Personal Safety Precautions; Preparing To Charge - Schumacher SE-40225 Owner's Manual

B. PERSONAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
. 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
0 minutes. Get medical attention immediately.
C. PLUGGING IT IN
WARNING: Electrical Shock Hazard. Be sure that power cord
fits properly into outlet. If not, have a qualified technician install a
proper outlet. Never alter the AC cord or plug provided. Improper
connection can result in electrical shock.
Your charger should be grounded to reduce the risk of electrical
shock.
Your charger is equipped with an electrical cord that has an equip-
ment grounding conductor and a grounding plug designed to be
used on a 20 volt circuit. The plug must be plugged into an outlet
that has been properly installed and grounded in accordance with
all local codes and ordinances.
DANGER: Never alter the AC cord or plug provided. If it will not fit outlet, have a proper outlet installed by a qualified electrician. Improper
connection can result in a risk of an electrical shock. DANGER: Before using an adapter, as illustrated, be certain that the center screw
of the outlet plate is grounded. The green-colored rigid ear or lug extending from the 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.
D. PREPARING TO CHARGE
It is important that you read and follow these guidelines while you
are preparing to charge your battery.
• Make sure that you have a 2 volt or 6 volt lead-acid battery.
• Clean the battery terminals. Be careful to keep corrosion from
getting in or around your eyes or on your hands.
• If you have a battery with removable cell caps, if required,
add distilled water to each cell until the battery acid reaches
the level indicated by the manufacturer. This will help purge
excessive gases from the cells. Be careful not to overfill. If you
have a sealed battery without cell caps, no action is necessary.
Continue to the next step listed below.
• Take time to read all battery manufacturer's specific precautions,
such as removing or not removing cell caps while charging, and
recommended rates of charge.
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!
9. Neutralize any acid spills thoroughly with baking soda before
attempting to clean up.
FIGURE 1 – PLUGGING IT IN
• Wear safety glasses. See additional "Personal Safety
Precautions" on page 2.
• Be sure that the area around the battery is well ventilated while
it is being charged. If ventilation is poor, any gases emitted from
the battery can be manually blown away by using a piece of
cardboard or other non-metallic material as a fan.
• If it is necessary to remove the battery from the vehicle to charge
it, always remove the grounded terminal from the battery first.
A spark may be caused if all accessories in the vehicle are not
completely turned off.
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