When should I charge

andystmichael

Hi all;
Now that my cart is put away in the garage for the next 6 months or so, how low should I let my batteries get before I plug in my charger? They are fully charged now (50.9 volts) and the water is past the plates.
As I have mentioned before, I don't want to leave the charger plugged in all the time. I have the digital volt meter installed from Scotty's, so I can monitor the voltage of my batteries when I go to the garage. I have heard that they should not get below 50%. That would be 40.41 volts. Is that a good value to go by to plug in the charge? Or should I plug it in sooner?
Thanks
Andy

BGW

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erict

Being you live in a cold climate, I would plug the charger in every two weeks and let the charger go through its complete cycle to keep them at a peak charge so you will not have a chance of them freezing. And check water level once a month.

shadowman

i wouldn,t let them get to 40 volts i would plug it in at 48 volts if you have the digital meter..............................

scottyb

Not wanting them to freeze or sulfate or stratify ~ I would recharge at 80% or 50v.

andystmichael

Thanks guys. My digital meter reads 49.7 volts. That makes it about 70% charge. I plugged it in after work today. So it should be good for a couple of more weeks. I think I will stick with the 70 to 80% range. They will probably drop faster once the colder weather starts. It has been between 30 and 40 degrees the last couple of weeks. I will have to check on it every week to see how it goes.
Thanks again
Andy

caokgafamily

Why not put a jacket on and just go run it in the cold sometimes? I would love to try my cart in the snow.
Steve

ForBruce

the chargers are ment to stay plugged in . The OBC will automatically kick in every 14 days or so.....and recharge taking the guess work out

read the manual....here is a copy and paste from the manual
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
BATTERY STORAGE
See General Warnings, Section 1, Page 1-1.
When storing batteries during the off-season or when maintaining a replacement stock, follow these guidelines:

1. Keep the batteries clean and free of corrosion. See Battery Care on page 13-4.

2. Batteries that are in vehicles for winter storage should be left disconnected in the vehicles if the batteries
are not going to be connected to a charger.

3. Fully charge the batteries prior to storage.

4. Store in a cool area. The colder the area in which the batteries are stored, the less the batteries will selfdischarge.

Batteries stored at 0 °F (–17.8 °C) will discharge very little over a four-month period. Batteries stored at 80 °F (26.7 °C) will have to be recharged every few weeks.

5. 48-volt Club Car electric vehicles and compatible battery chargers are designed to be left connected,with AC power to the charger ON, during off-season storage.
The storage charge feature will automatically
charge the batteries as needed throughout the storage period.

erict

That is correct Bruce but for some like me I just feel better not leaving it plugged in case something happens. My cart is in my pole barn 150' from my house and is not walked by or looked after every day. But non the less you are correct as this was the way it was designed. I will just take the cautious route

ForBruce

Make sure to leave the tow/run switch in TOW

also might be a good idea to use a power strip that has a built in surge protector.....

i replaced a controller for someone who left his cart plugged in when we had a hurricane and the electric was unstable....

by placing the switch in tow ..you shut down the controller

also if your batteries are charged they will not freeze and SWELL or crack oopen.

the obc will take the worry out of that for you

shadowman

yes a surge protector is a good thing.................if i leave mine at camp for the winter i don,t worry about charging them and i wouldn,t leave the charger plugged in either but thats just me..............if you do leave charger plugged in thats ok just use a surge protector cause that would be my biggest concern a power spike and we all know what they can do............last time i had it happen at home it cost me a few electronics ( my fault ) live and learn....................................