just picked up club car precedent, how to charge or replace batteries

[justinm001]

We picked up a 29DP-DL which is a marine/RV deep cycle battery and not a golf cart battery. These are half the price but aren't meant to be abused like golf carts do (constant drain/charge all day every day) and can't handle the cycles so won't last long. I plan on just getting 3 more of these and hoping they'll last until winter.

Float chargers are designed to provide a low charge (1.5A) but are smart chargers so they'll be able to charge consistently and prevent overcharging. They won't charge a deeply discharged battery (below 8-10V) and will take 2-4x longer to charge but should do the job.


I don't think its exactly legal to let 12-14 yr old kids drive around in a golf cart on streets so I don't want to spend thousands on something that we might not be able to use, until we see if they actually use it, and if they don't get in trouble.

[Gregorio]

Originally Posted by justinm001

We picked up a 29DP-DL which is a marine/RV deep cycle battery and not a golf cart battery. These are half the price but aren't meant to be abused like golf carts do (constant drain/charge all day every day) and can't handle the cycles so won't last long. I plan on just getting 3 more of these and hoping they'll last until winter.

Float chargers are designed to provide a low charge (1.5A) but are smart chargers so they'll be able to charge consistently and prevent overcharging. They won't charge a deeply discharged battery (below 8-10V) and will take 2-4x longer to charge but should do the job.


I don't think its exactly legal to let 12-14 yr old kids drive around in a golf cart on streets so I don't want to spend thousands on something that we might not be able to use, until we see if they actually use it, and if they don't get in trouble.

Yeah, I don't think you understand FLA battery and charging technology very well. They need to be kept fully charged when not in use in order to maintain maximum storage capacity and longevity. Your little 1.5A (6A total) is roughly 1/3 the output of a golf cart charger. This is likely not enough to replenish the amperage consumed during moderate daily use. As the batteries fail to reach full charge each day, sulfation will build and decrease their life. On top of that, the different age and technology of each battery will cause imbalances, decreasing their life and capacity further. All batteries in a pack need to be the same and similar age.

However, given the questionable legality of underage drivers, I understand why you are going this route but no matter what happens you will have wasted your money on this.

[NoleFan4Ever]

Originally Posted by Gregorio

Yeah, I don't think you understand FLA battery and charging technology very well. They need to be kept fully charged when not in use in order to maintain maximum storage capacity and longevity. Your little 1.5A (6A total) is roughly 1/3 the output of a golf cart charger. This is likely not enough to replenish the amperage consumed during moderate daily use. As the batteries fail to reach full charge each day, sulfation will build and decrease their life. On top of that, the different age and technology of each battery will cause imbalances, decreasing their life and capacity further. All batteries in a pack need to be the same and similar age.

However, given the questionable legality of underage drivers, I understand why you are going this route but no matter what happens you will have wasted your money on this.

bump, Bump, BUMP!

And the maintainer does not have the capacity to charge that type of battery. They were designed to "maintain" charged batteries. That is why a regular charger is so big; it has a very large transformer in it that is designed to charge....

No one is trying to be hard on you OP, just trying to give you help in avoiding throwing good money after bad....

[Gregorio]

Originally Posted by NoleFan4Ever

bump, Bump, BUMP!

And the maintainer does not have the capacity to charge that type of battery. They were designed to "maintain" charged batteries. That is why a regular charger is so big; it has a very large transformer in it that is designed to charge....

No one is trying to be hard on you OP, just trying to give you help in avoiding throwing good money after bad....

At 1.5a, most claim the ability to charge batteries as well but the rate is so slow, it will probably not finish bulk mode before the cart is used again. As you know, this is a slow death sentence to FLA batteries.

[justinm001]

Originally Posted by Gregorio

At 1.5a, most claim the ability to charge batteries as well but the rate is so slow, it will probably not finish bulk mode before the cart is used again. As you know, this is a slow death sentence to FLA batteries.

How long does a standard charger take to charge the batteries i was assuming full charge with 48v 15a charger 12-16 hours and it should last about 20-30 miles if all batteries are good/new.

I figure next month they have school and they'll only be using it after school and i doubt they'll use more than 5 miles a day on it. Which should be less than 20% use. If they plug it in every night even at the 1.5A (6A total) charge rate it shouldn't take longer than 8 hours to charge which it'll be plugged in for about 16 hours.

So my thought is spend $400 on all new batteries and $60 on float chargers. This would be a lot cheaper than $1000 on batteries and $300 on charger and hope the OBD and everything else works.

[justinm001]

Also the girls were able to ride it for atleast an hour yesterday and it didn't die or anything. This was with 1 new battery and 3 original batteries that were real low on water and were charging all day.

I currently have 3 of the float chargers and 1 normal large car charger (I broke one of the floats)

[Gregorio]

Today, without a meter on your pack, you are making noting but WAGs but mine is that the 6 mile run took your old pack much lower than you think. A great set of Trojan golf cart batteries are around $800. A good set of US or Crown would be $100-150 less. The right charger is about $300.

You are assuming that 5 miles would be leaving you with 80% remaining on the new RV batteries but that is what we'd expect with a new set of Trojans. The lower ah batteries you are considering would be proportionately less remaining. Even though you say you don't need long run times, if your charger cannot replenish fully after each use, your runs will take the pack lower and lower each time. This will shorten their life to the point you might only get a couple years out of them. The lower you deplete them, the fewer charge cycles you get. Well cared for golf cart batteries go 5-7 years. This is why we are saying your idea is saving you money up front but costing you more in the long run. At the bare minimum, buy the right charger to get the most out of any new battery pack you buy.

.

[NoleFan4Ever]

Originally Posted by Gregorio

At 1.5a, most claim the ability to charge batteries as well but the rate is so slow, it will probably not finish bulk mode before the cart is used again. As you know, this is a slow death sentence to FLA batteries.

Exactly. And I was hoping between both of our informationals it may help him better understand that.

And we have not even began to explain to him how the amperage through the circuitry changes when the voltage drops (hard on the electronics)....

[NoleFan4Ever]

Originally Posted by justinm001

-snip-

So my thought is spend $400 on all new batteries and $60 on float chargers. This would be a lot cheaper than $1000 on batteries and $300 on charger and hope the OBD and everything else works.

DPI Accusense for ~$260 (bypass the OBC since you are chargerless now). Then get the batteries when you can....

But the maintainers on eBay and sell them or give them out to family...

And you ARE disconnecting the battery cables between the batteries before you hook up the 4 maintainers I hope....

[kgsc]

You shouldn't have to disconnect them but not sure about the purchased charges..