How to Perform Golf Cart Battery Maintenance
Posted by Alex Sturwold on Jul 19, 2024
Estimated read time: 5 minutes
- Key Points:
- Tips for extending battery life
- Signs your batteries are in trouble and how to address them
- How to charge (and store) your batteries properly
Golf Cart Battery Maintenance: How-To Guide
If you have lead-acid (traditional) golf cart batteries, then this guide is for you! It will help prevent your cart from being underpowered, or worse yet, leaving you stranded. It will also save you money. Because neglecting your cart's batteries can lead to reduced lifespan, expensive replacement costs, and poor performance during use. We experienced this when getting stranded in our own Batman Tumbler Golf Cart after neglecting to take care of the battery maintenance (even though we had it on a battery tender).
The good news is that maintaining your golf cart batteries is easy to do during your normal cart usage.
Why Maintain Your Golf Cart Batteries?
- Cost Savings: Proper maintenance extends battery life, reducing the frequency of expensive replacements.
- Reliable Performance: Well-maintained batteries ensure your golf cart operates at peak performance.
- Avoid Stranding: Regular checks prevent unexpected battery failures that can leave you stuck on the course.
How to Maintain Your Golf Cart Batteries
Below are the 5-Steps on how to maintain your golf cart batteries. We have also provided you a battery maintenance schedule table at the end of this list, which summarizes what you should do and how often.
Regularly Check Water Levels
Low water levels can damage your batteries. It is important you check your water levels with lead-acid (traditional) golf cart batteries.
- Ensure the fluid in each cell covers the battery plates, but is below the vent well.
- Use only distilled water and top off as needed.
- Tip: Avoid overfilling to prevent overflow during charging.
Clean the Battery Terminals and Check Connections
Corrosion can disrupt the connection and performance of your batteries. Keeping your battery terminals clean will ensure this doesn't happen. You will also want to check for any loose connections at this time, which can also lead to poor performance and potential safety hazards.
- Use a mixture of baking soda and water to clean corrosion.
- Apply a thin coat of petroleum jelly to the terminals to prevent future corrosion.
- Check and tighten any loose connections to ensure optimal power flow.
- Tip: Wear gloves and safety glasses to protect yourself from battery acid.
Inspect for Wear and Tear
- Look for cracks, leaks, or damaged cables.
- Replace any worn-out parts or individual batteries immediately.
- Tip: Keep an eye out for swelling battery cases, which can indicate internal damage and can be dangerous.
Charge Correctly after Use
Proper battery charging habits will significantly extend the life of your batteries. Following the manufacturer's guidelines for charging, and making sure you use an approved golf cart battery charger will ensure your cart's battery performance is at peak and battery life is extended.
- Charge after every use, even if you haven't used your cart for long. Overnight charging is easiest.
- Use the correct golf cart battery charger/maintainer with auto-shutoff function
- Avoid completely draining the batteries (deep-discharges below 20-30% hurt)
- Avoid overcharging the batteries.
- Tip: Use an automatic golf cart charger to prevent overcharging.
- Sulfation Prevention: Always recharge batteries after each use, especially if they are discharged beyond 50%, to prevent sulfation, which can damage your battery.
Store Properly During Off-Season
When storing your golf cart, particularly for long periods, follow these steps to keep your battery in top condition:
- Fully charge the batteries before storing your cart.
- Disconnect the batteries from the cart, when possible. They can stay in the tray, but make sure to store cart in a cool, dry place.
- If not disconnecting batteries, set your charger to an equalizing mode during long-term storage.
- Tip: Equalizing helps balance the charge across all battery cells, extending their life.
Battery Maintenance Schedule
Creating a regular maintenance schedule can help you stay on top of your golf cart battery care. Here’s a simple chart to keep you organized:
| Task | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Check water levels | Monthly |
| Clean terminals | Monthly |
| Inspect for damage | Monthly |
| Charge battery | After each use |
| Perform a full charge cycle | Monthly |
| Equalize the batteries | Every month or two |
| Check for loose connections | Monthly |
| Use a battery maintainer | During storage or long periods of non-use |
Lithium Golf Cart Batteries: The Game Changer
Since their market introduction in 2019, lithium golf cart batteries lithium golf cart batteries have revolutionized battery maintenance. Unlike traditional lead-acid batteries, lithium batteries require no maintenance. Simply plug them in like your cell phone and you're good to go. They offer:
- Longer Lifespan: Typically lasting 5-10 years.
- No Maintenance: No need to check water levels or clean terminals.
- Faster Charging: Often fully charge in a few hours.
- Lightweight: Reduces the overall weight of your golf cart.
- Better Performance: Consistent power output and efficiency.
Signs of Battery Trouble
Recognizing early signs of battery problems can save you from unexpected breakdowns and danger. Watch out for:
- Slow cranking: If your cart is struggling to start, it might be a sign that the battery is losing its charge capacity.
- Swollen battery cases: This can indicate overheating or internal damage.
- Corrosion: Excessive corrosion around the terminals is a sign that the battery may be leaking or venting gas.
Conclusion
Maintaining your golf cart batteries is critical to ensure long-lasting performance, saving money, and avoiding frustrating breakdowns. By following these routine steps, you can keep your cart's batteries in top shape with little effort. And with newer lithium golf cart batteries, the process has become even easier, allowing you to focus more on enjoying time with family or out on the course, and less on maintenance.
The GCTS team is always here to help keep your golf cart running smoothly, find you the golf cart parts you need, and answer any questions you might have.
Thanks for reading!
