Maintaining your golf cart battery ensures optimal performance and extends its lifespan. Neglecting battery maintenance can lead to reduced power, shorter battery life, and costly replacements.
Fortunately, with a simple maintenance checklist, you can keep your golf cart batteries in top condition. Explore the key steps and tips in the following article.
Regular Inspections:
Regularly inspecting your golf cart batteries is the first step in ensuring their longevity. Here's what you should look for:
- Check for physical damage: Examine the battery containers for damage, leaks, or distortions. If you notice any signs of damage, look for indications of root cause or replace the battery.
- Cleanliness: Keep the battery and its terminals clean. Use a battery cleaning solution consisting of distilled water and baking soda (1 Gallon to 1 Lb ratio) to remove residual acid, corrosion or dirt buildup present on the battery container. Make sure to rinse thoroughly and dry it afterward.
- Terminal connections: Inspect connections to the battery terminals for torque and safety. Loose or corroded terminals and exposed cable wires can hinder performance and potentially lead to short-circuiting. Follow your supplier’s recommendations for terminal connection torque and use a battery terminal cleaner such as a wire brush to remove corrosion from the terminal and connections.
Water Levels:
Most golf cart batteries are lead-acid batteries that require regular watering. Follow these steps to ensure proper water levels:
- Check the water level: Remove the battery vent caps and inspect the electrolyte fluid level in each cell. The battery’s fluid levels in each cell should be above the battery plates but below the battery’s cell’s vent well, as shown in this illustration. .
- Distilled water: If the fluid level is low, add distilled water to each cell individually. Avoid using tap water or alternative sources such as commercially available battery electrolyte, as they may contain impurities that could potentially damage the battery.
- Refrain from overfilling: It's crucial to avoid filling the cells higher than the cell’s vent well indicator. Overfilling can lead to electrolyte overflow during charging, causing damage to the battery.
Charging and Discharging:
Proper charging and discharging habits are essential for maintaining your golf cart batteries. Consider the following tips:
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions: Always refer to your supplier’s recommended best practices for charging and discharging your specific battery type. Overcharging or undercharging can impact battery life.
- Regular charging: Charge your golf cart batteries after each use, especially if you've discharged them significantly. Avoid leaving them in a discharged state for extended periods.
- Avoid sulfation: Your golf batteries are designed for deep cycling - continuously. However, to avoid damage from sulfation, always recharge your batteries at the completion of daily usage and especially when you discharge batteries beyond a 50% state of charge level.
Golf Cart Battery Storage:
Proper battery storage is crucial to maintain its performance if you plan to store your golf cart for an extended period. Explore these steps:
- Fully charge the batteries: Ensure you fully charge the batteries before storing the cart. It helps prevent sulfation, which can occur if you leave lead-acid batteries in a discharged state for too long.
- Disconnect the batteries: After fully charging batteries, disconnect the cables or use a battery disconnect switch to prevent slow discharge over time.
- Cool and dry storage: Store the golf cart and batteries in a cool, dry place away from extreme temperatures and humidity. Golf car owners should also consider upgrading their charger to include equipment that operates automatically in either maintenance-mode charging (for off-season storage) or regular duty-cycle charging modes. This ensures your batteries receive the charge they need, regardless of the season.
This easy golf cart battery checklist ensures your batteries perform optimally and last longer. Regular inspections, proper watering, appropriate charging and discharging, and careful storage practices are all essential to keeping your golf car batteries in top shape.
By incorporating these steps into your routine, you can enjoy trouble-free vehicle operation with a reliable and long-lasting battery system. Visit your local Crown Battery Dealer and learn more battery specifications by downloading our informative PDF.
