Fusion StartAssist
When a bank on your FORM Charge Fusion shows a solid red mode LED, the charger has registered your mode selection but is not charging. Either no battery is being detected on that bank, or one is detected but cannot be charged in its current state. A normal charge cycle transitions from solid red to flashing red (Deep Charge) within about a minute -- if yours has been sitting longer than that, the notification LEDs will tell you why.
Start Here: Wait One Minute
The Fusion's mode LED can stay solid red for up to one minute on first connection while the charger diagnoses the battery. If you just plugged in, give it a minute and watch for the transition to flashing red (Deep Charge). If it has been longer than that, continue below.
Check the Notification LEDs
Each Fusion bank has four notification LEDs running alongside the mode LEDs: Power, Connection, Error, and Low Voltage. When the bank is working normally, Power is solid blue and Connection is solid green. If any notification LED is in an unexpected state, that's your diagnostic -- jump to the matching section below.
No Power LED
1. Check the outlet -- try another appliance to confirm AC is live.
2. Check the GFCI and breaker; reset if tripped.
3. Inspect the AC cord for visible damage.
4. If the Power LED is still not blue on a known-good outlet, the AC side of the charger may be faulty. Contact support.
No Connection LED
1. Confirm both leads for that bank are securely attached to the positive and negative terminals of the correct battery for that bank number.
2. Check for corrosion, loose ring terminals, or bent connectors.
3. If the battery reads 0V on a multimeter, it may have a dead cell (lead-acid) or a BMS in protection mode (lithium). Skip to Still Solid Red After the Checks Above? for chemistry-specific next steps.
Error LED Flashing Red
1. Disconnect the charger immediately.
2. Verify polarity: positive lead to the positive terminal, negative lead to the negative terminal. Reversed polarity will trigger this LED and can damage the charger.
3. Verify the battery is actually a 12V battery. Every Fusion bank is 12V only -- a higher-voltage battery (such as a 24V) accidentally wired into a single bank will trigger this LED.
4. Reconnect and re-check.
Low Voltage LED Flashing Red
1. Confirm the mode is set correctly for your battery chemistry (Lithium, AGM, or Lead-Acid).
2. Press and hold the MODE button for that bank for 5 seconds. The mode LED will begin alternating red and green -- this is Force Start.
3. Once the battery voltage recovers above the minimum threshold, the charger automatically returns to a standard charge cycle.
4. If Force Start does not engage or the battery drops back out, see Still Solid Red After the Checks Above? below for chemistry-specific next steps.
Still Solid Red After the Checks Above?
If all four notification LEDs look normal (Power solid blue, Connection solid green, nothing flashing red) and the mode LED is still solid red after a couple of minutes, the issue is most likely with the battery itself. Next steps depend on your battery chemistry.
Lithium (LiFePO4) Banks
1. Confirm the mode on that bank is set to Lithium.
2. Try Force Start -- press and hold the MODE button for 5 seconds until the LED alternates red and green.
3. If the battery reads 0V at the terminals and does not recover after Force Start, contact your battery manufacturer. The BMS may need to be reset at the battery itself.
AGM / Lead-Acid Banks
1. Try Force Start -- press and hold the MODE button for 5 seconds.
2. If Force Start does not recover the battery, test each battery individually with a multimeter. A reading significantly lower than the others indicates a dead cell and the battery will likely need to be replaced.
3. See our article My Charger Won't Detect My Batteries for individual battery recovery using a standard automotive charger before reconnecting to the Fusion.
If the bank is still solid red after trying the steps for your battery chemistry, the battery itself is most likely the issue -- not the charger. Contact support if you'd like help diagnosing further or if you believe the charger is faulty.
FAQ
Q: How long is too long for solid red?
The manual allows up to one minute for the charger to diagnose the battery on initial connection. Anything beyond about two minutes is abnormal and means one of the notification LEDs above should be flashing -- go back through Check the Notification LEDs and confirm you didn't miss one.