Breaking in new batteries
 

Is there anything that I should do special to break in new batteries on a Yamaha cart? Thanks

No break in required....good to go flat out day one.

From my reading, it is recommended you take it a little easy for the first charges. Google it...

Battery Boys recommends this, although I have never been this regimented...

Battery Boys (352) 643-1241 :: Battery break-in procedures

Yes there is a break in period before the batteries get to full capacity.

It takes about 25 charge cycles to get to full power. Don't discharge the batteries below 50 percent during this time.

Thank you for the information. I will start break in today.

This is my rule of thumb for the entire life of the pack. You think that is being overly cautious?

:oops:

Batteries are not suppose to go below 50 percent.

Rollie

Actually there are two sides to this coin. Here is a link to a post from when I was younger which quotes Trojan manufacturing... You will have to look to get the answer :)

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...390-post1.html

:wave: I looked.... but the answer for me was buy gas. But the post from almost 6 years ago was interesting.

Yeah, trade it in on a new '17 or '18 Yamaha gasoline golf cart. :D:D You'll never have to worry about burning your house down while it's plugged in.

[emoji3]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And the camps start to circle the wagons..:)

Drove one of the new carts at red fox today. It was so quiet it was hard to believe it was gas

Really? I was told not to charge my brand new batteries unless there were 3 bars. That is less than 50%. That is what I have done for the first year of owning our 2016 Yamaha electric cart. I was told this is how to condition the batteries.

I assume your charger is a smart charger....No breaking in required. The charger will take care of any Equalize charging needed.

Always charge your lead-acid batteries full every night! If you leave your batteries in any state of discharge, you will lead-sulfate crystallize the plates and ruin the batteries over time. No wonder people are only getting 3 years from their batteries...Keep them charged full using a smart charger with the proper battery charge profile.

You should not run the batteries down less than 20% State of Charge (SoC). My cart controller shuts down when batteries are at 20%...at about 55 miles. I have a 6x8V Trojan T-875 setup.

If you go away for an extended time do you use a trickle charger?

I have used a batteryMinder for the past five years and the batteries still have plenty of life in them. Also, nice to come back to TV after a few months to a ready-to-go cart.

If your looking for longest life, you are building in your own safety factor.

They recommend never going below 80 percent discharge, however, in the villages, many do this and lower and it will diminish life of the battery pack.

Whoever told you that needs to stop selling batteries.

That is not good to let a deep cycle battery sit uncharged.

That's not conditioning batteries, that's helping to shorten there life.

The problem in this industry is everyone is a battery expert or a golf car expert. Ask 10 shops how to properly charge your batteries and youll get 10 different answers. Its difficult for us to properly educate the public on both batteries and even golf car repair.

If you are using that calculation, then you are depleting the batteries to 80% discharge

It is nice to see we have a couple of golf cart folks on TOTV again (including TechGC). I am just a DYI guy always trying to learn.

Will the CC Powerdrive charger from 2002 do this equalization charge?

Thanks

You already know way more on this topic than most of us, AJ :-)

All chargers have been designed to equalize the batteries. The final 4 hours (or so) is to bring all the batteries to the same shut off voltage. With the advent of new style chargers, its has changed a bit with the way batteries are charged now.

"Will the CC Powerdrive charger from 2002 do this equalization charge?"

I don't know but I doubt it does a proper Equalize but good enough, I reckon. I am pretty sure that all new electric carts of the last 5 years come with a proper smart charger now. The smart charger will automatically perform equalization and trickle charging. My Yamaha charger performs an Equalize charge about every month (I know when it occurs because I can smell a faint sulfur sent in the garage). It will send 63V to the 48V set for about 4 hours boiling off any crystals that may be on the plates. It will also perform a charge cycle automatically every 2 weeks when I'm away.

If you want a good smart charger, look into Delta-q QuiQ 1000...About $350 and is programmable for all battery types and profiles.

I hardly ever drive over 20 miles (about 70% SoC) between full charges. Trojan T2 batteries should last 2500 charge cycles at 30% depth of discharge((DoD) 70% SoC = 30% DoD)...Like 7 years.

Like with most appliances, you should check the manufacturer's recommendations. Your owner's manual should say how, or if, to break in a battery plus future operating instructions. If you no longer have your owners manual most manufacturers post them online.

Ohiobuckeye
 

I agree, if you're a snow bird, I would disconnect the batteries & use a trickle charge or make sure they're fully charged before you go home for the summer. Also & I know nobody would take 6 to 8 batteries out of a cart but if you would for some reason, DON'T SIT BATTERIES ON CEMENT, IT'LL RUIN THEM! TECHGC & yes 10 shops will tell you 10 different things. Also keep the battery post clean & the top of the batteries!

It depends on what type of battery the cart has installed. (AGM, L-ION, Lead Acid) Some have charge recommendations, others have none.

Is it ok to have the charger on the floor while charging? Lots of questions, but I want to do this right. Thank you all.

This is not true of modern batteries. From everything i read years ago, leaving them on a cement floor does no harm to the battery.

I recall a couple of sites that in fact thought it is better than a shelf as the floor is cooler. One link of many:

ASK THE EXPERTS: Batteries on Concrete | Home Power Magazine

As long as the area is clean, why not?

My opinion... I would not overthink this. As folks have said, keep batteries watered, connections clean and tight.

So many easy to read articles on battery maintenance, have a read over coffee and 20 minutes later you will be a 'TOTV expert'

"DON'T SIT BATTERIES ON CEMENT, IT'LL RUIN THEM!"

Is a myth.

Just get a proper 3-stage smart charger and that's all you need for maximum battery life.

For the battery conditioning period, I was instructed by dealer to wait until the battery meter was down to 3 bars before I charged the batteries. Because of this, during the conditioning period when my cart was new, I charged the batteries about once a week. The conditioning period is over now but I still continue to charge the batteries about once a week. I don't need to charge the batteries every night because I don't drive it very much. Neither my husband or myself plays golf.

The literature I have when we purchased our 2016 Yamaha electric cart states to not allow the battery meter to go below 2 bars. That is more than 50% discharged.

What good is it to have a 60 mile range on one charge when you are supposed to go only 30 miles before having to charge the batteries?

I have been breaking in Dad's new batteries for the past week. Distance and speed is getting better. Mom will enjoy the quiet, except from the noises you hear from the tires, Curtis Cab, etc. It is a golf cart Mom!

Taking care of the batteries, adding water, the smell of charging in the garage and the worry of how far can I go really reminds me why I love my gas cart!

Coffeebean: If you don't keep the batteries fully charged, you will not get even 3 years from them. Battery replacement is $750.

What is your objection to keeping the cart plugged in when not in use?

probably thinking the are like Lithium Ion and don't want to get memory short charge???????

I don't have an objection at all. I just didn't know that not keeping them charged all the time would shorten the life of the batteries. I was told the batteries have a maximum amount of cycles before they will need to be replaced. I figured, the least amount of cycles, the longer the batteries would last. Right now, I'm only using one cycle per week by plugging it in only once per week. That is wrong to do?

Let me get this straight.....now that the batteries are "conditioned", I SHOULD charge the batteries every night even if I only drive 5 miles or less in one day? For example: to the mail center and back necessitates the cart to be plugged in?

Please advise. Thanks.

Ahhh, now I see where your coming from. Charge Cycles don't work that way...One charge cycle is from dead battery to full battery charge and not the number of times you plug it in. If you charge to 100% and then discharge to 70% full (About 25 miles with your Yamaha - EZGO RXV maybe 30 miles since it is more efficient/less powerful), you have used about 1/3 of a charge cycle. Trojan T batteries (The brand in your Yamaha) have about 2500 charge cycles with this depth of discharge. If you drive 25 miles everyday and plug it in every night you should see 2500 / 365 = Almost 7 years of battery life. You did not need to ever "condition" the batteries because the Yamaha smart charger takes care of everything for you. Charge your batteries full even if you only drive one mile that day. basically, plug in your cart, and leave it plugged in, every time you pull in the garage. The charger will cycle on and off on its own. It will even automatically perform a charge cycle every 2 weeks when your away for 7 months(snowbird?). The charger will also automatically perform an Equalize charge about every month. Keep them watered and charged...That's all you have to do.

I do this - When I pull into the garage and I know I will leave again in less than 30 minutes, I will not bother plugging it in. Any longer that 30 minutes and I always plug it in. I have the plug sitting on a shelf right next to me when I pull in the garage. I just reach over and plug it in before I even get off the cart. Plugging in is easier than putting on a seatbelt and it becomes second nature just to plug it in every time...Even after "a number" of beers :)

lead-acid and lithium batteries don't have charge memory problems. Only Nickel Cadmium batteries do.