Schumacher SFM-1562A User Manual
OWNER'S MANUAL
MODEL: SFM-1562A
Automatic Battery Charger
For 6 and 12-Volt Lead-acid Batteries
IMPORTANT SAFETY
INSTRUCTIONS SAVE
THESE INSTRUCTIONS
INTRODUCTION
Your battery charger has been designed to provide
years of service. This instruction manual contains
information on safety, operation, and maintenance of
your new charger. Make sure that you are familiar with
this information before using the charger.
This battery charger is ideal for recharging batteries in
snowmobiles, ATVs, garden tractors and motorcycles. It
also will warm large batteries found in automobiles and
marine applications.
Read Rules for
Safe Operation
and Instruction
Carefully
b) the extension cord is property wired and in good
electrical condition; and
c) the wire size is large enough for AC ampere
rating of charger as specified in the following
chart.
Length of Cord AWG Size of Cord
25 Feet 18
50 Feet 18
100 Feet 16
150 Feet 14
6. Do not operate the charger with damaged cord or
plug replace them 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 service person.
1. Before you use your battery charger, be sure to read
all instructions written in the manual, on the charger
and carton.
2. Do not expose to rain or snow.
3. The use of an attachment not recommended or sold
by the charger manufacturer may result in a risk of
fire, electric shock, or injury to persons.
4. To reduce risk of damage to electric plug and cord,
pull by plug rather than the cord when disconnecting
charger.
5. An extension cord should not be used unless
absolutely necessary. Use of improper extension
cord could result in a risk of fire and electric shock.
If an extension cord must be used, make sure:
a) the pins on plug of extension cord are the same
number, size and shape as those of plug on
charger.
8. Do not disassemble charger; take it to a qualified
service person when service or repair is necessary.
Incorrect assembly may result in a risk of electric
shock or fire.
9. To reduce risk of electrical shock, unplug the
charger from outlet before attempting any maintenance or cleaning.
10. WARNING - RISK OF EXPLOSIVE GASES.
WORKING IN THE VICINITY OF A LEAD-ACID
BATTERY IS DANGEROUS. BATTERIES GENERATE EXPLOSIVE GASES DURING NORMAL
BATTERY OPERATION. FOR THIS REASON, IT IS
OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE THAT EACH
TIME BEFORE USING YOUR CHARGER; YOU
READ THIS MANUAL AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY.
To reduce the risk of battery explosion, follow these
instructions and those published by the battery
manufacturer. Review the cautionary markings on
the battery charger and battery.
ELECTRIC CORPORATION
801 BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE • MOUNT PROSPECT, IL 60056-2179
Send Warranty Product Repairs to: 1025 E. Thompson Avenue, Hoopeston, IL 60942-0280
Call Customer Service if you have questions: 1-800-621-5485
1
00-99-000343/0503
11. PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS
a) Someone should be within range of your voice,
or close enough to come to your aid, when you
work near a lead acid battery.
b) Add distilled water in each cell until battery acid
reaches levels specified by the battery manufacturer. This helps purge gas from cells. Do not
overfill. For a battery without cell caps, carefully
follow manufacturer’s instructions.
b) Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby in
case battery acid contacts skin, clothing or eyes.
c) Wear eye protection and clothing protection.
Avoid touching eyes while working near a
battery.
d) If battery acid contacts skin or clothing, immedi-
ately wash with soap and water. If acid enters
eye, immediately flood with running cold water
for at least 15 minutes and get medical attention
immediately.
e) Never smoke or allow a spark or flame in the
vicinity of battery or engine.
f) Do not drop a metal tool onto the battery. It
might spark or short-circuit the battery or other
electrical part that may cause an explosion.
g) Remove personal metal items such as rings,
bracelets, necklaces and watches when working
near a lead acid battery.
h) Use the charger for charging a lead-acid battery
only It is not intended to supply power to a lowvoltage electrical system other than in an
automotive application. 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
or damage to property.
c) Study all battery manufacturer’s specific precau-
tions such as removing or not removing cell
caps while charging and recommended rates of
charge.
d) Determine voltage of battery by referring to
vehicle owner’s manual.
DANGER - Never alter the AC plug provided - if it
will not fit the outlet, have a proper outlet installed
by a qualified electrician. Improper connection can
result in the risk of electrical shock.
WARNING - Connect and disconnect the battery
clamps only when the AC power cord is disconnected or arcing may result.
CAUTION - Do not expose to rain; replace damaged
cords or wires immediately.
13. BATTERY CHARGER LOCATION
a) Locate charger as far away from battery as DC
cables permit.
b) Never place charger directly above battery
being charged.
c) Never allow battery acid to clamps on charge
when reading specific gravity.
d) Do not operate charger in a closed-in area or
restrict ventilation in any way.
i) Never charge a frozen battery.
j) 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.
Wash hands after handling.
If necessary to remove battery from vehicle to
charge, always remove grounded terminal from the
battery first. Make sure all accessories in the vehicle
are off, so as not to cause an arc.
12. PREPARING TO CHARGE
a) Be sure area around the battery is well venti-
lated while battery is being charged. Gas can be
blown away by using a piece of cardboard or
other non-metallic material as a fan.
e) Do not set battery on top of charger.
14. DC CONNECTION PRECAUTIONS
Connect and disconnect DC clamps only after
removing charger AC power cord from the wall
outlet. Do not permit clamps to touch each other.
15. FOLLOW THESE STEPS WHEN BATTERY IS
INSTALLED IN VEHICLE. A SPARK NEAR BATTERY MAY CAUSE BATTERY EXPLOSION. TO
REDUCE THE RISK OF A SPARK NEAR THE
BATTERY:
a) Position AC power cord and DC output cord to
reduce risk of damage by hood, door, or moving
engine parts.
b) Stay clear of fan blades, belts, pulleys and other
parts that can cause injury to persons.
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c) Check polarity of battery posts. Positive battery
post is usually larger diameter than the Negative
post.
d) Determine which post of battery is grounded
(connected) to the chassis. If negative post is
grounded to the chassis (as in most cases), see
Item E. If Positive post is grounded to the
chassis, see Item F.
f) A marine (boat) battery must be removed and
charged on shore. To charge it on board requires equipment specially designed for marine
use.
17. OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS
a) Set the 6 and 12 volt selector switch to match
the voltage of the battery being charged.
e) For negative grounded vehicle, connect Positive
clamp from charger to Positive ungrounded
post. Connect Negative (Black) clamp to vehicle
chassis or engine block away from battery. Do
not connect to carburetor, fuel lines or sheet
metal body parts. Connect to a heavy-gauge
metal part of the frame or engine block.
f) For positive-grounded vehicle, connect Nega-
tive (Black) clamp from charger to ungrounded
Negative (Black) post of battery. Connect
positive (Red) clamp to vehicle chassis or
engine block away from battery. Do not connect
to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet metal body
parts. Connect to a heavy-gauge metal part of
the frame or engine block.
g) When disconnecting charger, disconnect at wall
receptacle, remove clamp from vehicle chassis
and then remove clamp from battery post.
16. FOLLOW THESE STEPS WHEN BATTERY IS
OUTSIDE OF VEHICLE.
a) Check polarity of battery posts. Positive battery
post is usually a larger diameter than the
Negative post.
b) To keep a safe distance from the battery, attach
at least a 24-inch long, 18-gauge or heavier
insulted jumper cable to the Negative battery
post.
c) Connect Positive (Red) charger clamp to
Positive post of the battery.
d) Position yourself and free end of the cable as
far away from the battery as possible, then
connect the Negative clamp to the free end of
the cable. Do not face battery when making this
final connection.
e) When disconnecting charger, always do so in
reverse sequence of connecting procedure and
disconnect the first connection while as far away
from the battery as possible.
b) Connect charger to a battery as outlined in
Section 15 or 16.
c) Plug AC power cord into 120 AC volt receptacle.
d) The amber light indicates battery being charged
the green light indicates battery is fully charged
and the red light indicates trouble. See more
detailed explanation below.
e) When the charger is plugged into an AC outlet
but not connected to a battery the Green LED
will be illuminated. For proper operation, the
battery charger must be plugged into an AC
outlet and connected to a battery.
f) When properly connected the amber LED
indicator should illuminate. This indicator will
stay illuminated until the battery voltage has
reached approximately 14.4 volts and the
charge current has decreased to 0.5 amps. At
this point, the amber indicator turns off and the
green indicator turns on. Also occurring at the
same time, the internal voltage reference of the
charger will change in order to maintain the
battery voltage at 13.2 volts. At this lower
voltage charge, current is typically a few milliamperes (.001 ampere). Under this condition
most all batteries can be left charging indefinitely. While in the maintain mode, if the battery
was loaded 0.5 amps or greater the charger will
reset to the full charge state until the above
conditions once again meet.
g) Never leave the battery connected to the
charger while the charger is unplugged from the
AC outlet. The reason for this is the charger
draws a few milliamperes from the battery which
will eventually rundown the battery.
h) The Red LED indicates an overload condition.
Common causes are shorting of the battery
clamps, reverse-polarity connection to a battery
or a problem battery. Other circumstances that
could cause an overload condition: Charging
two or more batteries in parallel and batteries
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