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​4 Tips for a Healthy Battery Life

Jun 22nd 2017

Using a golf cart to get around a golf course or small community is practical. It can also be fun. However, even though riding around the golf course may be fun, it is essential you perform proper maintenance on your golf cart.

Golf cart owners must be responsible and proactive. It is like owning a car. You need to check the parts often to make sure they are in good working condition and repair them when they are not. Replacing golf cart parts, such as the battery or battery parts , is inevitable and easy to do. Performing daily maintenance on the cart’s battery can extend the battery’s life. Follow these four tips to get the most out of your battery.


1.Charge the Battery Often

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When it comes to electronics, usually you are told to only charge the battery when needed because keeping an electronic device plugged in will shorten battery life. While it is true you do not want to overcharge your cart’s battery, you do not want to undercharge it, either. To prevent overcharging, consider purchasing an automatic battery charger that turns off when the battery is finished charging.

When should that battery be charged? Ideally, you do not want to discharge more than 70-80% of the battery. The longer a battery takes to charge, the more heat it produces. Heat can significantly shorten a battery’s lifespan. Therefore, it is often recommended to charge your battery after each use.

2. Maintain Water Levels

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Maintaining proper water levels is another crucial step for prolonging a battery’s life. Just like you can overcharge and undercharge the battery, you can also overwater and underwater a golf cart’s battery. It’s necessary to know not only when to fill the water in your battery but know how much water you need.

Never use tap water to refill batteries, as the minerals in tap water can damage the battery. Instead, use distilled water.

You also need to avoid overwatering the battery. Overflowing your battery will cause corrosive acid to spill, as well as decrease electrolyte levels. This decreases the battery’s overall energy level. To avoid overwatering your battery, charge it after every use.

When a battery discharges, its electrolytes decrease but, when it charges, the number of electrolytes increases again. You are unable to tell how much water there is until the battery is completely charged.

Make sure to occasionally check water levels when you do not use the golf cart often. Typically, water levels will need to be replenished every few weeks. However, if you live in warmer climates and use your golf cart often, you might want to check the water levels more frequently.

Ideally, you want to fill the battery cells until there is ¼ to ½ inch of water above the plates.

3.Clean the Battery

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When sulfur builds up on a battery’s lead plates, it can negatively affect a battery’s charge. Sulfur build-up can cause even a relatively new battery to go dead. Therefore, it is essential you restore the battery. While cleaning a battery is not the easiest task, it is possible if you work at it a little bit.

Before cleaning the battery, make sure you have removed it from the cart. You also want to charge your battery and fill the water levels to ensure sulfur build-up is the problem and there is nothing else wrong with the battery.

To clean the battery, mix ten tablespoons of Epsom salt with one quart of warm distilled water. Once the salt has dissolved, take a turkey baster and remove half of the water from the battery cells. Refill the battery with the salt mixture. Finally, put the battery caps back on and shake the battery. After you have shaken up the mixture, you need to check if the battery will charge. If the battery does take a charge, remove ¾ of the water-salt mixture and refill the battery cells with new battery acid. If it does not charge, you might have to replace it.

4.Complete Basic Everyday Checks

Keeping the battery charged, the water levels filled, and removing sulfur are the best ways to prolong battery life. However, there are other parts of the battery you should check periodically. For example, use water and baking soda to remove dirt from battery terminals. Check the cables for corrosion and other damage. Apply a thin coat of high-temperature, water resistant wheel bearing grease to the vent caps to help prevent corrosion.

Other maintenance tips include: making sure all lights, radios, and other devices are turned off when you are not using the cart so you do not drain the battery’s charge. Furthermore, avoid steep hills when possible and never exceed the cart’s weight limit.

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