Schumacher SE-2151MA User Manual

Battery
Charger
Models:

Owner's Manual

SE-2151MA
15/2/100 Amp
Automatic Battery Charger
With Engine Start

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Important Safety Instructions

Read Rules for Safe Operation and Instructions Carefully

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.

WARNING: Handling the cord on this product or cords associated with accessories sold with this product, will expose you to lead, a
chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

A. GENERAL BATTERY SAFETY

Wash hands after handling.

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 dry­cell 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.

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.

SCHUMACHER ELECTRIC CORPORATION

801 BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE • MOUNT PROSPECT, ILLINOIS 60056-2179

Send Warranty Product Repairs to: 1025 E. Thompson, Hoopeston, IL 60942-0280

Call Customer Service if you have questions: 1-800-621-5485

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00-00-000629/0103

B. PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS AND SAFETY

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,

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!

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.

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)

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.

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.

METAL SCREW

Grounding Methods

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.

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D. METER AND SWITCH FUNCTIONS

BATTERY TYPE: You may select between two basic Battery

Types: Regular or Deep Cycle Battery. Both settings operate
automatically and will shut off when the battery is fully charged.
Use the Regular for all wet-cell, lead-acid batteries. (This charger
is not recommended for Gel-Cell and AGM batteries.) Use the
Deep Cycle setting for all Deep Cycle wet-cell, lead-acid batter­ies. How can you tell your battery type? Deep Cycle batteries
are usually marked as such. If not, the battery will fall under the
category of "Regular" batteries. Most automotive batteries are
considered "Regular" batteries.

Some Deep Cycle batteries are designed in a way that charging
them in the Regular setting is more suitable. When charging a
Deep Cycle battery, if the Full Charge indicator lamp does not
become illuminated after a 24-hour charge period

and the charge
current as indicated by the Amp Meter is less than 8 amps,
move the switch to the Regular setting. If the Full Charge indi­cator lamp still remains off after charging, you should discon­nect the charger and have both the battery and charger profes­sionally tested.

OPERATION SELECTOR

L

REGULAR BATTERIES

AUTOMATIC OPERATION

L

DEEP CYCLE BATTERIES
AUTOMATIC OPERATION

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.



0

FULL
CHARGE

DC AMPS

CHARGING



5

10

START

CHECK

100







15

BATTERY

6 VOLT, 15 AMP: Used for charging medium and large size
wet-cell, lead-acid 6 volt batteries. Do not charge small batter­ies such as used in motorcycles, lawn and garden equipment.
(Manual Operation. Monitor frequently while charging a battery.)

12 VOLT, 2 AMP: The 2 amp automatic charge rate is recom­mended for charging small batteries and warming large ones. If
used for maintaining the Full Charge level of larger batteries,
limit the charge period to a few days at a time. (Automatic Op­eration.)

12 VOLT, 15 AMP: Used for charging medium and large size
wet-cell, lead-acid, 12-volt batteries. (Automatic Operation.)

12 VOLT, 100 AMP ENGINE START: Used for crank starting of
12 volt vehicles. The Engine Start position should not be used
for battery charging, doing so will cause the charger to overheat
and then protect itself by cycling off and on. (Manual Opera­tion.)

CHARGE RATE SELECTOR

LLLL

15 Amp

6V, Manual

2 Amp 15 Amp 100 Amp 12V

Engine Start12V Automatic

CRANK STARTING FOR 12 VOLT ONLY:

1. Connect the charger as outlined in the “CHARGING BAT­TERY IN VEHICLE” section.

2. For best results charge the battery for 10 minutes in the 15
amp position before cranking the engine.

3. Set the charge rate selector switch to the 100 amp start
position.

4. Crank the engine for 3 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
problem elsewhere with the vehicle.

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