Battery Maintaince

[tece50]

I've read scottyb's article on battery charging, and I know it's been discussed on here before...I just can't find it. My question is, sometimes I might not ride for 2-4 days. Should the charger stayed plugged in to the cart?
Thanks for the help

[gornoman]

It is not necessary for the cart to remain plugged in after the charger has finished it's cycle. It won't hurt it either, as long as the AC power remains available. Some chargers can sense a battery pack voltage and turn themselves back on (assuming they are still connected) if the pack drops below a threshold voltage, but most chargers I have seen do NOT do this.

[tece50]

Originally Posted by gornoman

It is not necessary for the cart to remain plugged in after the charger has finished it's cycle. It won't hurt it either, as long as the AC power remains available. Some chargers can sense a battery pack voltage and turn themselves back on (assuming they are still connected) if the pack drops below a threshold voltage, but most chargers I have seen do NOT do this.

Thanks Gman! I did wonder if it would turn back on if it sensed a voltage drop. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing any harm if it stayed plugged in.

[Dadog70]

I recently purchased a DPI charger from Scottyb and I asked the same question the answer for my charger was that I could leave the charger plugged in and hooked up and would not hurt anything.
Are you using a factory charger? I have read that you can leave them hooked up after charge was complete, I would say it's a dealers choice.

[tece50]

Originally Posted by Dadog70

I recently purchased a DPI charger from Scottyb and I asked the same question the answer for my charger was that I could leave the charger plugged in and hooked up and would not hurt anything.
Are you using a factory charger? I have read that you can leave them hooked up after charge was complete, I would say it's a dealers choice.

Yes it says Club Car by Lester Model 26580

[jantrree]

If it is a Powerdrive Charger and you keep it plugged in, the OBC will turn the charger on every two weeks if the cart is not used.

[gornoman]

Originally Posted by gornoman

It is not necessary for the cart to remain plugged in after the charger has finished it's cycle. It won't hurt it either, as long as the AC power remains available. Some chargers can sense a battery pack voltage and turn themselves back on (assuming they are still connected) if the pack drops below a threshold voltage, but most chargers I have seen do NOT do this.

Now, the bad news. A friend at camp had his cart plugged in, charging was done, charger had shut off hours earlier. A thunderstorm rolled trough and lightning hit nearby. The controller was ruined but the charger survived. We can't say if the surge came down the wire or along the ground, but HE doesn't leave it plugged in during a storm anymore.

[tece50]

jantrree I checked and it does say Powerdrive, so at least I know it's ok to do.
Gman, you have been reading my mind...I had those same thoughts of "frying" something if a power surge came through. So at this point I think the safest thing for me to do is err on the side of caution and let it fully charge and unplug it, but at least I know it want hurt anything if I don't unplug it immediately.
Thanks guys!

[Speedchaser]

I use a surge protector and leave it plugged in all the time. But I use it a couple time a week for golf.