Recondition a Golf Cart Battery to Extend its Life
For golf cart users, maintaining the golf cart batteries is necessary for the golf cart to continue to operate efficiently. Since batteries that need recharged frequently or are in poor condition are the most common cause of breakdowns, regular maintenance can help to avoid these problems and keep a golf cart running. However, reconditioning the batteries can also make them last longer time.
Use a charger designed for lead-acid batteries that have the capability of automatically switching to low (trickle) charge when the battery is fully charged. A low-power 6-volt solar battery charger also works well. Charge the battery whenever it may be depleted or won’t be used for several days or weeks.
Remove a golf cart battery to charge it, using a crescent wrench to loosen the battery cables. Use a mixture of water and baking soda to clean any deposits around the battery terminals and cables. If it is not a sealed battery, remove the cell caps and top them off with distilled water. Do not use tap water because it contains chemicals that will damage the battery and shorten its life. Turn the charger off while you connect the power leads (make sure positive is connected to positive and negative to negative). Set the charger according to manufacturer’s instructions and turn it on. When charging is complete, turn the charger off, remove the battery, and reinstall it in the golf cart unless you are going to store it.
Store a golf cart battery properly. Although lead-acid batteries hold a charge well, they will drain if they sit on a shelf long enough, resulting in a deep discharge. You can leave the golf cart battery connected to a regular charger set on trickle charge or use a small solar-power charger. If using a trickle charger isn’t feasible, charge the battery every couple of weeks.
Recondition lead-acid golf cart batteries to extend their useful life. Even with proper maintenance, the lead plates in a golf cart battery may become sulfated. This is relatively easy to remedy. Remove the battery as you would to charge it. Before charging, drain the fluid from the battery and replace it with a mixture of 12 percent to 15 percent magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) and distilled water. Then recharge the battery. It should resume normal function, though you may have to recharge it a couple of times to bring it back to full storage capacity. Note that because the lead pates can suffer damage from the sulfation, reconditioning a battery won’t work more than a few times.
Anyway, the best important way to extend the lifespan of golf cart batteries is still care and maintenance which is often mentioned when buying a golf cart.
Source: www.leoch.com
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