Schumacher SE-125A User Manual
OWNER'S MANUAL
MODEL: SE-125A
BATTERY CHARGER
WORKING IN VICINITY OF A LEAD-ACID BATTERY IS DANGEROUS. BATTERIES GENERATE
EXPLOSIVE GASES DURING NORMAL BATTERY OPERATION. FOR THIS REASON, IT IS
OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE THAT EACH TIME BEFORE USING YOUR CHARGER, YOU READ
THIS MANUAL AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY.
Read Rules for
Safe Operation
and Instructions
Carefully
A
1. Before you use your battery charger, be sure to read all
instructions and cautions printed on:
• Battery Charger
• Battery
• Vehicle or unit using battery
2. Use battery charger on LEAD ACID type rechargeable batteries only, such as used in autos, trucks, tractors, airplanes,
vans, RV's, trolling motors, etc. Charger is not intended to
supply power to low-voltage electrical system other than in
an automotive application.
WARNING: Do not use battery charger for charging dry-cell
batteries that are commonly used with home appliances.
These batteries may burst and cause injury to persons
and damage to property.
3. Use only attachments recommended or sold by manufacturer. Use of non-recommended attachments may result in
fire, electric shock, or injury.
4. When disconnecting the battery charger, pull by the plug
not by the cord. Pulling on the cord may cause damage to
cord or plug.
5. Locate battery power cord so it cannot be stepped on,
tripped over, or subjected to damage or stress.
6. Do not operate charger with damaged cord or plug. Have
cord replaced immediately.
7. Do not operate charger if it has received a sharp blow,
been dropped, or otherwise damaged in any way. Take it to
a qualified professional for inspection and repair.
8. Do not disassemble charger. Take it to a qualified professional when service or repair is required. Incorrect reassembly may result in electric shock or fire.
9. To reduce risk of electric shock, unplug charger from outlet
before attempting any maintenance or cleaning.
GENERAL BATTERY SAFETY
10. Do not use an extension cord unless absolutely necessary. Use of an improper extension cord could result in fire
or electric shock. If an extension cord must be used, make
sure that:
• Pins on plug of extension cord are the same number,
size, and shape as those of plug on charger.
• Extension cord is properly wired and in good electrical
condition.
• Wire size is large enough for AC ampere rating of charger,
as specified below:
_____________________________________________
Length of cord (feet): 25 50 100 150
AWG size of cord: 16 14 10 8
_____________________________________________
11. Always charge battery in a well ventilated area.
NEVER operate in a closed-in or restricted area without
adequate ventilation.
WARNING: Risk of explosive gas.
12. Locate charger as far away from battery as DC charger
cables permit.
13. Do not expose charger to rain or snow.
14. NEVER charge a frozen battery. If battery fluid (electrolyte) is
frozen, bring into a warm area to thaw before charging.
15. NEVER allow battery acid to drip on charger when reading
specific gravity or filling battery.
16. NEVER set a battery on top of charger.
17. NEVER place charger directly above battery being charged.
Gases from battery will corrode and damage charger.
18. NEVER touch the battery clips together when the charger is
energized.
B
1. WARNING: Wear complete eye protection and clothing
protection, when working with lead-acid batteries.
2. Make sure someone is within range of your voice or close
enough to come to your aid when you work with or near a
lead-acid battery.
3. Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby for use if battery
acid contacts skin, clothing, or eyes. If battery acid contacts
skin or clothing, wash immediately with soap and water.
4. Avoid touching your eyes while working with a battery. Acid
particles (corrosion) may get into your eyes! If acid enters
your eye, immediately flood eye with running cold water for
at least 10 minutes. Get medical attention immediately.
5. Remove all personal metal items such as rings, bracelets,
Sch589
PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS AND SAFETY
necklaces, 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 the like) to metal, causing a
severe burn.
6. Take care not to drop a metal tool or other metal onto the
battery. Metal may cause sparking or short circuit the battery
or another electrical devise. Sparking may cause an
explosion.
7. Always operate battery charger in an open well ventilated
area.
8. NEVER smoke or allow a spark or flame in the vicinity of the
battery or engine. Batteries generate explosive gases!
589-401
1
C
PREPARING TO CHARGE
1. Make sure you have a 6 or 12 volt lead-acid battery. Check
car owner manual to make sure.
2. Clean battery terminals. Take care to keep corrosion from
coming in contact with your eyes.
3. If required, add distilled water in each cell until battery acid
reaches levels 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.
4. Study all battery manufacturer's specific precautions, such
as removing or not removing cell caps while charging, and
recommended rates of charge.
GROUNDING AND AC POWER CORD CONNECTION INSTRUCTIONS - Charger should be grounded to reduce risk of electric
shock. Charger is equipped with an electric cord having an
equipment-grounding conductor and a grounding plug. The plug
must be plugged into an outlet that is properly installed and
grounded in accordance with local codes and ordinances.
DANGER - Never alter AC cord or plug provided - if it will not fit
outlet, have proper outlet installed by a qualified electrician.
Improper connection can result in a risk of electric shock.
This battery charger is for use on a nominal 120-volt circuit, and
has a grounding plug that looks like the plug illustrated in sketch
A. A temporary adapter, which looks like the adapter illustrated
in sketch B, may be used to connect this plug to a two-pole
receptacle as shown in sketch B if a properly grounded outlet is
not available. The temporary adapter should be used only until
a properly grounded outlet can be installed by a qualified electrician.
5. 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 non-metallic material
as a fan.
6. If necessary to remove battery from vehicle to charge, always remove grounded terminal from battery first. Make
sure all accessories in the vehicle are off, so as not to
cause an arc.
7. A marine (boat) battery must be removed and charged on
shore. To charge it on board requires equipment specially
designed for marine use.
8. Select charge rate suitable for the battery being charged (2 or 15 Amps)
Grounding methods
METAL SCREW
DANGER - Before using adapter as illustrated, be certain that
center screw of outlet plate is grounded. The green-colored
rigid ear or lug extending from adapter must be connected to a
properly grounded outlet - make certain it is grounded. If necessary, replace original outlet cover plate screw with a longer screw
that will secure adapter ear or lug to outlet cover plate and make
ground connection to grounded outlet.
During operation do not place the charger or its cables on the
vehicle seat or carpeting.
When charging a battery in a boat, RV or motor home always
connect one lead of the output cable to the battery. Never connect to a remote receptacle or other means for the purpose of
remotely charging the battery. The wires may be inadequate for
handling the charge current of this charger and may over heat.
Often these wires are bundled in with other wires which could
be damaged and lead to a direct short across the battery and
charger. If this occurs a fire can result, equipment and appliances operated from the battery may also be damaged.
Sch589
2
D
15 AMP
MANUAL
6 VOLT
OFF
12 VOLT
2 AMP
6 VOLT
125 VOLT
ENGINE
START
METER AND SWITCH FUNCTIONS
12 VOLT
125 AMP
ENGINE
START
12 VOLT
15 AMP
TYPICAL DISPLAY FOR A FULLY
CHARGED BATTERY AT THE 15
AMP CHARGE RATE
Percent
FULL CHARGE
(GREEN
©©
INDICATOR)
©
©©
Ä
TYPICAL DISPLAY FOR A
DISCHARGED BATTERY
AT THE 15 AMP RATE
Ä
START
POWER ON
©
INDICATOR)
REVERSED
HOOKUP
(RED
OFF: This position disconnects AC power supplied by your outlet
from the rest of the charger.
6 VOLT 15 AMP: Used for charging medium and large size 6 volt
batteries, typical application are for crank starting of farm equipment and antique automobiles. Do not charge small batteries such
as used in motorcycles, lawn and garden equipment. (Manual operation.)
12 VOLT 2 AMP: The 2 amp automatic charge rate is recommended for use with small batteries only. If used for maintaining
the full charge level of larger batteries, limit the charge period to a
few days at a time.
12 VOLT 125 AMP START: Used for crank starting of 12 volt vehicles. The engine crank position should not be used for battery
charging, doing so will cause the charger to over heat and thus
protect it’s self by cycling off and on.
12 VOLT 15 AMP: Use for charging medium and large size batteries. This most popular charge rate can operate in either the Automatic or Manual mode of charging. See auto/manual switch.
6 VOLT 125 AMP START: Used for crank starting of 6 volt vehicles.
NOTE: Not recommended for use on 8 volt systems.
METER: The meter indicates the amount of current measured in
amperes that is being drawn from the charger by a battery. In the
15 Amp charge rate a typical discharged battery may initially draw
more than 15 Amps during the first few minutes of charge. As the
battery continues to charge current should gradually taper to within
6 to 8 amps at full charge.
The START area of the meter is reserved to indicate when a high
rate of current is being drawn from the charger. It is normal for the
meter pointer to be in this area while cranking a vehicle.
When using the 2 amp charge rate the meter may indicate some
activity but doesn’t have the resolution to accurately display the
battery’s state of charge. For this reason you should depend on
the full charge light indicator.
CRANK STARTING:
1. Connect the charger as outlined in the “CHARGING BATTERY
IN VEHICLE” section.
2. For best results charge the battery for 10 minutes before crank-
ing the engine.
3. Set the rotary charge rate selector switch to the 125 Amp start
position that matches the voltage of the vehicle’s battery
4. Crank the engine for 5 seconds, if the engine fails to start, set
the charge rate switch to the 15 Amp rate and charge the battery for the next 5 to 10 minutes before cranking again.
5. If the engine fails to start after several tries, there maybe a prob-
lem elsewhere with the vehicle.
Sch589
BATTERY TYPE SWITCH
2 AMP, 12 VOLT AUTOMATIC
LMANUAL
L
15 AMP, 12 VOLT
L
AUTOMATIC
3
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