Battery Maint. Question

skm2006

I dont get to ride my cart as often as I like, or as often as when it was new and we were riding it several times a week. We now ride it one or twice a month.

I'm about to buy all new batteries and I want to know, based on my usage I've described, how do I charge them? Do I leave the charger on all the time, do I just plug it in a day or two before I plan to use the cart?

I think I've shortened the life of the current batteries from not charging it right. I've probably let it get really low at times.

I dont know, but how often do I charge these new ones when I only use the cart every so often?

Thanks

BGW

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golfcarfixer

I dont use mine a lot either so I just charge mine once a week or every 2 weeks.

Frizbgolf

You can just leave your charger plugged in while the cart is not in use the charger will charge every 15 days automatically to maintain the batteries.

scottyb

I just replaced batteries charger and OBC on a Cart that was plugged in during a power surge or lightening storm? ....

Leaving the batteries in a state of discharge is very bad for them so charge after use and again before use so they are full... That should be okay for your 0nce every 2 week schedule...

It would be best to check it with a voltmeter every few days and see when it does need recharging ... that way you could establish a pattern and take the guess work and risk of over/under charging out of the battery life equation

golfcarfixer

scubabud

If you pass by the cart all the time when not in use, (sitting in your garage for example,) you can attach a voltmeter to it or just install one permanently so you can see your voltage readings in real time. If you don't have this kind of setup I'd leave the charger hooked up when not in use. I have a surge arrestor inside my fuse panel which would help and can be used along with a surge suppressor. But a direct hit of lighting is going to take out just about everything anyway. My cart drops from 50.9 to 50.7 in about a week.

Timdelta

Could put the charger on a timer and have it turn on once a week or whatever interval you think is good.

skm2006

Ok so what I'm getting is that if my charger is the type that will regulate it, then I can just leave it plugged in all the time and it wont hurt anything?

Timdelta

That is correct. My charger does its thing then ramps down to 7 watts. Every now and then it sees a charge is needed, then it repeats the process.

TahoeDawgZ71

yes, the On-Board computer on the vehicle will regulate the charger. Leave it plugged in whenever you're not using the cart. Mine stays plugged in 100% of the time. It's fully charged whenever I want to use it. If you're having a bad storm, simply unplug it from the wall if you're worried about lightning damage.