How often do I have to replace the batteries on my electric golf cart?

OUTL4W

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Your batteries usually have a lifespan of about 3 years. Allowing the batteries to fully discharge or not properly maintaining water levels will make their life much shorter. You will know when it is time to replace the batteries because you will notice:
  • You can no longer ride for as long as you used to on one charge.
  • Batteries discharge quickly.
  • The golf cart has weakened significantly.
When you are in this situation, the best thing to do is replace the batteries. If you were to leave the batteries in and wait it out until they are totally shot, you can risk damaging other components in the golf cart like the controller or solenoids.
 

Crash Test Dummy

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batteries can last 5~6 years when taken care of properly

BATTERIES

Critical information that every golf cart owner should know. Batteries are EXPENSIVE at $450-600 you should know the facts!
Battery Break-in Procedures
Brand new batteries are approximately 70 to 75% charged so once they are installed (correctly) the 1st 10 to 12 complete charge/discharge cycles are as follows: 1. Plug charger in and leave it alone until charger shuts off by itself then drive cart to about 50% battery life and plug back in and repeat charge cycle. 2. Very important you leave it charge until it’s completely done! This is what you want to do 10 to 12 times ......by the 12th time you’ll notice a difference in power/speed and runtime. 3. That’s the break in period pretty simple wouldn’t you say..........while doing this keep an eye on water level as I have seen it take 16 hours or better the 1st few times as they break in you’ll notice charge time gets less also. 4. After that the 2nd most important thing is maintaining the batteries........very critical you get into a routine of spending a whole 20 minutes a few times a month to keep things in good/clean and tight condition to get a lot more time out of your batteries.
Charging
Charging for Everyday use All Modern Golf carts have automatic chargers that will shut off when the batteries are charged and will come back on if the batteries drop to a low charge. All Golf Cart batteries are Deep Cycle lead acid batteries. All Lead Acid batteries WILL discharge on their own over time. It is important to keep your batteries charged. A golf cart that has seen extended use (batteries used to half charge) and then left to sit for weeks or months with out re-charging can permanently damage your batteries as lead acid batteries will self discharge. Lead Acid batteries discharge even faster in cold weather during the winter months so it’s important to keep your cart on the charger during the winter.

USE the rule that I like call “P and P” When Parked keep it Plugged-In.

Do not leave your cart off of the charger for long periods. For example if you cart is fully charged, and you drive to Target and back, plug it right back in when you get home. Keep in mind the more discharged your batteries are, the longer they will take to charge. Do not be surprised if they are charging for several hours (up to 16hrs). All charges should automatically shut off, if it does not then there is a problem that needs to be serviced. FACT CHECK! – Some people believe you should not charge your batteries all the time, this is WRONG. The information below is taken directly from Club Car and EZ-GO Publications.. o “As long as the charger is allowed to shut off by itself, the batteries will be fully charged. Overcharging and undercharging will normally be prevented…
“Batteries should be put on a charger even if they have been used for only a short period (9 holes of golf or 10 Minutes). The charger is automatic and will turn off when batteries are fully charged. If the charger does seem to operate properly, of if the batteries seem week, seek a service professional.

taken from Club Car publications #102252002 and #101770101

BATTERY CHARGING
The Battery Charger is designed to fully charge the battery set. If the batteries are severely deep cycled, some automatic battery chargers contain an electronic module that may not activate and the battery charger will not function. Automatic chargers will determine the correct duration of the charge of the battery set and will shut off when the battery set is fully charged.

taken from EZ-Go publication #28645-G01-GB

STOP!!!Deep Discharge
Never discharge a cart’s batteries to the point that the vehicle will no longer run. This will shorten the life cycle of the batteries considerably, and may permanently damage the batteries. It is possible that the batteries will not accept a recharge if they are completely discharged. The deep the discharge, the harder it is on the batteries.
taken from Club Car publications #102252002 and #101770101
Finally – Water them
Batteries need to maintain their water level to continue to operate at their optimum performance, running batteries low on water can shorten their life and permanently damage them. o Check the water level at a minimum of every other month! o Always keep the water at ¼” to ½” above the lead metal plates.

ONLY
use distilled water. Never use Tap water, it has chemicals that can hurt the batteries. o Batteries excessively low on water can over heat during a charging cycle and start a fire! o Batteries produce a gas (hydrogen) when charging, some gurgling or bubbling is normal.


Cleaning your batteries
Always neutralize the battery acid first before rinsing of with water. You can use a mixture of baking soda and water or get some battery acid cleaner from an auto parts store. Cleaning your batteries once a month is a good practice. If you minimize corrosion to the electrical system battery life can be increased and properly maintained batteries can last as long as 5 years.

Let the cleaner set for 5 to 10 minutes and rinse off with clean water. Be careful not to spray water directly into electrical components like your speed controller.

After rinsing if there is still deposits of battery acid spray again with the baking soda solution or cleaner and let it sit for at least 5 minutes before rinsing; repeat if required.

These deposits on the batteries must be removed because they can cause your golf cart batteries to self discharge. If there is still evidence of corrosion get some protective gloves and a stiff bristle brush and scrub the deposits off. Dirt and debris can build up quicker on lifted golf carts because they are typically used off road.

These basic cleaning tips also work on gas golf cart batterie
 

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