[Bill-n-Brillo]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

There are owners who are passionate about gas carts due to range, and other preferring clean air that buy electric. Both sides can hurl golf balls at each other all day long ... I doubt anyone will have a change of heart.

Ditto.

Bill

[NoMoSno]

I wonder if auto traffic contributes to some of the tunnel smell.
Fumes tend to settle to the lowest spots.(of course carbon monoxide is odorless)
Wonder if a simple venting system could be installed in the busier tunnels?...

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by NoMoSno

I wonder if auto traffic contributes to some of the tunnel smell.
Fumes tend to settle to the lowest spots.(of course carbon monoxide is odorless)
Wonder if a simple venting system could be installed in the busier tunnels?...

That would use a lot of energy. I hold my breath.

[Easyrider]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

We haven't followed any cars or lawn mowers or generators through a tunnel. And that's where the smells are really bad.

.

As I said, go out and grab yourself a new gas cart and you won't always be the one behind the other carts in the tunnels, and you'll never go back..

[Easyrider]

Originally Posted by NoMoSno

I wonder if auto traffic contributes to some of the tunnel smell.
Fumes tend to settle to the lowest spots.(of course carbon monoxide is odorless)
Wonder if a simple venting system could be installed in the busier tunnels?...

They are totally open on both ends and they are a minimal length so having any kind of air movement system would be a hugh cost for such a small area.

[jdsl1998]

When we bought our house 5 years ago, we bought a used gas cart. We still have the cart. We hope it lasts until we can buy a solar powered cart with electric backup. When we bought our cart, gas was all we knew. Being non-golfers, we went with what we knew. I think a lot of the carts in The Villages will be replaced with Electric and or Solar in the future.

[Easyrider]

Originally Posted by jdsl1998

I think a lot of the carts in The Villages will be replaced with Electric and or Solar in the future.

Never happen, gas carts outnumber electric many times over...

[Sydney]

Originally Posted by Rango

....and gas powered lawn mowers, weed trimmers, blowers, generators............

I agree, I use a battery powered edger/trimmer and blower, electric mower and hedge trimmer, keeps that tunnel smell out of my garage.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Easyrider

Hey guys, go out and grab yourself a new gas cart and you won't always be the one behind the other carts, and you'll never go back..

Originally Posted by Easyrider

As I said, go out and grab yourself a new gas cart and you won't always be the one behind the other carts in the tunnels, and you'll never go back..

This idea might be more appealing after a coffee. Nope, still not a good idea!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by jdsl1998

When we bought our house 5 years ago, we bought a used gas cart. We still have the cart. We hope it lasts until we can buy a solar powered cart with electric backup. When we bought our cart, gas was all we knew. Being non-golfers, we went with what we knew. I think a lot of the carts in The Villages will be replaced with Electric and or Solar in the future.

Just like flat screen TV's. They will become cheaper and better eventually and more effective and dependable too. The Solar Powered golf carts. And then everyone will have one. Life marches on. For now I like my gas cart. Sweetie likes his electric cart.

[Golfingnut]

There are things you can do to help with both the smell and the noise, but the bottom line is, gas carts sound like old army tanks and stink terrible. I would pay ten times the amount to enjoy our clean quiet ride in our electric cat. Thing is, it does not cost any more or very little more, so it's a no brainier for us. STINK VS CLEAN AIR And NOISE VS QUIET. There is a claim that you can go farther on a tank of gas than a daily elec. charge. THAT IS TRUE. BUT, go out and drive any cart for 50 miles and I assure you it will be time to get out of the cart be it gas or electric.

[justjim]

Golf cart batteries---"a ticking time bomb". I've heard that batteries have started fires in TV garages ----in at least one case burned the house completely down.

Not to scare any of you electric cart people (I have one of each) but proper battery and battery charger maintenance is very important---your cart, garage and even your house may depend on you properly putting water into those batteries. A battery charger that malfunctions and doesn't shut off can fuel a fire too.

[Golfingnut]

Originally Posted by KeepingItReal

Doesn't take long to travel 50 miles in the Villages now plus playing a round of golf. A gas cart will go the same speed on the last mile as the first mile not to mention not having to crawl up the hills.

Lots of dangers in dealing with cart batteries too. Doesn't matter to me what cart anyone chooses but we need to tell the whole story. Distilled water is fairly expensive in large amounts and sulfuric electrolyte dripping on the garage floor and driveway is not too good either.

Golf Cart Batteries: Is Yours A Ticking Time Bomb?

The danger with golf cart batteries is that many require that distilled water constantly be added to keep the leaded plates submerged in the battery's sulfuric electrolyte. The other factor in this equation is that most owners don't realize that their golf cart batteries need this type of constant attention. The average cart is powered by lead acid batteries which are positioned underneath the seat. It isn't uncommon to fold back the seat of the cart and find all 6 batteries desperately in need of fluid.

When batteries run dry, they can smoke and even explode. With each battery packing the explosive power of a grenade, the potential danger is a real threat. In order to prevent this, it is essential to check your golf cart batteries on a regular basis. First, there should be no corrosive phosphorus should be growing around the terminals.

Next, you'll need to remove the caps and check the water level. The water level in your batteries should be just below the filler cap's opening, if it's too low, use a funnel to fill with distilled water only. If your golf cart batteries are completely dry, you should probably take them for maintenance. If levels get too low and remain low, there is a chance that the battery won't hold a charge or that it could be a potential fire hazard.

If you're using wet cell batteries, be sure to develop-and stick to-a regular maintenance program. The odds are fairly low that one of your golf cart batteries will explode under your seat, but more likely than that of the largely publicized Sony laptop battery. More common is that you can dramatically shorten the life of your wet battery without proper care and maintenance.


Wet-cell Batteries | Learn About Chemicals Around Your House | Pesticides | US EPA

Wet-Cell Batteries:
What are they?

Wet-cell batteries are used in cars, trucks, tractors and other motor vehicles to provide the spark to start the vehicle.
What's in them?

Wet-cell batteries contain lead and a solution of sulfuric acid.

What health and safety precautions do you need to think about with wet-cell batteries?

When activated, the electrolyte solution in the battery produces explosive gases which are easily ignited. Manufacturers of batteries containing sulfuric acid must use labels which warn consumers of the dangers from battery acid and accumulated gases. Sulfuric acid is extremely caustic, which means it burns. Fumes are strongly irritating and contact can cause burning and charring of the skin; it can cause blindness if you get it in your eyes. Lead is poisonous in all forms and accumulates in our bodies and in the environment.

Well thought out article with important information. I am such a neat freak and maintenance nut, that these things do not apply to me; however, your caution to folks that are NOT dillegent in their maintenance of their cart would be much safer with a gas cart.

[jimbo2012]

Gas carts have a battery too!

As far as a house burning down in one case the attic door was open, if closed the fire would have been contained probably.

In that same case there were two chargers going so it's hard to say exactly what the cause was.

Originally Posted by Frank7

I was part of an investigation of a recent fire of a Village home. The demolition team was accompanied by insurance engineers and investigators. The remainds
Of the cart Removed piece by piece while photos were taken.
It was explained to us that the house caretaker had plugged in the cart charger that morning knowing the owner would be ariving that day and it was possible that the separate low amp charger was also present. That combination could have cause the spark that ingnited the hydrogen gas produced by all wet cell lead acid batteries.
The pull down staircase was open to the garage attic for ventilation and the fire spread throughout the structure very fast and the house was destroyed.
To answer your question all lead acid batteries produce hydrogen gas and no MFG is better than anouther in this case.
Sta Rite Golf Cart

Just check your batteries once a month.

We know there are tens of thousands of elec carts here, we don't see fires every day.

I think this battery fire risk is unfounded for the most part and just a way some owners of gas carts justify their choice. There are risks with gas carts too as well as your toaster and many other house hold items.

[jimbo2012]

Gas cart stats

2002: A Club Car gasoline model; 7,300 units sold February-April 2002 for $4,000-$9,000. The fuel tank could leak, posing a fire hazard. By October 2003, the company had received 10 reports of leaks but no injuries.

2005: E-Z-Go gasoline models; 60,000 units sold from 2002-2005 for $6,400-$8,000. “High engine temperatures can permit fuel to get into the air filter box, posing a risk of fire.” As of 2005, there were 12 reports of fires.

July 19, 2012: Five Club Car gasoline models; about 800 units sold March-May 2012 for $5,000-$7,000. The fuel hose could separate from the tank. The model numbers recalled were updated in February 2013. By then, there had been three reports of hose separations, with no reported injuries.

Sept. 9, 2012: 19 Club Car gasoline models; about 4,000 units told April-Jue 2012 for $5,000-$17,000. The model numbers recalled were updated in January 2013. The fuel tank filler neck could crack and allow gasoline to leak. There have been 10 reports of cracks, with no fires or injuries.