Batteries, range, and low water

[scroggins]

Bought a 14 precedent just over a week ago (first time owner!). I thought I did a ton of research, asked all the right questions of the seller and tested everything I could think of. When it came to batteries they are 6x8 Trojan T-875 purchased late 2020 and estimated 30-50 hours of use on them (weekend lake house toy). Looked really clean, popped them open and water was covering the cells, and the cart ran great in my test drive consisting of a couple neighborhood laps, couple hills, etc. Had it out this weekend for the first extended run, probably 3-4 miles in total with four adults and by the end of it battery meter was showing pretty low. I charged it over night and then “topped” off the water in all the batteries……I used almost the entire gallon! Now that I am waiting for my next weekend to really test it out I’m wondering if I’ll get my “range” back now that she is all filled up. I guess I’m hoping based on the fact that the cells weren’t showing when I bought it (so no drying out)that the 3/4 gallon I added will really improve performance? Is this likely or wishful thinking? Guess I’ll find out in a few days but wondered what the experts thought?!

[acem8]

I think I am in the same boat. 2016 Precedent 4 months old with new batteries and I am surprised how much distilled water they have taken in that time, just over a gallon. It has been a hot summer (I'm in Australia) and it is used for 27-36 holes of golf per week. The range is fine and all batteries measure 8.5-8.6V after charging but it is struggling under load. I have just bought a litre of INOX battery conditioner to try, I think some of the cells are sulphated and want to catch it before permanent damage is done.

[ojo]

I'd say that's a poor range and exessive water consumption there must be something wrong with the batteries!
When adding destilled water, don't overfill the cells ( max 1/4" below the fill neck )

[Capt. Lenny]

Just a few thoughts. Check to make sure all battery connections are clean and tight. I think the recommended torque is 70-90 inch pounds. Usually excessive water consumption happens with poorly maintained or aging batteries but I would not expect that with 2020 batteries. Possibly a charger issue, might be overcharging or the incorrect charging profile if it's user selectable. Hook up a volt meter (load test) while driving and see how much voltage drop you have both on flat ground and uphill. Check the full pack and also individual batteries. I can't tell you how much voltage drop is to be expected or normal but my pack will lose 5-6 volts going up a slight hill and recovers about 4v on the flat. You might have a bad battery pulling the pack down.

My previous pack was Trojan's and I had to water them often. I currently have Crown's and hardly have to water them at all. And, I bought both pack's new.

[Capt. Lenny]

Water is typically lost during overcharging of a car battery. This may occur if you use a car battery charger that is not sophisticated with a built in float mode and ambient temperature sensor. Battery capacity changes according to the ambient heat it is subjected to. Colder temperatures decrease battery capacity while hotter temperatures increase battery capacity. As a battery is heated up from overcharging, it will allow more current to flow into the battery. If the charger does not take ambient temperature into consideration it could generate too high of a charge voltage causing excessive current to flow into a battery once it is fully charged. This excessive current will cause decomposition of water in the electrolyte resulting in premature aging of the car battery.

Furthermore, excessive overcharging could lead to thermal runaway where the battery continues to heat up and capacity continues to increase so the charger is able to push more current into the battery.

[ojo]

Originally Posted by Capt. Lenny

My previous pack was Trojan's and I had to water them often. I currently have Crown's and hardly have to water them at all. And, I bought both pack's new.

My Trojans came new 19/04, i water them a little once a month. With higher age it can be more, but never filled a gallon in any batteries.

But great explaination...

[Volt_Ampere]

In my experience, as the batteries age, they start consuming more water during charging. I'm all Lithium now but my last set of Trojans were 4 years old when I dumped them for Lithium and they were consuming much more water than they did when they were new.

[Fairtax4me]

That's not quite how it works. Adding water doesn't magically increase battery performance. Ideally you shouldn't notice any change at all. That said, if batteries are significantly low, adding 1 gallon between all 6 batteries is not uncommon. But ideally you should be using maybe 1/2 gallon every 3-4 months depending on how much you use the cart. Less cart usage means less charging time, and less water usage.

Trojan recommends the water level be approx. 1/4" above the tops of the plates. Typically I fill mine to somewhere around 1/2" above the plates just because I get fewer chances to check the water levels. My fleet runs in hot weather and get charged every night and are scattered all over the property. I tend to check each about every 2-3 weeks and sometimes I add water and sometimes I don't, just depends if they need it and if I have time that day.
If you filled them all the way up to the bottom of the water holes then they're overfilled and you're going to lose a lot of that water through the caps when the batteries charge.

Brand new batteries don't have full capacity right away. They need between 20 and 50 cycles before they reach full capacity. Batteries that have very little use need to be cycled. Run them down to around 70% charge and then recharge them fully. Do that several times and they should be fine.

The little bar graph meters are notoriously bad. Ditch it and get a digital voltmeter and use an SOC chart to determine your charge percentage.

[BlackTempo]

Do batteries consume water when the cart isn't in use, but sitting on the charger? I am curious if you don't use your cart during the winter, if you still need to be checking water levels every few weeks?

[Fairtax4me]

If they're being charged, water is being lost, regardless of whether the cart moves.
Most smart chargers and even the Club Car Powerdrive chargers will only do a top off charge every 2-3 weeks during storage. Generally it's best to top up the water level before being stored, and then you shouldn't have to add any water to them until the cart is out of storage. It's a good idea to check on them once very 3-6 weeks if possible.
If you find that a pack is using large amounts of water while in storage that could be indicative of a battery problem or a faulty charger.