No, No, No

As a longtime owner of E-Z-Go golf carts, I'd suggest the following:

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ELECTRIC CART PLUGGED IN FOR YOUR LONGTIME ABSENCE

1. Fill your batteries with distilled water.
2. Fully charge the batteries
3. After charging, lift the seat and select the "Tow" position from the "Run-Tow" toggle switch.

If you do these things your cart will very likely maintain almost all it's charge and require very little "topping off" when you return. When you do return, toggle the switch back to "Run", then I'd definitely recommend filling the batteries for any water that may have evaporated in your absence.

Just because I'm paranoid doesn't me no one is chasing me. There have been more than one reported fire in TV resulting while an electric cart was in the charging mode.

What you frame as paranoid I term safety conscious. Its the insurance guy in me and the 40 years of "Ï can't believe that could happen to me" retelling experiences rendered by customers. And its the risk reduction education we would pass along to our customers

I traded in my electric cart for a gas cart about a year ago. And boy is it a pain to empty that gas tank every night and refill it in the morning:D

VK, You may wish to research the "tow mode" advice. Town & Country was very specific about not storing an EZGo cart in tow mode. Because I was curious I also read the owner's manual which also confirmed this advice. Perhaps you have an older EZGo?

The EZGo RXV carts with the AC motor are not supposed to be stored in tow mode because in tow mode they draw current from the batteries to unlock the armature. If you don't have to apply the brake when you park your EZGo cart, you probably have a newer RXV.

The is the battery saver I use

Save A Battery 48 Volt 50 Watt PULSE Charger Maintainer

Leave it on when I go back north for a few months. I think it works.

I wouldn't.

I have the EZ GO ac, I called the company [not local dealer] about the car sitting for a long period of time...They told me never use a battery tender, leave it unplugged, unhook the negative battery cable where it grounds to the car. When you get back just hook it back up and charge it...Done this for several years never a problem...As far as leaving it plugged in, if you get a lightening strike it would fry your charger and the cart and always the possibility of the charger malfunctioning and burning down your house.

REDWITCH you're right! By leaving a battery charger on for even a couple of months at a time is very hard on them & the life of that battery probably will be cut in half. Battery chargers make a battery hot & will boil or make it hot enough that the water will evaporate in a very short time. I would do what REDWITCH said, get a battery tender. I had a battery backup sump pump in my last home (in Ohio) & when I first got it I left it plugged in all the time & this battery was a Marine battery, it's better than what these golf carts have, it lasted 1 yr. & I had to buy another expensive Marine battery. So to answer you question, NO I wouldn't leave you cart plug in for 5 months, personally I would make sure it's fully charged before I left & leave it go. Leaving it charge will cook it!

OhioBuckeye
 

If she's not going to do anything I would make sure it has a full charge & leave it go, 5 months really isn't that long to leave a battery sit. It's better than charging it for 5 months, because it'll for sure be cooked. Yes you're right though I would put a discharger on it so it's charging & discharging all the time.:gc:

OP, not sure you are still reading this, but IMO, there is some misinformation on this thread. I never felt comfortable leaving my normal charger plugged in for months as it gets hot. I would prefer to plug it when needed after inspecting that the area and connection are clean and safe. This is why a battery minder or other product like it is preferred.

Here is a nice link on batteries..

Deep Cycle Battery FAQ

A relevant snippet (bold added by Alan) from that link is here:

Battery Voltages
All Lead-Acid batteries supply about 2.14 volts per cell (12.6 to 12.8 for a 12 volt battery) when fully charged. Batteries that are stored for long periods will eventually lose all their charge. This "leakage" or self discharge varies considerably with battery type, age, & temperature. It can range from about 1% to 15% per month. Generally, new AGM batteries have the lowest, and old industrial (Lead-Antimony plates) are the highest. In systems that are continually connected to some type charging source, whether it is solar, wind, or an AC powered charger this is seldom a problem.

However, one of the biggest killers of batteries is sitting stored in a partly discharged state for a few months.

A "float" trickle charge should be maintained on the batteries even if they are not used (or, especially if they are not used). Even most "dry charged" batteries (those sold without electrolyte so they can be shipped more easily, with acid added later) will deteriorate over time. Max storage life on those is about 18 to 30 months.

Batteries self-discharge faster at higher temperatures. Lifespan can also be seriously reduced at higher temperatures - most manufacturers state this as a 50% loss in life for every 15 degrees F over a 77 degree cell temperature. Lifespan is increased at the same rate if below 77 degrees, but capacity is reduced. This tends to even out in most systems - they will spend part of their life at higher temperatures, and part at lower. Typical self discharge rates for flooded are 5% to 15% per month.

Battery Tenders (Minders etc.) are not battery chargers. Tenders are meant to keep a battery(s) at full SOC (State of Charge). Batteries should be brought to full charge condition before using a Minder. They will not fry your batteries. They produce a very, very low amp, (mA- milliamp) charge at very low voltage. Once the batteries are brought up to full charge the Minder will either shut down (sleep mode) or go into Float mode.

If you are leaving the batteries connected to a Tender for long periods, I recommend you always plug it into a GFI( Ground Fault Interrupter) circuit. If anything should happen like a voltage spike, lightening strike, etc. it will trip before any damage will occur. The worse case scenario is your Tender will be off until the circuit is reset by a person.

To plug in or not is a personal decision. I have used them for years and they have always proven to be safe and effective. Make sure you buy a good quality Tender, it should have all the safety features needed for a safe operation. Read the Manuals, especially the part about using extension cords, a primary source for overheating.

Maybe golf cart 48 volt battery minders don't fail, but I have had two 12 volt minders go bad that were used to keep a motorcycle battery charged. They lost the ability to stop charging, resulting in cooked, and ruined, batteries. I would not vacate a house with a battery tender connected.