Reading The Meter; Time To Charge; Preactivation Of A Discharged Battery - Solar Battery Charger Owner's Manual

Preactivation of a Discharged Battery

Preactivation will raise the voltage in a 12 volt battery to a
level high enough to allow the charger to operate in the
automatic mode. This step is required if you have been
attempting to charge a low or dead battery and the battery
has not been accepting any charge.
• Select the START position on the SELECT
FUNCTION switch.
K
The ammeter built into this charger indicates the
amperage that the battery is drawing from the charger.
The meter will read 15 amps if the battery is discharged
and the charger is set on the 12 volt 10 or 15 amp setting.
As the battery charges, the meter will taper back to around
7 amps. A charger with AUTO ON-OFF TECHNOLOGY
will drop to zero amps and the CHARGE COMPLETE light
will come on when the battery is fully charged. On the 12
volt 2 amp setting, the meter will read 5 amps for a
discharged battery and taper back to about 1 amp as the
battery reaches full charge.
L
Manual battery chargers need to be disconnected from a
battery when the battery is fully charged. If this is not
done, the battery will overcharge, resulting in possible
battery damage.
A large automotive battery (65 amp hours or 100 minutes
of reserve capacity) that is completely discharged (lights
will not come on at all) should never take longer than 8
hours to charge on the 12 volt 10 amp setting. Batteries
with a partial charge, smaller batteries, and chargers with
a higher amperage output such as 12 or 15 amps will take
even less time to charge. If the meter shows that the
battery is drawing amperage (from 7–15 amps) and after
charging for up to eight hours, the battery still isn't fully
charged, have the battery professionally tested or
replaced. On battery chargers equipped with AUTO ON-
OFF TECHNOLOGY, if the meter shows zero amps upon
initial connection, then preactivation of the battery may be
required.
The following instructions will allow you to determine how
long it will take to bring a specific battery to full charge. If
the charger is so equipped, a green light on the charger
will indicate the battery has become fully charged.
CAUTION: Batteries that have 25% charge or less can
easily freeze and should be charged at once, but NEVER
CHARGE A BATTERY THAT IS ALREADY FROZEN.
1. Determine the present level of charge in the battery
with a hydrometer or electronic percent-of-charge
tester.
2. Determine the size of the battery in AMP HOURS or
RESERVE CAPACITY. If these ratings are not printed
on the battery, contact your local battery dealer for this
information. These are the only ratings that can be
used to determine length of charging time. Then use
the formula in step 3 for the charging rate capabilities
of your charger.
• Select the 15 A 12 V AUTO position on the
• Charge the 12 volt battery for 5–15 minutes.
• Select the CHARGE position on the SELECT
The battery should now accept the charge and the
amperage meter should indicate 6–15 amps. If not, the
battery should be professionally tested. If battery is okay,
call Technical Service at (800) 328-2921.

READING THE METER

The 6 volt setting is a constant current setting and the
needle will not move from right to left.
The BATTERY area in red at the top of the meter should
not be used as a precise measurement of the battery's
percent of charge. There are differences between charger
models and from battery to battery that prevent it from
accurately representing the actual percent of charge.
Chargers with AUTO ON-OFF TECHNOLOGY will show
100% when fully charged.

TIME TO CHARGE

3. Use the battery rating, the charge level of the battery,
and the amp setting to be used on the charger, in the
formula provided below.
Percent of Charge NEEDED: 100% – 25% = 75%
Note: If the battery is rated in RESERVE CAPACITY,
use the following formula to convert reserve capacity to
amp-hours.
9
SELECT SETTING switch.
FUNCTION switch.
Amp Hour Percent
X
Rating of of Charge
Battery NEEDED
Amp Setting Selected
On Charger
EXAMPLE:
Battery's Present State of Charge: 25%
Expressed as a Decimal: = .75
Amp setting on Charger: 10
Amp-Hour Rating of Battery: 60
60 X .75
X 1.25 = Hours to Reach Full Charge
10
45
X 1.25 = Hours to Reach Full Charge
10
4.5 X 1.25 = 5.625 Hours to Reach Full Charge
(5 Hours, 38 Min.)
Reserve Capacity
+
15.5
2
Hours
=
X to
1.25
Charge
=
Amp-Hour Rating