Batteries went dry while on vacation

blounsbury · 08-12-2018, 04:32 PM

Hey All,

We went on vacation for a month and when we came back the cart wouldn't go. I looked at the batteries and there was no water left in them. My sister-in-law took the cart out for a spin with her kids when they came to check on the house, and she left it plugged in for the entire month we were gone.

1. Is leaving the cart plugged in (99 DS Series, club-car external charger) bad for the batteries? Is that what caused them to boil dry? I usually just plug it in once a week or two if its not being driven to handle the self-discharge.

2. At this point I've added water (about 1/4" below the fill tubes) and I've been charging for ~30 hours. Batteries are still taking ~3-5A from the charger, and they're bubbling (but not boiling). I've unplugged them at this point. When I first disconnected them from the charger they were reading 55.5V across the pack, and about 5-10 minutes later they've dropped down to 53.5V with no load.

Are these batteries toast? Any way to rehab them?

cgtech · 08-12-2018, 06:38 PM

They "are what they are", whatever service they provide is all your gonna get. Nothing to do about it, permanent damage. I also think you have a bad OBC, it shouldn't be able to stay on for 30 hours, even if the charge didn't complete.

blounsbury · 08-12-2018, 07:02 PM

Down to 51.9V now.

I did an OBC reset prior to initiating the charge, which I’ve read changes the way it charges. Could that be why it was still charging (at very low amps) 24-30hrs later?

cgtech · 08-12-2018, 07:18 PM

Should have "timed out". Wait a minute, before the number was 30. Now it might be 24? That could make a difference.

Fairtax4me · 08-13-2018, 10:21 AM

They're probably cooked, but run them and see how they do.

Also agree that the OBC is faulty. That should be shutting the charge off at 16 hours, regardless of battery charge level.

blounsbury · 08-13-2018, 09:40 PM

Is it worth replacing the OBC or should I just replace it with a smarter charger? I’m under the impression all the OBC does is regulate charging.

joesam · 08-14-2018, 09:00 AM

If you are convinced that you have a failed OBC, then most would make the change to a higher technology smart charger, for the added features (not the least of which is a float mode to support long periods of time plugged in and away).

08-12-2018, 04:32 PM	#1
blounsbury Not Yet Wild Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 37	Batteries went dry while on vacation Hey All, We went on vacation for a month and when we came back the cart wouldn't go. I looked at the batteries and there was no water left in them. My sister-in-law took the cart out for a spin with her kids when they came to check on the house, and she left it plugged in for the entire month we were gone. 1. Is leaving the cart plugged in (99 DS Series, club-car external charger) bad for the batteries? Is that what caused them to boil dry? I usually just plug it in once a week or two if its not being driven to handle the self-discharge. 2. At this point I've added water (about 1/4" below the fill tubes) and I've been charging for ~30 hours. Batteries are still taking ~3-5A from the charger, and they're bubbling (but not boiling). I've unplugged them at this point. When I first disconnected them from the charger they were reading 55.5V across the pack, and about 5-10 minutes later they've dropped down to 53.5V with no load. Are these batteries toast? Any way to rehab them?
blounsbury Not Yet Wild Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 37

08-12-2018, 06:38 PM	#2
cgtech Over This Interview Is... Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: AZ Posts: 17,449	Re: Batteries went dry while on vacation They "are what they are", whatever service they provide is all your gonna get. Nothing to do about it, permanent damage. I also think you have a bad OBC, it shouldn't be able to stay on for 30 hours, even if the charge didn't complete.

08-12-2018, 07:02 PM	#3
blounsbury Not Yet Wild Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 37	Re: Batteries went dry while on vacation Down to 51.9V now. I did an OBC reset prior to initiating the charge, which I’ve read changes the way it charges. Could that be why it was still charging (at very low amps) 24-30hrs later?
blounsbury Not Yet Wild Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 37

08-12-2018, 07:18 PM	#4
cgtech Over This Interview Is... Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: AZ Posts: 17,449	Re: Batteries went dry while on vacation Should have "timed out". Wait a minute, before the number was 30. Now it might be 24? That could make a difference.

08-13-2018, 10:21 AM	#5
Fairtax4me Bonafide Nincompoop Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Charlottesburg Va Posts: 8,987	Re: Batteries went dry while on vacation They're probably cooked, but run them and see how they do. Also agree that the OBC is faulty. That should be shutting the charge off at 16 hours, regardless of battery charge level.

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08-13-2018, 09:40 PM	#6
blounsbury Not Yet Wild Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 37	Re: Batteries went dry while on vacation Is it worth replacing the OBC or should I just replace it with a smarter charger? I’m under the impression all the OBC does is regulate charging.
blounsbury Not Yet Wild Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 37

08-14-2018, 09:00 AM	#7
joesam Gone Wild Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Chestermere, Alberta - Canada Posts: 1,146	Re: Batteries went dry while on vacation If you are convinced that you have a failed OBC, then most would make the change to a higher technology smart charger, for the added features (not the least of which is a float mode to support long periods of time plugged in and away).

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