Schumacher SS-120A-PE User Manual

Battery Charger Model:

Owner's Manual

SS-120A-PE, 12 Amp Fully Automatic Battery Charger For 12 Volt Marine Deep Cycle & Automotive Batteries

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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 automobiles, 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 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 charger 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.

not use battery charger for charging dry-cell

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: 18 18 16 14

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 clamps together when the charger is energized.

19. NEVER crank engine with SS-120A-PE charger attached to battery.

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

00-99-000307/0103

B. PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS AND SAFETY

1. WARNING: Wear complete eye protection and clothing pro-

tection 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 device. 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 12 volt lead-acid battery. Check vehicle 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.

7. A marine (boat) battery must be removed and charged on shore. To charge it on board requires equipment specially designed for marine use.

CARS / LIGHT CCA R C TRUCKS 315-550 60-85 2.5-3.0

BATTERY

SIZE

550-850 85-150 3.0-5.0

RATING

RECHARGE

TIME-HOURS*

4. Study all battery manufacturer's specific precautions, such as removing or not removing cell caps while charging, and recommended rates of charge.

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.

MARINE OR MCA AH DEEP CYCLE 350-600 60-70 4.0-5.0

600-935 70-104 5.0-6.5

CCA: COLD CRANKING AMPS RC: RESERVE CAPACITY MCA: MARINE CRANKING AMPS AH: AMPERE HOUR

*Based on battery at 50% charge.

D. LED DISPLAY

LED Indicators: The battery charger has three LED lights. They indicate different functions.

RED LED – A steady glow indicates POWER ON and proper connection to the battery. A flashing red LED usually indicates that the battery is NOT connected correctly and the connections need to be checked. The red LED will also flash if the charger’s circuit breaker opens (see CIRCUIT BREAKER). If Automatic charging takes more than 24 hours, the red LED will flash rap- idly (see note below). The red LED will flash several times when the switch position is changed. (For an explanation of a rapidly flashing red LED, see “Desulfation Mode” in battery Charger Controls section.)

YELLOW LED - A steady glow indicates when the charger is CHARGING in the Automatic modes. It will flash if the charger goes into Desulfation mode. In Manual mode to indicate charging, the yellow LED will flash rapidly.

GREEN LED – When in Automatic mode, after the battery is fully charged, the charger will change to the Charged/Maintain state and the green LED will flicker. This indicates that the Floatmode Monitoring is keeping your battery maintained at full charge. The green LED will also flicker (along with the rapidly flashing yellow LED) when the charger is in Manual mode. If the green

LED is flickering without the yellow LED and the charger is in Manual mode, then charging has lasted longer than 24 hours (see note below).

NOTE: When charging in Manual mode, the battery needs to be monitored frequently. The charger will NOT sense the battery at full charge and shut off automatically. You must disconnect the charger when the battery is at Full Charge or battery damage will occur.

As a safety precaution, the charger automatically switches into Float-Mode monitoring after 24 hours of charging in Manual mode. However, if using the Manual mode, damage to the battery might have already occurred after 24 hours. DO NOT rely on this function to tell you if your battery is fully charged in Manual mode.

Also as a safety precaution, the charger automatically aborts charging if it has not reached the Charged/Maintain state after 24 hours of charging in Automatic mode (the red LED will flash rapidly).

To restart the charging process after the charger switches to Floatmode Monitoring, reset the charger by moving the switch to another position then repositioning it to the mode you want to use.

E. BATTERY CHARGER CONTROLS

MANUAL-AUTOMATIC SWITCH

Charging may be either Manual or Automatic.

OPERATION

The charger contains a three-position switch that determines its mode of operation. There are two AUTOMATIC positions and one MANUAL position.

MANUAL CHARGING

When the MANUAL position is selected the charger will continue to charge and will NOT shut off when the battery is fully charged. The GREEN LED will glow after the charging current has stabilized at some small value but the charger will continue to charge.

WARNING: In the MANUAL position, the charger will continue to charge even after the battery is fully charged.

WARNING: Overcharging can damage the battery. AUTOMATIC CHARGING

When an AUTOMATIC position is selected, the charger goes through a three-step charging process. During the BULK charge phase, the charger attempts to deliver 12 amps of current to the battery until the battery voltage levels off. At this point, the charger enters the ABSORPTION charge phase. In this phase, the charger will hold the battery voltage constant and let the battery determine the charging current. When the charging current stabilizes, the charger will continue to charge for a couple hours to bring the battery up to full charge. The charger will then automatically enter the MAINTAIN MODE - Float-Mode Monitoring. During this phase, the charger will hold the battery voltage constant at 13.2 volts to guard against self-discharge of the battery. The charge current will typically be a few tenths of an amp.

MANUAL VS. AUTOMATIC CHARGING

In the AUTOMATIC positions, the charger will only turn ON when it is connected to a battery with a voltage over .7 volts. In the MANUAL position, the charger will turn ON under any condition. If a battery is so depleted of charge that its voltage is less than .7 volts, switch to the MANUAL position for a few minutes before switching to an AUTOMATIC position.

DELCO VOYAGER AND SIMILAR BATTERIES:

Some batteries, especially those with a built-in 'State of Charge' indicator that have been deeply discharged, may require the use of the MANUAL position in order to obtain a full charge. To bring a Delco Voyager battery to full charge, first charge in the Automatic (Maintenance Free) mode until the Full Charge LED glows, then switch to the Manual Mode until the built-in 'State of Charge' Indicator turns green. The AUTOMATIC position may be used to maintain the battery at Full Charge.

DESULFATION MODE

If your battery has been left discharged for an extended period of time, it may have become 'SULFATED'. If your battery voltage

is less than 12.2 volts prior to being charged, and the voltage climbs rapidly when you first start charging, your battery may be SULFATED. Under this condition, the charger enters DESULFATION MODE (if it is in an AUTOMATIC position). In DESULFATION MODE, the initial charging current is very small. The charger will stay in DESULFATION MODE for 24 hours, attempting to break down the sulfation. If the battery current increases to normal in this time, the charger will enter the normal AUTOMATIC MODE. If the current does NOT increase to normal, the charger will enter the ABORT state and will shut off. The ABORT state is indicated by the rapid flashing of the RED LED.

NOTE: A buzz or hum is normal when the output cables have been disconnected and the AC power cord is still connected to an electrical source (i.e. wall outlet).

These types of noises will also occur when the green light comes on indicating the battery is "Completely Charged". At this point, the charger has stopped charging the battery, but still hums or buzzes until the electrical power is shut off.

F. CIRCUIT BREAKER

This battery charger is equipped with a self-resetting circuit breaker. This device protects the charger from temporary overloads. In the event of an overload, the circuit breaker will trip open and after a short cooling off period will reset automatically. This process is known as cycling and can be recognized by an audible

clicking sound.

NOTE:

cally resets itself.

CAUTION: Persistent clicking (more than 30 minutes) may indicate reverse connection or shorted battery cells. (See TROUBLE- SHOOTING)

Clicking sound is normal. Wait until charger automati-

G. BATTERY TYPES

Three basic types of lead-acid batteries can be given a charge with this charger: (1) Conventional and Low Maintenance, (2) Maintenance Free, (3) Deep Cycle / Marine.

Conventional and Low Maintenance Batteries. These are the antimony/lead batteries. Conventional/Low Maintenance batteries require periodic addition of water to the acid solution (electrolyte). Additional water may be added by removing the filler caps located on the top of the battery.

IMPORTANT: When antimony is known to be one of the materials used in the battery's construction, that battery is a Low Maintenance/Conventional type.

CAUTION: Some Low Maintenance batteries have a relatively smooth top without any apparent battery filler caps. If, however, the battery manufacturer/distributor recommends periodic check-

ing of electrolyte level and provides access to the battery for water additions, the battery is probably a Low Maintenance/Conventional type.

Maintenance Free Batteries. These are calcium/lead batteries and normally do have been removed from the battery surface. These batteries will have a smooth or sealed appearance.

Deep Cycle Batteries. These heavy duty batteries are used in boats, construction equipment, sump pumps, etc. They are normally marked

not require water additions. Therefore, filler caps

DEEP CYCLE on the outside of the case.

H. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS: CHARGING BATTERY OUT OF VEHICLE

When charging battery out of the 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 battery may cause battery explosion. WARNING: When removing battery from vehicle or boat, disconnect grounded post first. When disconnecting, make sure all accessories are off, so as not to cause an arc. (NOTE: A marine (boat) battery removed and charged on shore. (To charge on board requires special equipment designed for marine use.)

1. 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.

must be

2. Attach a 24-inch long (or longer) 6-gauge (AWG) insulated battery cable to NEGATIVE (NEG, N, -) battery post. (Purchase cable separately.)

3. Connect POSITIVE (RED) charger clamp to POSITIVE (POS, P, +) battery post. Rock clamp back and forth to make good connection.

4. Position yourself and free end of 24-inch cable as far away from battery as possible. Then connect NEGATIVE (BLACK) charger clamp to free end of cable. WARNING: Do not face battery when making final connection. Rock clamp back and forth to make a good connection.

FIGURE 1 shows the connection.

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