Charging Your Golf Cart when You Leave for the Season

Snow birds and their golf cars

Out of sight out of mind, is bad news for golf cart batteries. 

A golf cart must be charged once a month whether the car is used or not.  If a golf cart sits for six months and the batteries were never charged during that time, you could ruin your batteries.  A new set of batteries costs $905.  

In a cold climate a fully charged battery can be in an unheated garage for 6 months, and still be good.  This is not the case in a hot un-airconditioned garage that can be over 90 degrees in the summer. If a battery sits for six months without being charged in those condition it will likely be damaged and un-repairable. 

Many families have a house sitter that checks on their house.  Please ask the house sitter to arrive at 9am to plug in the charger, and then come back at 5pm to unplug the charger as it takes eight (8) hours to charge the golf cart batteries. It is recommended to have the house sitter check on the water level of the batteries. If the water level is low, they will need to add water to the batteries. It is preferable that it be filled with distilled water. 

The battery charger cannot be left plugged into the golf cart for six months, expecting it to charge up the car whenever the batteries get low on charge.  Golf cart battery chargers do not work that way.  Battery chargers need to be unplugged and plugged back in, recycled, so to speak, in order to keep your golf cart charged up and ready for use when you return to Florida. 

Call The Golf Car Connection at 954-946-8008 when you return to Florida, if you have any concerns, so that your golf cart is ready for your enjoyment. 

Golf Cart Battery Chargers

Golf Cart Battery Chargers 

There are  two types of golf car battery chargers. They are 36-volt battery chargers and 48-volt battery chargers.The battery charger must match up with the golf car brand. They are not interchangeable.

If your golf car has a 36 volt electrical system, you need a 36-volt charger.  If your car has a modern 48-volt electrical system, then you need a 48 volt charger.  A charger must be kept in a dry location and protected from the rain.  

 
Golf cart chargers should always be plugged directly into a wall outlet.  In an emergency if you need to use an extension cord, you may use a 10 gauge wire extension cord.

When the charger is running, look for these signs to see if it is working:

• It may have either a gauge or lights indicating that it’s charging. 
• There may be a slight humming noise, the outside case is warm, and if you put your fingers lightly on the outside case you can feel a slight vibration.   
• You could use a volt ohm meter, and see how many volts the charger is putting into the batteries.   

A simple volt ohm meter can be purchased for under $20. For a 36-volt system you might see voltages from 38 volts to 43 volts. For a 48-volt charger you might see 50 volts to 55 volts. 

The Golf Car Connection repairs battery chargers. Don't hesitate to call us if you have any questions or concerns at 954-946-8008 or email info@golfcar.com.

Golf Cart Batteris: 36-volt & 48-volt Batteries

Golf Cart Batteries: 36-volt and 48-volt systems

Golf carts use deep cycle batteries which means they provide a steady current over a long period of time, as opposed to normal car batteries that provide a very large current over a short period of time.

 

For many years all golf carts worked on a 36 volt electrical system.  This system has fallen out of favor.  For the last ten years almost all golf carts work on a modern 48 volt system.  

How do you know if your golf car has a 36 volt electrical system?  When you fill your batteries with water notice how many holes each battery has.  If your batteries have 3 holes you have a 36-volt electrical system.
Each battery is 6 volts, and there are 6 batteries hooked up in series in the car.
Therefore 6 volts x 6 batteries = 36 volts.

Note: you need the appropriate battery charger for a 36-volt or 48-volt system.

Email info@golfcar.com for more about golf cart batteries and other golf cart parts.