Charge time?

[flharleycop]

I searched and did not see an answer so here goes the question.

I have a Lester 36v charger and a PDS cart with new less than 6 month old batteries 36v. The cart has great range and is at the max freedom speed of 19 mph. Cart is all stock.

Now here goes, after a good run about 20-25 miles of use I bring the cart back home. It drives fine and maintains full speed through out the day. When I plug the cart in to charge it takes about 5-7 hours to fully charge it? Does that seem right? I was thinking I could charge it and then head back out but it is still charging but almost done.

Thanks

[radioman]

Maybe batteries are low on water.

[rib33024]

that's normal charge time after a 25 mile run

[Sir Nuke]

Originally Posted by flharleycop

I searched and did not see an answer so here goes the question.

I have a Lester 36v charger and a PDS cart with new less than 6 month old batteries 36v. The cart has great range and is at the max freedom speed of 19 mph. Cart is all stock.

Now here goes, after a good run about 20-25 miles of use I bring the cart back home. It drives fine and maintains full speed through out the day. When I plug the cart in to charge it takes about 5-7 hours to fully charge it? Does that seem right? I was thinking I could charge it and then head back out but it is still charging but almost done.

Thanks

that is perfectly normal charge time for a cart that has been driving 25 miles.

[JohnnieB]

How long it takes to recharge the batteries depends on what their storage capacity is, how much they were discharged and how many amps the charger puts out. Battery charging isn't 100% efficient, so you have to return more AH to the battery than you took out, and nearly all the chargers out there use a taper or phased charge of some type or other, so the AH are not return to the battery at a constant AH rate, so estimating how long it will take a specific charger to recharge a specific set of batteries from a given SoC, has to be based of prior of that specific charger and that specific set of batteries.

In other words, unless 5-7 hours is a lot longer or a lot shorter than what it used to be after a 20-25 mile trip, it is normal.

What you referred to in your last sentence is called Opportunity Charging.

Don't let the fact that the charger has not completed the recharge when you want to take the cart out again, stop you from taking it out. Just getting a partial charge is better for the batteries than not getting a partial charge.

Unless I know I'll be using my cart again within the next hour or so, I plug the charger in. If I need to make an unanticipated trip, I unplug the charger no matter what charge phase it is in and use the cart.

[flharleycop]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

How long it takes to recharge the batteries depends on what their storage capacity is, how much they were discharged and how many amps the charger puts out. Battery charging isn't 100% efficient, so you have to return more AH to the battery than you took out, and nearly all the chargers out there use a taper or phased charge of some type or other, so the AH are not return to the battery at a constant AH rate, so estimating how long it will take a specific charger to recharge a specific set of batteries from a given SoC, has to be based of prior of that specific charger and that specific set of batteries.

In other words, unless 5-7 hours is a lot longer or a lot shorter than what it used to be after a 20-25 mile trip, it is normal.

What you referred to in your last sentence is called Opportunity Charging.

Don't let the fact that the charger has not completed the recharge when you want to take the cart out again, stop you from taking it out. Just getting a partial charge is better for the batteries than not getting a partial charge.

Unless I know I'll be using my cart again within the next hour or so, I plug the charger in. If I need to make an unanticipated trip, I unplug the charger no matter what charge phase it is in and use the cart.

Thanks that would of been my next question. The reason I don’t know what normal time is, I usually and finished for the day with way less miles and then plug it in and forget and go to bed. Now that I am cursing the beach, I want to go back out… after lunch.

[flharleycop]

Thanks all for the replies, great information as usual.

[JohnnieB]

Yep, just give the batteries an hour or so on the charger while your taking a break from ogling the bikinis.

The charger may still be pumping out max current, so unplug it from the wall first, so it doesn't arc at the cart's charger receptacle.

If this will be a daily routine, I'd install a switched outlet and save the wear and tear on the power plug and outlet.
Something like this: http://www.grainger.com/product/5Z85...140410143517:s
I''n sure you can find them cheaper locally.

[scottyb]

The initial charge is the bulk phase. This is were about 80% of the used amperage is replenished. Charging 1 hour should complete this task.