Today, you’re seeing more and more courses switching to electric carts. Electric carts off many advantages to traditional gas and diesel carts. They’re more reliable, durable and they offer a smoother ride for drivers. Still, electric golf carts have their own set of challenges for those that want to keep them in great shape.
The most important aspect of an electric cart is its battery — this is what helps keep these types of carts humming for years at a time. You want to make sure that you’re paying close attention to the battery and providing regular upkeep so that your cart stays healthy.
Maintaining electric golf cart batteries take a little work and some knowledge — in this article, we’ll take a look at the various ways you can keep your batteries fresh.
10 Ways to Maintain Your Golf Car Batteries
Electric carts are still a relatively new innovation for many. Instead of a gas engine, you now have a battery resting under the seats. So how do you make sure it’s healthy? Here are 10 ways to maintain your golf cart batteries.
1. Keep it Dry
One of the most important ways to help maintain your golf cart batteries is to keep them dry. This may seem a bit contradictory, as you’ll be pouring water in on a regular basis to keep them fresh. But you want to be careful when you do this and wipe off any excess when you’re done.
If any water is left on the battery, rust could start to form. Be sure to keep your battery dry so that you can avoid harmful corrosion.
2. Take Preventative Measures
You can also use anti-rust and corrosion sprays to ensure that rust doesn’t start forming in the first place. The sooner you start defending against these dangers, the better chances you’ll have of stopping harm before it even starts.
3. Clean Regularly
It’s important to clean your battery regularly. To do this, you can get a small brush and some baking soda and scrub any residue from your battery. If there’s any corrosion, it should come off with a little bit of elbow grease. Be sure you’re wearing gloves and eye protection during cleaning to protect yourself from any acid on the battery.
4. Use Your Battery Often
Make sure you’re testing your battery and driving often so that you keep it fresh. If it’s sitting in storage during the entire offseason, it might start lose some of its maximum potential. Using your cart on a regular basis ensures that you’re getting that full charge every time you use it.
5. Charge Before It Drains Completely
It’s best to do a recharge of your golf battery when it’s between 50 and 80 percent. Any less than that, and you start to take the chance that your cart might just die completely, which may be harmful for the battery. Try to get a new charge at a little over 50 percent to make sure that it’s staying healthy.
6. Avoid Overcharging
Although it’s best to make sure your battery never dies, you should also be aware of overcharging — this might have some ill effects on your electric carts too. Make sure you know when your cart is near 100 percent charged so that you can unplug and start using it again.
7. Check Water Levels Frequently
Adding water is essential for the life of a golf cart battery. Forgetting to add water can cause your battery to flake or even catch fire. It’s best to stay on top of golf battery maintenance so that you know the condition of the battery and have confidence in its operations. Check the water levels on a regular basis and refill when necessary.
Once you get into a routine of doing this, you’ll have confidence that your battery is in great shape and won’t have to worry about any issues. It’s best to add water to your battery immediately after charging.
8. Keep Your Battery’s History in Mind
You’ll also want to consider the history of your battery as you do maintenance. Is your battery brand new, or did you get it used? This will have a big impact on how it operates. If your battery is new, for example, then you should be expecting it to last for years. But if you’ve gotten it secondhand, you may not know how long it has left.
In both cases, you want to make sure you’re keeping up with regular maintenance. But that little bit of history can help you understand your battery’s lifespan and help you plan for the future.
9. Don’t Overfill
When filling your batteries with water, make sure you’re being careful not to overfill. Overflowing tap water contains trace amounts of chemicals that can start to corrode your battery. If you only need to add a little bit more water to get to the desired height, you might want to use distilled water.
10. Keep a Record
Be vigilant with your golf cart battery — keep a ledger of the voltage and other details such as cleanings, water fillings and anything you notice during inspections. These notes will go a long way if something goes wrong or if you’re considering buying a new battery.
11. Consult a Professional
Sometimes trying to keep up with electric batteries can be overwhelming — there are a lot of different aspects to keep up with. Feel free to reach out to a golf cart professional that can help you keep your battery in great shape.
Maintaining Golf Cart Batteries: The Bottom Line
The future of golf involves electric carts, so it’s important to understand their inner workings and the best ways to keep them working. Keep reading to find how long your golf cart battery should last.
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