just tried to work on 48 volt cart

[csport]

I filled the batteries, when I left the country 2 weeks ago- I had it charged to about 53.8 volts- We just went to look and see what wire I am missing and it was 39 mvolts- 4 batteries are split at the seem on the same corners- they are june 09 batteries and it has not reached 32 here yet- any reasons?

would they laugh at me if I tried to say defect? or just plain my stupidity

[golfcarfixer]

Was the charger hooked up while you were gone?

[csport]

No sir
I checked the charger on Saturday afternoon

they were charged and I disconnected the charger

I have been working late so I hadn't looked at it

[EZGO-MY-WALLET2]

wow, interesting. Got a pic ?

[gornoman]

Any chance the cart was used by a teenager jumping curbs or ditches while you were gone?

[csport]

This is a cart that has not run since I switched batteries- late last year- I filled the batteries two weeks aga and put it on the trailer

[gornoman]

Did these batteries sit uncharged over the last winter?

[csport]

when I checked them in the spring, they were in the 49.? 0r 51.? when checked in feb, I charged them, and then checked and charged again in April- a bout six week intervals- so Truthfully, I do not think so

[gornoman]

This is just a theory, but I believe your new batteries may not have been "seasoned" before you put the cart up for that winter, and 4 of them froze and cracked their cases. Sparky cart owners need to educate themselves on the proper care of these batteries or major losses can occur.

[scottyb]

Batteries with a low specific gravity can freeze much easier than fully charged batteries. I suspect that since your batteries were never really broken in they never achieved a fully charge state and so they were more susceptible to freeze as the sat and lost voltage. Idle batteries will loose about 4% of their total charge per week.