Vector POWERFORCE VEC074 Owner's Manual & Warranty Information

POWERFORCE

™

AUTOMATIC BATTERY CHARGER

OWNER’S MANUAL & WARRANTY INFORMATION

12 VOLT 2/10 AMPERE WITH 55 / AMPERE ENGINE START ASSIST

VEC074

• IMPOR

TANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

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SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

This manual contains important safety and operating instructions for battery charger Model VEC074

4140 SW 28TH WAY, FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33312 • TEL: [phone] • FAX: [phone]

GENERAL BATTERY SAFETY:

1. To reduce risk of battery explosion, follow these instructions and those published by the battery manufac­turer and manufacturer of any equipment you intend to use in vicinity of battery. Review cautionary mark­ing on these products and on engine.

2. Use charger for charging a LEAD-ACID battery only. It is not intended to supply power to a low voltage
electrical system other than in an automotive application. Do not use battery charger for charging dry­cell batteries that are commonly used with home and portable appliances. These batteries may burst and
cause injury to persons and damage to property.

3. Use of an attachment not recommended or sold by the battery 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 cord when disconnecting charger.

5. An extension cord should not be used unless absolutely necessary. Use of an improper extension cord could
result in a risk of fire and electric shock. If extension cord must be used, make sure:

a. That pins on plug of extension cord are the same number, size, and shape as those of plug on charger.
b. That extension cord is properly wired and in good electrical condition; and
c. That wire size is AWG #18 (18 gauge) to 100 feet and AWG #16 for distances over 100 feet.

6. Do not operate charger with damaged cord or plug - replace the cord or plug 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 serviceman.

8. Do not disassemble charger; take it to a qualified serviceman when service or repair is required. Incorrect
reassembly may result in a risk of electric shock or fire.

9. To reduce risk of electric shock, unplug charger from outlet before attempting any maintenance or cleaning.
Tur ning off controls will not reduce this risk.

10. Do not expose charger to rain or snow.

11. Never charge a frozen battery

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.

PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS AND SAFETY

1. Someone should be within range of your voice or close enough to come to your aid when you work near a lead-acid­battery.

2. Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby in case battery acid contacts skin, clothing, or eyes.

3. Wear complete eye protection and clothing protection. Avoid touching eyes while working with a battery. Acid, acid
particles or corrosion may get into eyes. Immediately flood eye with running cold water for at least 10 minutes and get
medical attention immediately.

4. If battery acid contacts skin or clothing, wash immediately with soap and water.

5. NEVER smoke or allow a spark or flame in vicinity of battery or engine.

6. Be extra cautious to reduce risk of dropping a metal tool onto battery. It might spark or short-circuit battery or other
electrical part that may cause explosion.

7. Remove 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.

PREPARING TO CHARGE

1. Determine voltage of battery by referring to car owner's manual and make sure that output voltage selector switch is set
at correct voltage.

2. If it is necessary to remove battery from vehicle to charge, or to clean terminals, always remove grounded terminal from
battery first. Make sure all accessories in the vehicle are off, so as not to cause an arc.

3. Clean battery terminals. Be careful to keep corrosion from coming in contact with eyes.

4. Add distilled water in each cell until battery acid reaches level 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.

5. Study all battery manufacturers' specific precautions such as removing or not removing cell caps while charging and
recommended rates of charge.

6. 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 nonmetallic material as a fan.

7. Charge battery initially at the 2 Amp (lowest) rate.

CHARGER LOCATION

1. Locate charger as far away from battery as cables permit.

2. Never place charger directly above battery being charged; gases from battery will corrode and damage charger.

3. Never allow battery acid to drip on charger when reading gravity or filling battery.

4. Do not operate charger in a closed-in area or restrict ventilation in any way. Marine batteries must be removed and
charged on shore.

5. Do not set a battery on top of charger.

DC CONNECTION PRECAUTIONS

1. Connect and disconnect DC output clips only after removing AC cord from electric outlet.

2. Never allow clips to touch each other.

3. Attach clips to battery posts 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.

FOLLOW THESE STEPS WHEN BATTERY IS INSTALLED IN VEHICLE. A SPARK NEAR BATTERY
MAY CAUSE BATTERY EXPLOSION. TO REDUCE RISK OF A SPARK NEAR BATTERY:

a. Position AC and DC cords to reduce risk of damage by hood, door, or moving engine part.
b. Stay clear of fan blades, belts, pulleys, and other parts that can cause injury to persons.
c. Check polarity of battery posts. POSITIVE (POS, P, +) battery post usually has larger diameter than NEGATIVE

(NEG, N,-) post.

d. Determine which post of battery is grounded (connected) to the chassis. If negative post is grounded to chassis (as

in most vehicles), see (e). If positive post is grounded to the chassis, see (f).

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DC CONNECTION PRECAUTIONS – CONTINUED

e. 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. Do not connect clip to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet-metal body parts. Connect to heavy gauge metal part of
the frame or engine block.

f. 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. Do
not connect clip 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, turn switches to off, disconnect AC cord, remove clip from vehicle chassis, and then

remove clip from battery terminal.

h. See operating instructions for length of charge information.

INTRODUCTION AND FEATURES

Thank you for selecting the Vector® Model VEC074 2/10/55 Battery Charger. With proper care and use, it will give you
years of dependable service. Please read all safety warnings and cautions, and this entire User's Manual, before using this
device. The manual should then be retained for easy reference whenever the unit is used.

This model battery charger has a high charge rate of up to 10 amps, and low charge rate of up to 2 amps. It is intended
for charging only 12 volt lead-acid batteries - maintenance-free, conventional automotive, marine deep cycle - that are usu­ally used in cars, trucks, farm equipment, boats, RVs and SUVs, lawn mowers and garden tractors, motorcycles, personal
watercraft, snowmobiles, ATVs, and various light commercial applications. This charger can assist in engine starting by
delivering up to 55 amps for up to five minutes.

Charges 12 Volt automotive batteries in only 4-6 hours. Three settings,with sliding power selector:

a) 2 amps: 12-volt motorcycle, lawn mower, and Jet Ski type batteries.
b) 10 amps: 12-volt automotive, truck and marine deep-cycle batteries.
c) 55 Amps for up to five minutes for Engine Start Assist.

Built-in meter displays charge rate and battery charge level on color-coded, easy-to-read display.

• Automatically taper charges and stops charging when battery is fully charged

• Heavy-duty transformer and rectifier for dependability

• Built-in circuit protection guards against overcharging or short circuit

• Automatically checks for correct polarity (requires a minimum of 4.0 volts at the battery terminals)

• Heavy-duty cables and copper clamps are corrosion-resistant for better connections

• Connect to side- or top-mount battery terminals

• Rugged steel case with baked-on finish, plus sturdy handle

• Ideal for charging or boosting during winter season when the starting performance of vehicle batteries is lowered by
cold or extreme weather conditions. See Figure 1.

1. AMMETER

2. HANDLE

3. CHARGE RATE SWITCH

4. GROUNDED PLUG

5. CHARGE/ASSIST SWITCH

6. CHARGING COMPLETE LED

7. REVERSE CONNECTION LED

8. BATTERY CLAMPS

1

2

3

4

8

5

6

7

FIGURE 1

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