Charging advice

[Newbuggyboy]

I just got my 19 2five Monday. It came with the battery meter reading just over half. We drove around alot that 1st night so I charged it overnight.

The next day I drove @1/2 mile and checked the water levels of all batteries. The 6 batteries required just over a gallon of distilled water. (Does that seem ok? They are trojan T875 made 12/18.)

Since the full charge Monday we've driven @2miles. The battery meter is at full. Should I be charging each night after the 1 mile trip?

I've only charge once, monday.

Thanks

[Mooncarter]

Yes. Charge it every time.

[yurtle]

Your's are still relatively new, so I'd follow recommendations on ScottyB's website:

http://www.cartsunlimited.net/battery-break-in-.html

[Cobra,1]

I follow the park it charge it regardless of how far I drive.
Always keep batteries fully charged��

[Mooncarter]

That sounds like a bit much water. They shouldn't be filled all the way to the top.

[ThreeCW]

It seems like a lot of water to me too. See the attachment below for the Trojan electrolyte level recommendation.

To get the best life from your batteries, you should not discharge them to less than a 50% state of charge. State of charge is best determined using a stabilized battery pack voltage reading. See the attached state of charge chart for more information.

Batteries stored below an 80% state of charge can sulfate on you, which can result in permanent impairment if left long enough. It is best practice to charge your cart after every use ... no matter if you drove for 2 minutes or 2 hours ... charging them after each use will result in longer battery life.

[Mooncarter]

And of course use distilled water.

[Newbuggyboy]

Originally Posted by Mooncarter

That sounds like a bit much water. They shouldn't be filled all the way to the top.

I thought so too. I used distilled water and the auto shutoff bottle available at car parts store. The water level in each cell was brought up to just below the "vent" area. Thats what I saw in most videos. I couldn't really use the auto shutoff that much because of the setup. I mean being street legal there was a plastic plate that was under the seatbelts buckes for the front passengers. Once removed it was easier to get to most cells. Each of the last 3 cells on each of the second row of batteries required a small funnel. Even with the auto fill I stopped to look repeatedly to avoid overfilling.

There was a small amount of the white dust on a few terminals. Yesterday I bought my basic tools to clean those and monitor. Volt meter, etc... So today I'll clean put some protection on those and run the charge down to the 70% range. Then recharge. Wait and test. (Sound ok?)

I'm not sure what the dealer had done prior, but they seemed like they didn't do much. I think the fact that it came at a less than 100% charge shows that Second noticeable thing was they hadn't wash the cart. I gave it a quick bucket wash. I'm currently watching cleaning videos. Looking for those suggestion also. It started with the original trans am in the 70s. I have also been a buff wax shine extreme detail person. Today I use my old battery tooth brushes to clean seats, interior crevious, etc. In the 70s it was manual tooth brushes! Thank God for technology.

PS I've been told when I trade cars in "Buddy we usually don't sell new ones this nice." And that's Cadillac, and other high end dealers. I also a wire loom color scheme freak under the hood. Lots of those plastic parts can be customed.

[cgtech]

Originally Posted by Newbuggyboy

I thought so too. I used distilled water and the auto shutoff bottle available at car parts store. The water level in each cell was brought up to just below the "vent" area. Thats what I saw in most videos. I couldn't really use the auto shutoff that much because of the setup. I mean being street legal there was a plastic plate that was under the seatbelts buckes for the front passengers. Once removed it was easier to get to most cells. Each of the last 3 cells on each of the second row of batteries required a small funnel. Even with the auto fill I stopped to look repeatedly to avoid overfilling.

There was a small amount of the white dust on a few terminals. Yesterday I bought my basic tools to clean those and monitor. Volt meter, etc... So today I'll clean put some protection on those and run the charge down to the 70% range. Then recharge. Wait and test. (Sound ok?)

I'm not sure what the dealer had done prior, but they seemed like they didn't do much. I think the fact that it came at a less than 100% charge shows that Second noticeable thing was they hadn't wash the cart. I gave it a quick bucket wash. I'm currently watching cleaning videos. Looking for those suggestion also. It started with the original trans am in the 70s. I have also been a buff wax shine extreme detail person. Today I use my old battery tooth brushes to clean seats, interior crevious, etc. In the 70s it was manual tooth brushes! Thank God for technology.

PS I've been told when I trade cars in "Buddy we usually don't sell new ones this nice." And that's Cadillac, and other high end dealers. I also a wire loom color scheme freak under the hood. Lots of those plastic parts can be customed.

Oh goodie, the classic "automotive battery filler". All it does automatically is chronically over fill golf cart batteries. Chuck that thing, it wasn't made for properly filling golf batteries. In a week or so, you will be back asking "why is the tops of all my batteries wet?", And the answer will be "overfilled".

[Sideways]

Not sure if it will help your situation or not but I use a turkey baster to fill my batteries and it only takes a few minutes. I also connect the charger after every ride, regardless of distance driven.