Safety Precautions
The following safety precautions should be followed whenever charging a vehicle battery:
- Wear the appropriate PPE.
- Only charge batteries in a dedicated, well-ventilated charging area,
- Do not smoke, carry out hot work (e.g., welding, brazing, grinding), or use a mobile phone in the charging area,
- Do not charge batteries near equipment that could be an ignition source.
Charging the Battery
- Make certain the charging equipment is suitable for the battery, (e.g., the correct voltage and charging rate),
- Before starting to charge a vented battery, check that the electrolyte level is just above the tops of the plates in all the cells. Add distilled or deionized water if the level is too low,
- Make sure the charger is switched off before connecting the charging leads to the battery (unless the charger manufacturer specifies a different procedure). Connect the charger’s positive (+) lead to the battery’s positive terminal and the negative (-) lead to the battery’s negative terminal,
- Check that the charging leads are securely clamped in position before switching on the charger.
- Never charge the battery faster than the battery manufacturer’s specified maximum charging rate,
- Do not remove or adjust the charging leads while the charger is switched on,
- Switch off the charger before disconnecting the charging leads from the battery,
- Allow a vented battery to stand for at least 20 minutes after disconnecting it from the charger before returning it to the vehicle.