how to charge a golf cart unattended ?

[bxlt]

You would put the positive wire on the positive terminal of battery 1 and the negative on the negative terminal of battery 6

[Hecky50]

Bought one of these to make it easy to connect the Batt-saver. Just mounted to the side of the cart, no need to lift seat,easy plug-in when you disconnect the main charger.
http://www.solarcapitalist.com/sae2p...t-connect.aspx

You could also plug it into timer. No need to unplug from cart to restart.

[Olman]

Originally Posted by BorisM

I do not mean to sound really stupid, but I will anyway.

So with "Save A Battery 48 Volt 50 Watt Battery Charger Maintainer Desulfator 2365-48" for $72 + shipping

http://www.nutrend.com/p-49425-2365-48.aspx

You charger all cart batteries by plugin it into 2 last batteries in the chain?

I did not buy from there but yes that is the one I have used. I use a marine battery charger recepticle mounted so all I have to do is plug an extension cord into it to power the Save-A-Battery when I get off my cart. If the cart is parked, the unit is hooked up. And yes when you hook it up like the folks described above, it charges all batteries. I don't drive my cart every day so the small charger has time to completely charge my pack. I rarely use my big charger.

[JohnnieB]

Everybody's cart is different as well as how it is used, where it is used, when it is used and how often it is used, but one thing we all share in common is the need to keep the batteries as fully charged as possible and practical. There are several ways of doing this and ways that work well for some people, may not work as well for others.

Using a small smart charger like the Save-A-Battery or Battery-Minder and other similar device while the cart is in storage is one way of doing it, and using a charger like the DPI that goes into float charge after the regular cycle ends, is another.

@ Olman: I'd use the regular charger every month or so to put the batteries in the gassing stage. Otherwise, you might be getting some electrolyte stratification.

@ Knothead: Gassing occurs whenever there is current (charging or discharging) flow through the electrolyte. It just becomes far more intense when the On-Charge voltage climbs to 2.35VPC and above while float charge stays well below that voltage, so not much water is lost. I've got a 36V set of T-105 batteries that I've been keeping alive with float charging since I replaced them with a 42V pack last summer and they've used about a pint of water, total for the six batteries.

[Olman]

Johnnie---the Save-A-Battery folks say this: "The charger stays in this mode most of the time but periodically switches into pulse mode where it basically cleans the battery plates, and de-stratifies the electrolyte helping to equalizing the cells. This process reduces sulfurization which improves battery life." I do however use the big charger from time to time especially if I use the cart on back to back days.

[BorisM]

It is nice to know that there are several unattended charging/storage options. From what I gathered from all of you , there are at least 2 choices:
1) DPI Accusense Battery charger that replaces manufacturer provided cart charger and can be plugged in into the golf cart 24/7 because it goes into float charge after the regular cycle end.
2) Save-A-Battery or Battery-Minder is used while cart is in storage. These charges do not/should not replace manufacturer provided cart charger but rather used in addition to.
My question is:
Since Save-A-Battery charger is being plugged in directly into the batteries, based on diagram provided in previous post, is it possible to remove all the batteries from golf cart and keep them connected to Save-A-Battery charger outside of the golf cart? Is there anything in a gold cart (any part) that requires constant power?

[Olman]

Originally Posted by BorisM

It is nice to know that there are several unattended charging/storage options. From what I gathered from all of you , there are at least 2 choices:
1) DPI Accusense Battery charger that replaces manufacturer provided cart charger and can be plugged in into the golf cart 24/7 because it goes into float charge after the regular cycle end.
2) Save-A-Battery or Battery-Minder is used while cart is in storage. These charges do not/should not replace manufacturer provided cart charger but rather used in addition to.
My question is:
Since Save-A-Battery charger is being plugged in directly into the batteries, based on diagram provided in previous post, is it possible to remove all the batteries from golf cart and keep them connected to Save-A-Battery charger outside of the golf cart? Is there anything in a gold cart (any part) that requires constant power?

Yes, you can remove your batteries, reconnect the cables, and use the Save-A-Battery or other charger to keep them charged. Nothing that I am aware of on the cart requires constant power.

[BorisM]

Thank you very much. This is so much easier than what the dealer told me. I should have talked to all of you before I went to the dealership and looked like a complete fool listening to dealer’s nonsense.

[Olman]

Originally Posted by BorisM

Thank you very much. This is so much easier than what the dealer told me. I should have talked to all of you before I went to the dealership and looked like a complete fool listening to dealer’s nonsense.

This forum is a great source of information. Most of what I have learned so far has been from here.

[skuhleman1524]

Great info here guys. This looks like a good option for me as well. Our cart stays at our lake house all year, its about 1.5 hr away. the problem is we dont usually go down there during the winter. Would the save a battery work for that? Or do we still need to go down and check the water levels as well? if so how often?