Preparing your battery to be charged

It is important that you read and follow these guidelines while you are preparing to charge your battery.

•Make sure that you have a 6 or 12 volt lead-acid battery.

•Clean the battery terminals. Be careful to keep corrosion from getting in or around your eyes.

•If you have a battery with removable cell caps, if required, add distilled water to each cell until the battery acid reaches the level recommended 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.

•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, gas 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.

NOTE: A marine battery installed in a boat must be removed and charged on shore.

Sears 201- Sch 506 1/9/98