Lincoln Electric IM10130 K3149-1 (11860) Wheel Charger - Manual (Page 11)

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fully charged). At full charge, the ammeter will still register
some current draw (approximately 50% of the charger’s out-
put rating). In many cases, overcharging can occur if the
charger is not disconnected when the battery reaches full
charge - or sooner. Therefore, it is very important that you
follow the CHARGING TIME INSTRUCTIONS provided in
this manual.
Several battery conditions can also cause the ammeter to
appear to indicate a battery near full charge, when in fact,
charging has only begun.
‡ Cold Battery
‡ Sulfated Battery
‡ Deeply-Discharged, Lead-Calcium Battery (many
newer automotive batteries)
WARNING
BATTERY EXPLOSION CAN INJURE, AND CAUSE
PROPERTY DAMAGE!
To reduce risk of battery explosion, check to make sure a
cold battery is not frozen. Battery explosion can result
from attempting to charge a frozen battery.
‡ COLD BATTERIES (temperatures lower than 32° F or
0° C) will begin charging at a low rate of charge. But
as the battery warms up through charging, the charge
rate will increase. Then, as the battery charges up, the
charge rate will decrease normally.
‡ SULFATED or DEEPLY-DISCHARGED LEAD-CALCI-
UM BATTERIES - require a special activation proce-
dure. See DEEPLY DISCHARGED LEAD-CALCIUM
BATTERIES in CHARGING TIME INSTRUCTIONS.
‡ SHORTED BATTERIES - When the battery being
charged has a short circuit, the ammeter will
peg at the
high-amp end of the scale. If after 5 to 10 minutes of
charging, the needle has not started to move toward
lower amperages, unplug the charger and discontinue
charging.
If available, use a voltmeter and read the battery voltage. If
the voltage is LESS THAN 12.0 volts for a 12 volt battery or
LESS THAN 6.0 volts for a 6 volt battery, plug the charger
back in and resume charging. If after another 15 to 20 min-
utes, the ammeter has failed to move toward lower amper-
ages, repeat the voltmeter test. If the voltage has not
increased, the battery needs to be serviced or replaced.
CAUTION
DO NOT USE AMMETER to determine when full charge
is reached. Failure to comply with this caution could
cause the battery to be damaged from overcharging. The
battery could overheat and even explode.
CHARGING TIME INSTRUCTIONS
Manual battery chargers need to be disconnected from a
battery when the battery has reached 100% of charge OR
SOONER. If this is not done, the battery will overcharge,
resulting in possible battery damage.
3. Attach a battery or booster cable, AT LEAST 24 inches
long that is the same (or larger) wire gauge as the charg-
er cable, to the NEGATIVE terminal of the battery.
WARNING
BATTERY EXPLOSION CAN INJURE, AND CAUSE
PROPERTY DAMAGE!
To reduce the risk of battery explosion, NEVER CON-
NECT BOTH BATTERY CHARGER CLAMPS DIRECTLY
TO THE TWO POSTS OF A BATTERY.
4. Connect the POSITIVE (red) charger clamp to the POSI-
TIVE battery terminal.
5. Position yourself and the free end of the cable (attached
to the NEGATIVE battery terminal) as far away from the
battery as the cable will allow. Then, WHILE FACING
AWAY FROM THE BATTERY, connect the NEGATIVE
charger clamp to the free end of the cable.
CHARGING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Determine the length of time necessary to charge the
battery in CHARGING TIME INSTRUCTIONS, but do not
start the timer.
2. Set all switches and the timer to OFF and connect the
charger power cord into an appropriate ac outlet.
3. Set charging voltage, charging rate, and any other func-
tions according to CONTROL SETTING INSTRUC-
TIONS.
4. On models so equipped, set the TIMER for the desired
length of charge time.
WARNING
BATTERY EXPLOSION CAN INJURE, AND CAUSE
PROPERTY DAMAGE!
To reduce risk of battery explosion, do not overcharge a
lead-acid battery. Follow disconnection procedure
EXACTLY.
5. When charging is complete, turn all charger controls to
OFF. Then unplug the charger’s ac power cord from the
ac power source.
6. Disconnect the charger clamp NOT attached directly to
the battery first and DO NOT allow the clamp to touch
anything. Then, disconnect the charger clamp attached
to the battery terminal.
READING AN AMMETER
The ammeter indicates the charging current being drawn
from the charger by the battery. As the battery becomes
more fully charged, the charge rate lessens and the amme-
ter needle moves toward the lower amp numbers on the
meter. During engine starting, the ammeter will usually
peg
to the high-amperage end of the meter.
There is no clear-cut way to read an ammeter and deter-
mine exactly when charging is complete (if the charger is so
equipped, a green light on the charger indicates battery is