Your golf cart batteries won’t charge? Is it dead? Need to know how to charge your golf cart properly? Or, how to charge your dead golf cart batteries? You know what I am now going to whisper the whole things in your ear. Get ready!
Golf cart batteries that are worldwide used are generally two types: Lead-acid battery and Lithium-ion battery. The lead-acid battery is also used in the regular automobile. When we drive a car or truck, the lead-acid batteries are recharged continuously as we drive. But for golf carts, it is a different scenario. They are not automatically recharged but chargers. There are various models and battery packs available, the common thing is recharging the cart. We cannot leave the battery fully drained. We have to charge it after a certain time, every night. How to charge golf cart batteries are not a hard task, but needs some steps to be followed.
Some Basic Ideas About Batteries and Chargers
Golf cart batteries that are usually found in the market, most deep cycle. Typically, they are lead-acid batteries or lithium-ion batteries. Most golf carts are operated on a 36-volt, 48-volt, and some are 72 volts. But when it turns to purchase a cart battery, not a full package you have to depend on voltage, which is come in 6, 8, 12 voltage. Say. if your golf cart is run by 36 volts, you need to purchase six 6-volt batteries. Batteries are assembled in series, like for 36-volt cart has 3 series paired of three 12-volt batteries, i.e, a pair= 2 x 6= 12 volts, 3 series= 3 x 12= 36 volts.
Today we will discuss how to charge a Golf Cart. The battery assembling system is not the main point here. But what I have discussed just in the above, will help when you somehow (dead batteries charging) need to charge the cart’s batteries manually. For a pair of a 6-volt battery, you need a 12-volt charger. And for an 8-volt battery, you need to charge it one at a time (not a pair of 8-volt, have to use a 4.5-ohm 10-watt resistor in series) with a 12-volt charger. The theme for a 12-volt battery charging is the same as the 8-volt battery’s manually charging process- need to charge one at a time but a resistor.
The Charger needs Depending on Golf Cart Battery Pack
The golf carts come in our hands with the battery charger. The best thing is matching the charger voltage with the battery voltage. This is a simple trick, am not going to complex it right now by putting ‘Amps’ term!
- For a 36-volt cart, you should have the 36-volt charger
- For a 48-volt, it is the 48-volt charger.
- For a 72-volt. It is a 72-volt charger.
How to Charge a Golf Cart/Electric Golf Car?
Before charging the golf cart, keep away the sparks, flames, and that type of thing from the cart. And, charge the batteries in a well-ventilated space. Don’t forget to wear protective items for your eyes and hands especially.
- Make sure your golf cart ignition switch is off. For the electric cars, lift the golf cart seats and move the toe-run position’ to the toe-position.
- Take the charger that is given by the manufacturing company or from the local retailer according to the golf cart’s battery voltage. Like for a 36-volt cart, the charger should be 36 volts.
- Plug the battery charger into the equivalent power source socket. After securing the plugging, insert the charger plug into the cart’s charging receiver port.
- Watch the Ammeter readout, the light must flush on red or green. If the light is visible, that means the charger is connected to the golf cart battery. The red light indicates the charge level is too low. And, the green indicates the discharge level is not so low.
- It takes 8 to 12 hours to charge the battery fully. If you are having the manual charger, remove it when it indicates the full charge as soon as possible. But if you have the automatic charger, it will shut down by its installed internal program after a full charge. In recent times, all golf cart chargers are automatic.
- The 80% recharge will complete within 2 or 3 hours, but the rest 20% need 6 to 8 hours to complete.
How to Charge Dead Golf Cart Batteries?
This is the manually charging process that you can charge your golf cart batteries fully, mentioned earlier in this article. And, sometimes we have been out of town or due to any reasons didn’t have time to charge the batteries. For this, the golf cart’s battery charging percentage has dropped too low that the charger can not recognize them. That time, the batteries need to hit up to achieve the surface voltage. In this case, we have to do things manually. Then, how to charge golf cart batteries that are dead? Okay, let’s take a 36-volt golf cart’s batteries as an example which have six 6-volt batteries in a series wire.
Take a standard 12-volt automobile battery charger and plug the charger into the equivalent power source, or a wall socket.
- Remove all the plastic caps from the battery cells and check the water in the battery. Water must be over the plates, if not make this right.
- Now we have 6 volts batteries in a series wire, so no need to disconnect any wear as we are using a 12-volt charger.
- Consider first of the two 6-volt batteries which are in a row within the series connection.
- Switch on the battery charger.
- Hook the charger’s red wire to the positive (+) post of the cart’s battery (1st-one of both). And, hook the black wire of the charger to the 2nd 6-volt batteries negative (-) post.
- Take allow this 12-volt charger bang with that two 6-volt batteries along charging for a half-hour to an hour.
- Then turn off the charger to go to the next step.
- When the first 2 batteries are done, we go for the next two batteries.
- Again turn on the charger and follow the same procedure.
- After completing the whole procedure over the six 6-volts batteries, the batteries should gain the surface voltage that the regular charger now recognize the batteries.
- At last, connect the regular 36-volt golf cart charger for a full charge. Check the Ammeter readout and light. The readout should be above 15 or order 4.
- If the charger comes on and doesn’t go above 15, either the battery is too low needs to build up a little bit, or the charger isn’t working.
- Well, if the Ammeter clicks up, now you are good to go.
- Let it charge in there for about an hour so that the needle should go above 15. And, the needle goes towards zero when the charging will complete.
If you have a battery of 8-volt or 12-volt that are assembled in a battery pack, you can use the standard 12-volt automobile charger to hit up. The procedure is the same and need not disconnect any wire. But this time some things have changed-
- You have to charge each battery at a time, not two.
- For 8-volt, have to charge for half an hour, not more. Do not take a chance to overdose! You should use a 4.5-ohm 10-watt resister in the series wire. You may also charge two 8-volt batteries at a time just like the above if you don’t have any resistor at that time.
- For 12-volt, have to charge from half an hour to 2 hours. No need to use a 10-watt resistor.
- Then, as usual, plug the regular charger, check the Ammeter, and the rest.
People Also Ask:
How Long To Charge Golf Cart Batteries?
- The time of recharging depends on your battery quality, the discharged percentages, and the charger quality. Say a brand new golf cart battery takes 1 to 3 hours to fully charged. But a 5 or 6 years old battery with the same discharge takes 10 to 12 hours. Actually, the new batteries are 20% to 30% discharged and have a heavy-duty battery charger.
How To Charge 48-volt Golf Cart Batteries?
- Simply, you can charge with the regular 48-volt charger that the manufacturing brand gave you or purchase from a local retailer. If your golf battery is using 12-volt battery x 4 series, then you can charge it with a 12-volt charger without re-wiring anything. But make sure the charger’s negative terminal should not be ground. You can also charge the 6-volt or the 8-volt batteries (with a 12V charger) which are in series connection to make a 48-volt battery pack. For charging 8-volt, you need to disconnect the series connection and charge each individual at a time. For charging 6-volt batteries, no need to re-wiring anything. But the best is, charge with the regular 48V charger.
How To Charge 6-Volt Golf Cart Batteries with 12 Volt Charger?
- For two 6-volt batteries in a series wire, you can hook the charger’s positive output wire (red) with the positive post of the 1st battery and the charger’s negative output wire (black) with the negative post of the 2nd battery. Repeat the process for the other batteries. Do it manually. Do not forget to switch off the charger before recharging the next two batteries. And, after set-up, the connection wire, just switches on the charger.
How To Charge 8-volt Golf Cart Batteries?
- The standard 12-V charger charge a lead-acid battery 12.8 volts, or 2.3 volts per cell. To fully charge an 8-volt battery it needs 9.2 volts. So, need to connect a 4.5-ohm 10-watt resistor in series with the 12-V charger. The resistor will limit the current supply and avoiding the 8-volt batteries being overcharged. But if the battery is deeply discharged, then you may need a higher wattage ratting resistor. Because a 10-watt resistor allows a safe charge if the lead-acid battery down to 6 to 7 volts.
Final Thoughts…
Golf cart battery and proper maintenance prolong its lifespan. Improper maintenance of your golf cart battery will cost your golf course time. If you are not serious about how to charge your golf cart batteries correctly, then your wallet will pay the cost within a short period. Generally. Golf cart battery chargers minimum surface voltage to start the charging. If you return from a long vacation and find your battery almost dead, most of the time it is not a charger that you should have changed. You need to charging manually. Follow the discussion of what I have done in ‘how to charge dead golf cart batteries’.
A new golf cart battery’s longevity is about 4 to 5 years. But, you can prolong their lifespan to 5 to 6 years, even more. I have talked about almost the whole scenario about charging a golf cart properly. Now it’s your turn to maintain or to be maintained. Otherwise, you might be paid your detachment from regular charging about golf cart battery within 2 or 3 years. Stay tuned! And, make your golf cart be prepared in the morning before step into the golf course.
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References
1) https://www.rollingthundercarts.com/post/battery-maintenance
2) https://www.mikesgolfcarts.com/single-post/2016/10/07/Correct-Way-to-Water-Your-Golf-Cart-Batteries
3) http://www.golf-cart-battery-chargers.com/golf-cart-charging.php
4) https://www.golflink.com/how_6326_charge-electric-golf-cart.html
5) https://www.bcgolfcars.com/batteries/battery-maintenance/
6) https://muttonpowersports.com/maintenance/how-to-store-your-e-z-go-golf-cart-for-the-winter/
7) https://goneoutdoors.com/wire-36volt-motorguide-trolling-motor-7364613.html
8) https://sciencing.com/wire-battery-series-12274150.html
9) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0F94UMWddo
10) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0XxnaWO8JA
11) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhxOg-AFNFE
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