[dhwbailey]

Right now, I trailer an electric golf cart from Barrie Ontario Canada to Orlando evert year.

The cost of gas, and the hassle driving through snow storms has me thinking about buying another one and leaving it in Orlando during the summer.

My concern is leaving a battery operated cart in an non- air conditioned garage for 8 months.

Does anyone here have any experience or advice with this situation?

 

[CalvinMD]

If you permanently mount one of those solar panel trickle chargers (weatherproof version) It will get just enough charge to keep it up once charged fully..and if out using it will slow the rundown during casual use...my buddy hid the wires and mounted the 1' x 1.5' panel right on the top of its roof

 

[BENCHREST]

6 Volt deep cycle batteries are expensive, if you have a cut off switch that isolates the batteries from the cart is a plus. You only need to charge the batteries every three months, until they are fully charged. That is the normal shelf life which a manufacturer is allowed to keep their product on the shelf before the voltage reaches un acceptable selling voltage and must be rotated with fresh - either recharged or new batteries. You definitely do not need to charge them any more than that. Regards Joe Sorry Rick, I worked for a major battery manufacturer for 15 years.

 

[CalvinMD]

never heard that? but the acid vapors will eat the floor or whatever material you have the battery sitting on..thanks for that tip

 

[OneShotOneKill]

Benchrest is correct. The normal rotation cycle on batteries is 3 months, assuming you have them fully charged before store them. Check your water level before charging, assuming they are serviceable caps. Most golf cart batteries are. The battery distributor I worked for, and thus, the reps from Interstate, always suggested that the batteries be disconnected from each other during storage. A fully charged 6 volt should show at 6.25+ volts after charging. Storing a battery on your garage floor is a trip hazard, but it won't hurt the battery as long as it's been properly maintained.

 

[635 G]

Never store battery on the garage floor, acid on the battery makes them conductive & they will discharge.Again I live in the Villages--"the golf cart capital of the world". There is an automatic water tender available, & the snow birds buy them, get a good smart charger & leave it plugged in.

Phil Berkowitz

 

[BENCHREST]

Sorry I meant no disrespect, I managed and drove for a major battery manufacturer and had to attend bi anual seminars in PA. Years ago the physical make up of the plastic cases did not allow the battery to be left on concrete, thus causing the battery to discharge. I was told that was back in the days of dry batteries. There are a couple of things to remember so you can prolong your acid filled batteries life. Only add WATER after you charge your battery, and only fill it 1/4" above the screen. When the battery discharges the acid is drawn into the plates, if you add water before you charge them during charging the acid will come up to the battery cap or spill over. Battery waterers are fine, they were mainly made for large forklift batteries. Keep your batteries clean and dry corrosion on the terminals or acid leaking out of the caps should not happen, if there is too much acid in the battery after charging it take it out. Monitor each battery with a voltmeter occasionally after charging, if the voltage is below 5.5 V it is time to think about changing it. If you are going to purchase a 6 Volt battery always check the date code if it is over 6 months old stay away. A 6 volt battery has a life span of 6 months from when it was filled and originally charged from the manufacturer, which means that it was shipped to the store after 3 months rotated out and charged and shipped again. After it is rotated 3 months later the distributor after looking at the heat stamp on the battery must brand the battery with a heat stamp SECONDS. Car batteries are 1 year from the heat stamp, 2 6 month rotations. Don't misunderstand that a battery that is a seconds will not last as long as a new one, I am just saying not to pay full price for a battery which doesn't have a full charged or is in the process of being sulfated from lack of charge. I hope that this helps, regards Joe

 

[shannon391]

Will they freeze during the extreme cold we are having, in a unheated barn ?

 

[WS-1]

My Club Car has a charger that has a little computer in it. Every time I use my cart, I plug it back in to the charger. If I don't use my cart for 2 or 3 weeks, the charger automatically reads the voltage and charges the batteries. They say that the charger doesn't use any more electricity than my refrigerator so I guess it will work out being cheaper and easier than hauling yours up and down the road. But that's just my very limited experience with one of these things.

 

[BENCHREST]

Batteries should not freeze under normal conditions. Unless they were over watered, unfortunately unlike car batteries they weigh almost twice as much. Which makes taking them out and bringing them indoors a big job. As with extreme heat, extreme cold does affect their life span So far mother nature is not being kind to us this year we need to improvise and adapt. Joe

 

[dirt stirrer]

Benchrest,

All good info to have. A battery dude once told me, when many were complaining about their batteries all dying or going bad in the cold of winter, that it's really not the winter/cold that hurts them. It's excess heat. Heat kills everything. Excess heat is tough on engines, people, gunpowder, the list goes on. But I did not know that about the time stamps on batteries.

 

[Pull & Mark]

Bailey, Don't worry about leaving your electric cart in a hot garage. Just don't let the cart/ and batteries get wet by leaving it outside for long periods of time. I would not keep a charger on the batteries as well. I'd put a 2-10 amp slow charge on the cart once your back in town and want to use it. I would unhook the lead ground wire so the current has no place to go in the cart. Why worry about chargers that overcharge (burn up batteries), burn out charger/ and batteries with a lighting strike, short out with power surges and what not while your gone. So you don't have a cart for 12-24 hours when you get back big deal. Or call ahead and have a friend put the charger on before you arrive. break em all. Jeff

 

[trapgeek]

We were told to just charge it once a month during the winter or any other non-usage periods by the dealer who sold it to us. We have not had any problems so far and we've had ours for several years now, Ours is stored in an unheated garage in the Midwest.

Trapgeek

 

[flashmax]

So I'm late to the party but;

http://www.batteryminders.com/


might be a good answer for your needs.

A lot of the newer equipment using deep cycle batteries use a similar/same setup for longer service life.

Don T

 

[nsguy]

11 month old post BUT, I gotta add my 2 cents. If you have a place in Barrie and Florida I'm guessing you have some " expendable income". Blow the dust of those Silver Certificates in your wallet, buy the second cart and just transport your set of batteries. Sell the trailer and enjoy having the extra weight of the batteries on those snowy roads!! NSG

 

[221]

Will they freeze during the extreme cold we are having, in a unheated barn ?

Lead acid batteries will freeze if the charge gets low. the best you can do is wash off the batteries and apply corrosion spray on the terminals. Disconnect the neg and pos so there is no draw and you should be fine. For winter You can buy a battery miser,(make sure it's the proper voltage), and they will keep enough charge to keep from freezing.

A lot of battery cables need replaced. once corrosion gets into the cable it needs replaces.

If the batteries do not go dead they will not freeze. South of the Arctic circle that is.

Many batteries sit idle for many months and still hold a charge. If you feel you need to remove them set them on a piece of wood, plywood, floor mat.

 

[Rick Barker]

Did not know there was such a difference in life span of 6 vs 12, but explains problem I was having, replacing 6V in my 37 Chev so often for 8 years. I thought I had draw somewhere, but never could find it and leaving cables off did not help if car sat for a couple months. Made a hotrod out of it and after converting to 12V with an Optima in 2008, it was still going. Parked it for the Winter a month ago, hoping the Optima will turn it over in the Spring. What about gel batteries, can they last longer with a Battery Tender that has auto float?

Had to replace two maintenance free this year in other cars, one 5, the other 6 years old, knowing they were about ready to go at any time. Did not remember them costing so much.

 

[635 G]

...an old wives tale to put it kindly. I won't do business with any battery shop that thinks that this is true:

http://www.cartalk.com/content/it-safe-store-car-battery-cement-garage-floor

http://www.homepower.com/articles/s...pment-products/ask-experts-batteries-concrete

http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/battery.asp

I served on a diesel electric submarine as well as a FBM - the acid would drip and we had to secure charges till the grounds would clear--there was a ground path

Automotive batteries are not deep cycle golf cart batteries--on my boat I had 18 Titan deep cycle batteries for my house bank and inverter bank--I think I know something about batteries

Phil Berkowitz

 

[Hauxfan]

Or.............You could just give up golf and not have to worry about those pesky old batteries.

Hauxfan!

 

[Joe Potosky]

RE; give up golf

Sporting clays shooter