Another charging question

[dahur]

I was just wondering what's worked best for you guys.

I thought I should put it on the charger after every use. Well a lot of times all I do is just drive down to the neighbors house and back.
I've been putting it on the charger again after only maybe 5-10 minutes of usage.
I think I just read this isn't recommended by Trojan. After the factory charger shuts off, I put it on the batteryMinder for it's float charging. It's been floating the pack at 39.4 to 39.9v.

You think I'm over charging by this routine? Now I read I can bust up the lead plates by over charging.

What system has gotten you your longevity, 5 years or more? Anyone with more than 5 that routinely lets it sit for a few days in between charges? Or keep it always topped off when not in use?

[gornoman]

Here is a great info page by our pal Scottyb of Carts Unlimited:

http://www.cartsunlimited.net/Batter..._Tutorial.html

[dahur]

Originally Posted by gornoman

Here is a great info page by our pal Scottyb of Carts Unlimited:

http://www.cartsunlimited.net/Batter..._Tutorial.html

Thanks for the link. Yeah, I had read that previously, good info. In the third paragraph it says:
"You talk to different engineers, even at the same company, you get different answers."

And later...
"Recharge frequency recommendations vary from expert to expert"

I guess what I was looking for was someone's first hand routine that has worked for them. Most of my usage will be shallow discharges. My batteries are 3 1/2 years old, and I want to be as meticulous with them as I can be.

[scottyb]

Example A;
Family ranch cart was a heavy old Westinghouse 3 wheeler with a big motor permanently connected to a feed wagon. Cart is run 1/2 mile loaded one way 2 times a day and plugged into a Lestronic automatic charger 3 Xs a week religiously. I would consider this a shallow discharge in the 80 - 70 % of capacity left as in a 20-30% discharge.
The six 9 year old Trojan T105s were still holding a charge when the cart was scrapped due to frame rot issues.

[gornoman]

The standard rule is recharge after as little as 15 minutes of "pedal time". You don't have to recharge then, it's just OK to do it. If you just run to the mailbox and back, leave it be. If you cruise the neighborhood, charge it overnight so it's ready to go the next time.

[wizardket]

I think that the BatteryMinder can go on any time as it maintains a float without the heavy "bulk" charge or "conditioning" cycle. For me I avoid the recharge until I at least get down below 90% as I worry about the "condition" cycle. I do the same as you, drive short hops a lot. It is an easy decision to do a full recharge when I drive 30 minutes or more. This was also Trojan's recommendation that I drive 30 minutes or more before plugging the charger in. I hope other add to this as I am open to modifying my habits also.

[kernal]

This is my experience: Eleven years running two carts. They are used like cars for errands, shopping and cruising always on pavement. So, lots of cycles but mostly shallow. Average use is 6-10 miles a day with occasional 18-20 mile trips. Usage is 3-5 days a week when weather is nice. Carts could be idle for 2-3 weeks at a time in the winter but they are garaged.
Charging routine: When we are through with the carts for the day they go on the charger and left to finish. If they have been idle for 2 weeks or more I take them for a short spin (weather permitting) and then put them on the charger or if the weather is bad they go on the charger anyway. I am pretty good about keeping water levels exact. We are using OEM chargers.
Results: T-605s lasted 6 years. T-105s lasted 7+. This is when their useful life was over for me.
My definition of useful life is: When I get range anxiety I replace the batteries. So if the batteries are dropping into the 50% SOC after 8-10 miles (at 70-80°) I swap them. At this time the batteries are still performing fine otherwise (speed/acceleration). A less demanding person (as far as range is concerned) could probably get a couple more years out of the batteries.

For use as you describe I mlght charge every other trip or maybe every third trip if use is every day. I've seen it suggested to charge after at least 15 or more minutes of pedal time. I'm pretty certain most would agree that these batteries do not like to rest in a partially charged state for very long.

[dahur]

This is exactly the information I was looking for. Thanks for responding you guys.

It appears you have had success not using a float charger, just the factory one.

Based on your experience, I'll back off on using the factory charger after every use. If it's worked for you, that's good enough for me.