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Old 07-02-2012, 08:14 AM
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ajbrown ajbrown is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr View Post

What's the problem with just leaving your cart plugged in if you're gone for several weeks or months. When I was in the golf business we left them plugged in all winter.
To be clear you are ahead of many as you maintained a fleet of golf carts. My fleet is just two carts . Based on what I read, I am just trying to use whatever is available to get the most of my batteries, but in the end, who knows . The following is why I went with Battery Minder (BM), but this is just Alan's opinion.

I have always been uncomfortable with the charger running unattended in my garage for months without periodic inspection. It can run pretty hot during the bulk charge and I like to 'see' the area and connections are clean.

In addition I wanted a solution that would keep the pack topped off without ever bulk charging to reduce the potential 'boil-off' of water. I showed my home watcher how to check water levels, but I suspect they will not have to add water during my absence.

I am intrigued by all of the information on sulfation. I read that sulfation starts when a battery drops below 100% state of charge (SOC). If I was to use my bulk charger, it comes on every 16 days (this may vary depending on charger or computer). My 2 plus year old pack will discharge a decent amount in 2 weeks. During that time 'they' say sulfation is occurring and shortening the life of my pack.

The Battery Minder will keep the pack at 100% plus a bit which should prevent any sulfation.

The BM claims it can even reverse the effects of sulfation. If this is true then my packs are being cleaned all summer long while being maintained. I say claim, not to say the BM does not do this, but rather to say I have no direct evidence of it. I have spoken to Bill and David from BM and can tell they are pretty passionate about the subject and I believe they have something good.

The BM has nice pretty ,lights for my home watcher. If lights not green, call Alan.

I may be forgetting something, but that is why I went with BM. Your voltage may vary......