Charging Batteries

[shortsaler]

I just purchased a used Club Car (1998) got a great deal and it does run quite nicely. It has the higher speed motor. I have two questions: 1. how long does it take to charge the batteries. I understand there is a cycle they go through but if it is only 1/4 out of full charge do you have to keep it plugged in for 8 hours or more? 2. Can you use an extension chord if your battery does not reach the outlet. Someone told me that they are the primary cause of house fires if used to charge a golf cart battery.

THANKS for your help fellow villagers!!

[Regor]

You can and should charge after each use. Just plug it in and forget it. It will shut itself off when charged. I don't think an extension cord is a good idea unless you use a heavy duty one.

[lightworker888]

I have a 2003 Club Car and I usually keep in plugged in after each use. Recently I noticed that the meter reader goes into the red zone to the right of the full charge indication so I left it off the charge and it is now indicating the mid charge range after 2 uses. Does anyone know what the red part on the right side of the meter reader represents and should I be concerned. It never used to go over that far. Thanks for any ideas.

LW888

[ajbrown]

1. how long does it take to charge the batteries. I understand there is a cycle they go through but if it is only 1/4 out of full charge do you have to keep it plugged in for 8 hours or more? 2. Can you use an extension chord if your battery does not reach the outlet. Someone told me that they are the primary cause of house fires if used to charge a golf cart battery.

THANKS for your help fellow villagers!!

If it is the Club Car charger then plug it in and let it complete the charge after "every" use. I may not bother to charge if I go to the neighbors for 5 minutes, but anything more than 10-15 minutes of pedal time gets a charge.

How long it takes will depend on the condition of your batteries and the level of discharge, up to 16 hours I believe.

If you MUST use an extension be sure it has a high enough rating to handle that 20 AMP circuit. (I do not know what it needs to be). It is also one more connection point you must keep clean. A dirty connection can cause heat. Occasionally check the wires when the pack is charging to be sure they are not getting hot.

[ajbrown]

I have a 2003 Club Car and I usually keep in plugged in after each use. Recently I noticed that the meter reader goes into the red zone to the right of the full charge indication so I left it off the charge and it is now indicating the mid charge range after 2 uses. Does anyone know what the red part on the right side of the meter reader represents and should I be concerned. It never used to go over that far. Thanks for any ideas.

LW888

I am not sure the type of meter you have, but what is happening sounds normal to me. After using the cart the battery pack will likely be around 49 volts. When you plug the charger in the voltage of the pack will steadily go up. At the end of the charge cycle while the batteries are "boiling" the voltage of the pack will be as high as 63 volts which would show very high on a meter. This is normal.

After the charge a good set of batteries will settle back to just under 51 volts. Nice reference site here:

http://www.trojanbattery.com/Tech-Support/BatteryMaintenance.aspx