BATTERY ACID HAZARDS

7. NEVER allow the dc output clamps to touch each other.

8. ALWAYS be extra cautious to reduce the risk of dropping a metal
object, such as a tool, onto or near the battery. Doing so could pro­duce a spark or short circuit the battery or other electrical part that
could cause an explosion.

9. ALWAYS make sure the area around a battery is well ventilated
while it is being charged. Gas can be forcefully blown away by using
a piece of cardboard or other non-metallic material as a fan.

10. ALWAYS make sure that the ac power cord is unplugged from the

ac outlet or extension cord BEFORE connecting or disconnecting
the battery charger clamps, to prevent arcing or burning.

11. ALWAYS locate the battery charger as far away from the battery as

the dc output cables will permit.

12. ALWAYS twist or rock charger clamps back and forth several times

on the battery post and the other point of connection at the time of
initial connection. This helps keep the clamps from slipping off their
points of connection which helps reduce the risk of sparking. DO
NOT rock the clamp connected to the battery post AFTER the sec­ond connection (at a point away from the battery) is made or spark­ing may occur at the battery post.

13. ALWAYS check the cable and wire connections at the battery(s) for

tightness - BEFORE STARTING TO CHARGE. A loose connection
can cause sparks or excessive heating which could cause a battery
explosion.

4. ALWAYS act QUICKLY if contact with battery acid is made. If acid
contacts skin or clothing, wash IMMEDIATELY with soap and water.
If acid enters the eye, IMMEDIATELY flood the eye with running cold
water for at least 10 minutes. Get medical attention IMMEDIATELY.

1. NEVER connect the battery charger clamps to a vehicle when the
engine is running.

2. ALWAYS stay clear of fan blades, fan belts, pulleys and other mov­ing engine parts when working near an engine. Moving engine parts
can cause severe personal injury including dismemberment.

3. ALWAYS make sure that the battery charger cables and clamps are
positioned so they will not come in contact with any moving engine
parts.

1. NEVER lean on or rest against the engine or cooling system parts
when the vehicle is running.

2. ALWAYS stay clear of the cooling system, engine, and engine mani­fold. These engine components get very hot and retain heat for a
long time. Touching any of these components can cause severe
burns.

AUTOMATIC / MANUAL BATTERY CHARGERS / STARTERS HOUSEHOLD CHARGERS

MOVING PARTS HAZARDS

BURN HAZARDS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Installation.......................................................................................................................Section A

HOW BATTERIES CHARGE ...............................................................................................A-1

SPARK PREVENTION, DEEPLY-DISCHARGED ...............................................................A-1

LEAD-CALCIUM BATTERIES ......................................................................................A-1

CHARGER PREPARATION.................................................................................................A-2

CHARGER PLACEMENT .............................................................................................A-2

PROVIDE REQUIRED POWER...........................................................................................A-2

EXTENSION CORDS ...................................................................................................A-2

BATTERY PREPARATION ..................................................................................................A-2

Operation.........................................................................................................................Section B

DESCRIPTION.....................................................................................................................B-1

CONTROLS AND INDICATORS ..................................................................................B-1, B-2

CONTROL SETTING INSTRUCTIONS ...............................................................................B-3

CHARGE VOLTAGE AND RATE SELECTION ...................................................................B-3

PRE-CHARGE BATTERY ACTIVATION .............................................................................B-3

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS ............................................................................................B-3

CONNECTING TO BATTERIES INSTALLED IN VEHICLES ..............................................B-4

RATE SELECTION ..............................................................................................................B-4

CONNECTING TO BATTERIES OUTSIDE A VEHICLE .....................................................B-4

CHARGING INSTRUCTIONS ..............................................................................................B-5

READING AN AMMETER ....................................................................................................B-5

CHARGING TIME INSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................................B-6

ENGINE STARTING ............................................................................................................B-7

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TROUBLESHOOTING...................................................................................Section F-1

A-1

INSTALLATION

A-1

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 regis­ter 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.

DEEPLY-DISCHARGED LEAD-CALCIUM BAT­TERIES

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 condi­tion, 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 bat­tery will began accepting a charge and the ammeter will reg­ister 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.

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 attempt­ing 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 avail­able for a nominal charge.

AUTOMATIC / MANUAL BATTERY CHARGERS / STARTERS HOUSEHOLD CHARGERS