Reconditioning my batteries.....

[SpoiledRotten]

Originally Posted by e-z-go1988

If we are voting here I say try it. Drain all the acid from the battery into a collection container then refill the battery with fresh water to dilute the remaining mixture and dump out and dilute a couple of times. Add the baking soda/water mix, let the mix work for a time? and finally flush the mix multiple times, the last time being with distilled water, then add the new acid and charge each battery one at a time. Wear protective clothing, gloves and face shield during all procedures. You may want to repeat the baking soda/water mix step a couple of times.

Your suggestion is in line with most that I've been reading from other sources. Main thing is to be careful handling the solution.

[Kix]

I bought a used cart.....the batteries are T105's and dated '06. I know how the former owner used it which was 'rough'. He would not usually charge the batteries until they were barely moving the cart. When I bought it I started charging the batteries every evening and not over-using the charge. AS you might expect they did not provide a long run time. Also, about an hour after the charger automatically cut off the pack voltage would read about 36.5 and occasionally. I had heard of an Epsom Salts "trick" but was skeptical. I checked with local cart shop owner and he suggested I try the ES rather than buy a new set immediately. He said it may provide good battery service as long as a year. Here's what i did:
1. Suction out the acid from the batteries to the top of the plates.
2. Mix 1 gal of distilled water with 25 tbs. of ES.
3. Use the microwave to heat the water enough to totally dissolve the ES.
4. Top off the batteries with the ES mixture.
5. Recharge the batteries as normally done.

After doing this I feel like I have improved batteries. The pack voltage an hour after charging is now reading 37.6 and sometimes 37.9. My run time is longer too but not sure how much longer.
So, this 'trick' has helped my batteries that were ready for replacement. I don't know how long this improved state will last but so far about a month.

[SpoiledRotten]

Originally Posted by arcitech

Cost vs. Effectiveness: My time off from work is valuable, if I were to spend the time to drain, rinse, fill, charge and test 6 batteries, and do it carefully, that is roughly 6-8 hours of work. At my going rate for working on my off time that comes out to over 360.00 (equal to about a week of overtime hours), and then I would have batteries that are potentially going to last 1 month to 2 years, never knowing when I could have a problem with a bad cell or failure to charge and NO WARRANTY!

It has been said before on this forum that even a cheap set of new batteries will last for a long time (i.e. +4 years) with proper care and maintenance. Look for a deal, yellow pages under battery distributers or google. Going rate for new 6v retail is 590-800 and 395-450 for cheap ones direct from the distibutor. A little leg work to get new batteries is better than towing the cart home after 7 holes when you paid for the full 18!

How much of your cart have you built by yourself? Most or all of it? Yep, I've been watching your Westinghouse resurection thread where you took an old junker, adopted it, and started working on bringing it back to life. Did you worry about the cost vs effectiveness? If so, you would have left it where it was and bought a new one. You didn't warranty your work to yourself. If your work goes wrong, you'll simply redo it. That's what I do anyway.

I can also understand and appreciate your opinion regarding the posible waste of time, but I look at it like this... I could also say that my time is more valuable than the time I spent to modify my cart into the way I have it now. I could have taken it to a professional and had it painted rather than spend a whole week of my spare time to paint it myself. I could have taken it to a pro to have the upgraded electical components installed such as the controller/solenoid, or to a mechanic to install the new lift, tires/wheels, or to a pro to have a cart rack or the rear seat kit installed. My point is, sure it's "easier" to take it somewhere and pay the price to have someone else do whatever we need done to our carts, but then that takes the "hobby" out of it. I don't have to compare my "office" rate of pay with my hobby rate of pay. Nothing would pan out that way. This is just another modification and another portion of the "hobby" aspect. If it works, then I've learned something. If it doesn't work then I've learned something and I've gotten to piddle with my cart in the process.

If you want to weigh out every thing you do, you can say that it's much more "cost effective" to just sit and watch golf on television rather than to buy the sticks and go play yourself.

You can also use the fact that if it works, it might just be temporary and also might leave you standed on the course, or on the street while cruising the hood, but then, I've also read posts where people have put brand new components on their carts, and still got left stranded somewhere due to failure of parts or techique. Nothing is guaranteed to get you home every time, whether it's a plane, train, automobile, or your golf cart.

I know this is a little wordy, but I hope that puts things into a little more perspective and opens up a little of the closed-mindedness. I also enjoy the hands on learning experiences that I get from doing something myself so I don't put price tag on everything that I do away from the office.

[arcitech]

Spoiled,

If you are going to do it, do it. Like you said, many people have done it before with varying results, and what do you have to lose. I don't look at batteries as a personal challenge to see if I can fix them. I prefer to buy quality and then take care of my purchase. If you want to get opinions, then I think you've received a lot on both sides of the fence so whenever you are ready, hop off the fence post and let us know what you plan to do

P.S. If you find out that it works beyond your expectations, I will be here eating my crow and taking notes!! Good luck, be careful and take pics!

[SpoiledRotten]

Definitely going to give it a shot. Can't do much about it right now but talk and see if there are more opinions since I'm at work. But the full charge numbers I got this weekend was 37.8. I had turned on the charger Saturday evening, and when I got up Sunday morning, knowing it had been sitting more than an hour at full charge, that was the number. After the process, we'll see what the full charge rate is and if it last longer or shorter than 18 holes. I'll try to keep the cart habits as close as possible to the way I ran it on the course this past weekend. Hopefully, it will be a good to comparison with good results. If not, then new batteries are on the shopping list.

[rib33024]

[SpoiledRotten]

Thanks, rib33024! We'll see if a battery is a battery is a battery.

[SpoiledRotten]

Question:

Since I'm going to mess with the batteries, would it be better to empty them and clean with the charge or totally discharged, or will it matter since common sense tells me that the charge factor depends on the electrolyte being present to produce a charge anyway, so if I pour out the fluids, I'm basically pouring out the charge? Does that make sense or did I just confuse myself?

[DOOmsman]

Randy, if you do this
get a box fan and set it up behind you and blowing past your self
set up a first aid center close at hand with a lot of fresh water
set aside a pair of pants and shoes that will never enter your house again

[SpoiledRotten]

Will do. Thanks dooms!