Schumacher SF-6242A, SE-6242A User Manual

OWNER'S MANUAL

MODELS: SE-6242A & SF-6242A

Read Rules for

Safe Operation

and Instructions

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.

Carefully

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 con-

dition.

• 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: 18 16 12 10

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.

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,

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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!

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PREPARING TO CHARGE

1. Make sure you have a 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 40 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.

MULTI FUNCTION TEST METER

This meter responds to voltage, not current. It has been divided into two scales designated Battery/Tester and Alternator /Charger. Each scale is further divided into three color zones, (red, yellow, and green).

USING THE METER AS A TESTER

1. Since this test is based on terminal voltage of the battery,

always begin with a fully charged battery. The battery must

be installed in vehicle, with the engine and accessories turned

off.

2. There is no need for the charger to be connected to the AC

power.

3. Connect charger to battery as described in para. E.

4. The meter pointer should be within the green zone of the scale

designated Battery/Tester. If the battery has just been

charged, the pointer may be past the green zone and into the

yellow zone of the alternator scale. This is normal. If the

pointer rests in the red or yellow zone of the Battery/ Tester

scale, the battery may need to be charged.

5. While connected to the battery, turn on the vehicle headlights

for approximately 10 minutes, then observe the meter read-

ing. For a good battery (the pointer will initially move towards

VOLT METER FUNCTIONS

the yellow side of the green zone, then remain fairly constant throughout remainder of the test. If the pointer continues to move and falls into the yellow or red zones it indicates a weak battery and a potential problem. For heavy duty batteries, more accurate results may be obtained by extending the time a few minutes.

CHECKING THE VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM

1. Follow instructions 1 thru 4 of the battery test section.

2. Start Engine: If the vehicle charging system is working properly, the meter pointer should be within the green zone of the scale designated Alternator/Charger. If the pointer is in the yellow zone, it is likely that the alternator is not charging the battery. If the pointer rises to the extreme right hand side of the red zone it’s likely that the battery is being overcharged.

● BAD ● WEAK ● GOOD

12 VOLT BATTERY

RYGn Y GnR

Battery

Tester

Alternator

Charger

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When charging battery in the vehicle, take care to determine the battery type and which post is grounded. To reduce risk of a spark near battery, follow these steps when battery is installed in vehicle. WARNING: A spark near battery may cause battery explosion.

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS: CHARGING BATTERY IN VEHICLE

1. Position AC power cord and DC charging cords to reduce risk of damage by hood, door, or moving engine parts.

2. Stay clear of fan blades, belts, pulleys, and other parts that can cause injury.

3. Check polarity of battery posts. Battery case will be marked by each post: POSITIVE (POS, P, +) and NEGATIVE (NEG, N, -). NOTE: The positive battery post usually has a larger diameter than the negative post.

4. Determine which post of battery is ground (connected) to chassis.

NOTE: The negative post is normally grounded.

NEGATIVE GROUNDED POST

5A. For negative-grounded vehicle, connect POSITIVE (RED) clip from battery charger to POSITIVE (POS, P, +) ungrounded post of battery. Connect NEGATIVE (BLACK) clip to vehicle chassis or engine block away from battery. Connect to a heavy gauge metal part of the frame or engine block.

POSITIVE GROUNDED POST

5B. For positive-grounded vehicle, connect NEGATIVE (BLACK) clip from battery charger to NEGATIVE (NEG, N, -) ungrounded post of battery. Connect POSITIVE (RED) clip to vehicle chassis or engine block away from battery. Connect to a heavy gauge metal part of the frame or engine block.

WARNING: Do not connect clip to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheetmetal body parts. NOTE: Attach clips to battery post and twist or rock back and forth several times to make a good connection. This tends to keep clips from slipping off terminals and helps to reduce risk of sparking.

6. Make all desired settings before applying AC power to the charger.

7. Observe the meter for proper response, if something does not look right, refer to the trouble shooting section of this manual.

8. When battery is fully charged, unplug charger from AC outlet.

9. Remove charger clips from (1) chassis and (2) battery post, in that order.

When charging battery out of vehicle, take care to determine the battery type. To reduce risk of a spark near battery, follow these steps when battery is outside vehicle. WARNING: A spark near the battery may cause battery explosion. WARNING: When removing battery from vehicle or boat, disconnect grounded pole first. When disconnecting, make sure all accessories are off, so as not to cause an arc. (NOTE: A marine (boat) battery must be removed and charged on shore. (To charge on board requires special equipment designed for marine use.) WARNING: When reinstalling battery, attach the ground post first.

1. Check polarity of battery posts. Battery case will be marked

2. Attach a 24-inch long (or longer) 6-gauge (AWG) insulated

3. Connect POSITIVE (RED) charger clip to POSITIVE (POS,

4. Position yourself and free end of 24 inch cable as far away

5. Make all desired settings before applying AC power to the

6. Observe the meters for proper response, if something does

7. When battery is fully charged, unplug charger from AC power

8. When battery is fully charged and charger is unplugged,

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS: CHARGING BATTERY OUT OF VEHICLE

by each post: POSITIVE (POS, P, +) and NEGATIVE (NEG, N, -). NOTE: The positive battery post usually has a larger diameter than the negative post.

battery cable to NEGATIVE (NEG, N, -) battery post.

P, +) post battery. Rock clip back and forth to make good connection.

from battery as possible. Then connect NEGATIVE (BLACK) charger clip to free end of cable. WARNING: Do not face battery when making final connection. Rock clip back and forth to make a good connection.

charger.

not look right, refer to the troubleshooting section of this manual.

source.

(1) remove clip from end of Negative end of cable, and (2) remove clip from Positive battery post, in that order.

9. Clean and store battery charger.

WARNING: Be sure area around battery is wll 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.

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