Battery Discharge before causing damage.

[Jazz24]

Hello to all,

From what I have read on this forum and what other sources have told me that charging your cart to often (let say it is at 90%) or discharging your pack to 40% or less can cause damage to your batteries. Is this true? So if charging to much and running your batteries to low can cause damage. What precentage of discharge do you recomend before you should charge your battery pack for the best preformance and battery life.

60%, 50%, 40% or other

Thanks in advance!

Not that it matters I have a 48v (4x 12v) Precedent.

[scottyb]

Several of the major battery manufactures suggest a 50% maximum discharge for everyday use. However an 80% discharge is perfectly acceptable if you are will to accept the consequences. Take a look at this discharge to number of cycles chart. It shows that while you can discharge deeply, the number of times the battery can fully recover will decrease.

[Jazz24]

Scootyb,

So according to your chart charging often will not damage the batteries. I refering to like a cell phone, your should run the battery down first before your charge because charging to often kills the battery (at least that is what I was told). I know that the batteries in a golf cart are different than a cell phone, I am just using that for an example. I don't know much about proper battery maintenance but am learning from this forum. This is a great place to learn things about golf carts.

Also, I read somewhere on this forum about proper break in procedure for batteries but I can find that thread again. It stated about running your cart down to I think 50% and then charge several times can improve your runtime. Is that correct? If anyone knows what thread that was, please let me know.

Thanks

[erict]

Originally Posted by Jazz24

Scootyb,

So according to your chart charging often will not damage the batteries. I refering to like a cell phone, your should run the battery down first before your charge because charging to often kills the battery (at least that is what I was told). I know that the batteries in a golf cart are different than a cell phone, I am just using that for an example. I don't know much about proper battery maintenance but am learning from this forum. This is a great place to learn things about golf carts.

Also, I read somewhere on this forum about proper break in procedure for batteries but I can find that thread again. It stated about running your cart down to I think 50% and then charge several times can improve your runtime. Is that correct? If anyone knows what thread that was, please let me know.

Thanks

http://www.cartsunlimited.net/Batter...n_Methods.html

[erict]

I had asked the same question about charging. I don't get alot of seat time but when I do use the cart it may only be around 85/90% after use. Even though I barely used much energy I still connect the charger the next weekend or two the night before I will use the cart. I was told this isn't bad for the batteries at all.


Scotty told me this. I had asked if I should run them down to 50% which may take two or three weekends before connecting the charger.

You are fine. The statement was meant to emphasize not running the pack down too low. A shallow discharge to 90-85% capacity and recharge is fine...... the batteries can do that everyday for about 14 years according to Trojans technical info.
So shallow discharge and recharge, often.

[scottyb]

I put a bunch of battery info on my website for anybody who cares to read it.
Wet cell batteries have the longest useful life when kept fully charged. So use them and then recharge. You can do this daily after a shallow discharge for 5000 times according to Trojan Battery Co. That's 13.7 years ... I have yet to see more than 9 years on a set.
Visit http://cartsunlimited.net/
Knowledge is power!

[erict]

Originally Posted by scottyb

I put a bunch of battery info on my website for anybody who cares to read it.
Wet cell batteries have the longest useful life when kept fully charged. So use them and then recharge. You can do this daily after a shallow discharge for 5000 times according to Trojan Battery Co. That's 13.7 years ... I have yet to see more than 9 years on a set.
Visit http://cartsunlimited.net/
Knowledge is power!

I do Scotty....

[Jazz24]

Originally Posted by scottyb

I put a bunch of battery info on my website for anybody who cares to read it.
Wet cell batteries have the longest useful life when kept fully charged. So use them and then recharge. You can do this daily after a shallow discharge for 5000 times according to Trojan Battery Co. That's 13.7 years ... I have yet to see more than 9 years on a set.
Visit http://cartsunlimited.net/
Knowledge is power!

I appreciate the info!!