Personal Precautions; Preparation; Connecting The Charger - Velleman HQ-Power VL0612 Mode D'emploi

3. Personal Precautions

1. Someone should be within range of your voice or close enough to come to your aid when you work near a lead-
acid battery.
2. Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby in case acid contacts your skin, clothes or eyes.
3. Wear complete eye protection and protective clothing. Avoid touching your eyes when working with batteries.
4. If battery acid comes into contact with your skin or clothing, immediately wash with soap and water. Should it
come into contact with your eyes, immediately rinse with running cold water for at least 10 minutes and seek
immediate medical attention.
5. NEVER smoke or allow a spark or flame in the vicinity of a battery or engine.
6. Avoid the risk of metal objects falling onto the battery. This might spark or short-circuit the battery or other
electrical parts which may cause an explosion.
7. Remove all personal items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces and watches when working with a lead-acid
battery. A lead-acid battery can produce a short-circuited current high enough to weld a ring or the like to metal
causing a severe burn.
8. Use the charger for charging a rechargeable lead-acid battery ONLY. It is not intended to supply power to a low-
voltage system or to charge rechargeable batteries other than lead-acid batteries. Charging dry-cell batteries may
cause them to burst and cause injury to persons and damage to property.
9. NEVER charge a frozen battery.

4. Preparation

1. If it is necessary to remove the battery from the vehicle to charge it, always remove the grounded terminal from
the battery first. Make sure all accessories in the vehicle are turned off in order to prevent an arc.
2. Be sure the area around the battery is well-ventilated while the battery is being charged. Using a piece of
cardboard or other non-metallic material can be used to dissipate gas.
3. Clean the battery terminals. Avoid corrosion from coming into contact with your eyes.
4. Add distilled water to each cell until the battery acid reaches the level specified by the manufacturer. This helps
purge excessive gas from the cells. Do not overfill. For a battery without cell caps, carefully follow the
manufacturer's instructions.
5. Study all the manufacturer's specific precautions such as removing or not removing cell caps while charging and
recommended charging rates.
6. Determine the battery voltage by referring to the car's manual and make sure it matches the battery charger's
output rating.
5. Positioning the charger
1. Position the charger as far away from the battery as the DC cables permit.
2. Never place the charger directly above or below the battery being charged. Gases or fluid from the battery will
corrode and damage the charger.
3. Never allow battery acid to drip on the charger when filling the battery.
4. Do not operate the charger in a closed-in area or in an area with restricted ventilation.
5. Do not put the battery on top of the charger.

6. Connecting the charger

Only connect or disconnect the DC-output clips after setting the charger switches to "off" and removing the AC cord
from the electric outlet. Never allow the clips to touch each other.
a. Follow these steps when the battery is installed in a vehicle:
A spark near the battery may cause battery explosion. To reduce the risk of a spark near the battery:
VL0612/VL1212 2 VELLEMAN