Batteries 6-8v or 8-6v

[dtkana]

I got 8v Interstate(US Battery) batteries from a Sams in the Houston area for somewhere around $72 plus $9 core plus $2 environmental fee. $500 +/- walk out for 6 total because I had 3 cores.

They will take any battery as a core, I traded in one old boat battery, a car battery and a lawnmower battery for cores.

[dplin2001]

Originally Posted by dtkana

I got 8v Interstate(US Battery) batteries from a Sams in the Houston area for somewhere around $72 plus $9 core plus $2 environmental fee. $500 +/- walk out for 6 total because I had 3 cores.

They will take any battery as a core, I traded in one old boat battery, a car battery and a lawnmower battery for cores.

Thats pretty good, the Sam's here doesn't carry Interstate batts.
The best I've found is the T-105 for $87.50

[dplin2001]

Let me ask a question of all you experts before I get my new batteries. I have a 99 48v club car.

-what would cause the batteries to get hot (very hot) during charging? could a bad battery cause the charger to do that?

I have the paktrakr on my cart and it can tell me to charge a battery or a battery is failing. My set is from sams and the date for all of them was may 06. I swapped one that was failing out for a walmart aug 08 batt. With this setup the paktrakr would tell me that I was overcharging the newer battery. Doesn't the charger put the same voltage on all the batteries? Wen charging I would get ~6.5v on 6 batts and ~8.4 on the new one and ~4.5 on the last one.

I'm just confused, can a single bad battery mess up the club car charging system or do I have multiple problems? bad batts and bad OBC???

thanks

[scottyb]

That is great info from your paktrakr (Tell me what that costs and I will tell you what it is telling you)

[scottyb]

Originally Posted by dplin2001

Let me ask a question of all you experts before I get my new batteries. I have a 99 48v club car.

-what would cause the batteries to get hot (very hot) during charging? could a bad battery cause the charger to do that?

I have the paktrakr on my cart and it can tell me to charge a battery or a battery is failing. My set is from sams and the date for all of them was may 06. I swapped one that was failing out for a walmart aug 08 batt. With this setup the paktrakr would tell me that I was overcharging the newer battery. Doesn't the charger put the same voltage on all the batteries? Wen charging I would get ~6.5v on 6 batts and ~8.4 on the new one and ~4.5 on the last one.

I'm just confused, can a single bad battery mess up the club car charging system or do I have multiple problems? bad batts and bad OBC???

thanks

Yes a bad battery which will not come up to expected voltage will cause a charge to continue to try to bring it up resulting in overcharging the good batteries and raising thier temperature. Hence the negative term 'cooking the batteries'

New batteries take a charge qwicker than an older battery. So when we mix them in the same pack the new battery comes up qwuickley and 'cooks' (over charges) while it waits for the rest of the pack to come up

Can you see how all of these answers I'm giving relate to the same thing? It is very important to have a balanced pack. Identical batteries of same age, voltage, & SG ... any imbalance will create problems in the charging cycle.


I hope all this helps explain what you have been seeing from the tracker. It sounds like a great piece of equipment. Please give me all the detail info on cost and source.
Remember proper breakin, use, & maintenance is more important than which brand you buy.

That's my 2 cents..... let's see what the others have to say about this?

[dplin2001]

Thanks scottyb, I think you just confirmed it. BAD BATTS. At least it sounds like everything else is working OK. It was interesting watching the paktrakr as I was driving, it would say batt 6 failing, charge batt 3,4......
The paktrakr is really great, this is what it can do;

Easy-to-read two-line LCD
Graphic display of:

Pack state of charge
Individual battery voltages

Digital display of:

Battery Voltages
Pack Voltage
Amps/Watts (with optional sensor)
Battery bay temperature

Text Alerts for:

Failing Battery
Low Water Likely
Pack Imbalance
Damaged Battery
Low State of Charge
Overcharging

http://www.paktrakr.com/Features.html

[ajbrown]

Nice thread good timing ;).

I just converted my 02 CC DS to hold 8 6v batteries. I am about to do a test to prove in my mind it was worth it for range. I have two sets of batteries from other carts, both Trojans and in great shape:

8 - 6v T105 (my Par Car)
6 - 8v T890 (Dad's CC)

They are charged and ready. I have a nice 5 mile loop, where my average speed will be 20. I am first going to do as many loops as I can with the 8-6v, then swap out and use the 6 8 v.

The only thing I am not clear on is when to end the run? My plan is to take a voltmeter and measure the pack after each loop without letting sit too long. What voltage should I call it quits at?

This is not science, but fun. I sure hope the 8 6v do better after the work I did on the conversion ;)

Next week I was going to buy T105s for the cart, but a bit concerned seeing folks comments on Trojan....

[dplin2001]

Good luck with your test. If you read earlier posts in this thread there is look at the AH's of 6 vs 8 batteries. When I converted to 8 4 years ago I didn't really notice any difference. But I was using questionable batteries from whe I bought the cart and then put in the Sam's Club batteries. I'm hoping that brand new T-105's (B0) will make a big difference. From what I gather from reading all the forums is that the best batteries are Trojan, Crown, and US Batt. I leaning toward the T-105 right now. I'm going to call Crown tomorrow and see if they sell to any Sam's Club w/i 50 miles and If so check those prices. Let us know how it goes.

[scottyb]

On older batteries I would stop the test at 50% discharge. I think you need to print this chart and bring it with you? Post your results here

I would not do this test to a new set of batteries until they had 20- 50 cycles on them.....

Quote:

Low State of Charge (SOC)

Lead-acid batteries are designed to perform for hundreds of charge-discharge
cycles. However, batteries that are left in a discharged (or even partially
discharged) state begin to lose some of their long-term storage capacity due to
sulfation—an insulating build-up on the battery plates that reduces battery
performance. That means it’s important to recharge a battery pack immediately
after every use. Also, the deeper a battery is discharged (the lower the SOC), the
shorter the useful life of the battery will be. So, for excellent battery life, it is
recommended to keep a battery’s charge level at 50% or higher. If you
consistently discharge a battery (or battery pack) to 0% SOC, you could reduce
its useful life by one-half, compared to one that you consistently discharge to no
lower than 50% SOC.
Think of battery power as “fuel” and remember that you should “top off” the fuel

tank after every driving cycle, and don’t let the “tank” get below “half full.”
End Quote

50%=48.41 volts

[ajbrown]

Thanks, learning as I go. I see these in the Trojan manual and wanted interpretations from experienced folks.

Do not discharge your battery more than 80%. This safety factor will eliminate the chance of over-discharging and damaging your battery

They saying do not go below 80% (46.63v) USED (20% capacity left) or they saying 80% capacity left (49.99v)?

I will keep the 50% number as my test guideline and normal usage. Is the Trojan manual saying I could take the pack down to 20% (46.33v) if caught in a pinch occasionally?

When operating batteries at temperatures below 80°F (27°C) they will deliver less than the rated capacity. For example at 0°F (-18°C) the battery will deliver 50% of its capacity and at 80°F (27°C) it will deliver 100% of its capacity.

Think this is linear? It is 45 degrees F as I drive around.

Thanks for the info...