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how full do i fill golf cart batteries with water

by Juvenal Davis Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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After charging your battery is when you want to add water. Adding water after charging prevents acid from spilling over. You'll want to add water to 1/2 inch from the top of the battery. 2) We recommend service once or twice a year.Oct 7, 2016

Full Answer

Can you fill a golf cart battery with water?

Batteries must be refilled only when they are completely charged. Refilling them when they are discharged can result in leakage of battery fluids after recharging. Ensure that you fill water in your golf cart batteries only after charging them. Add water so that the water level remains about half an inch above the top of the battery plates.

How to check the water level of a golf cart battery?

To check the golf cart battery water level, you should know what the right water level is. This can help you avoid underwatering or overwatering the batteries, both of which can cause damage to them as mentioned above. The general suggestion is to ensure that the water is above the battery plates by only a quarter to half an inch.

How often should you fill your golf cart with water?

Make sure you use distilled water, not tap water. Fill it to a level above the plates, but below the vents. The more you use your cart, the more you’ll have to refill it – the average golf cart user should be fine doing it once a month.

How often should I refill my golf cart battery?

It mostly depends on how often you use it. The more you use it, the more often it will need to be refilled. For the average user, who may use their golf cart two or three times per week, it’s recommended that they check their batteries’ water levels once every month or so.

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How full should the water level be in a battery?

The water level should be about a ½ inch above the tops of the plates to be considered in normal range. When adding more water, make sure you use distilled water. Tap water contains minerals that can diminish the performance of the battery and can increase the rate at which they self-discharge.

How do I check the water level in my electric golf cart?

Look down into the cart battery holes to see each of the cells. You can use a small flashlight to shine a little light into an adjacent hole to illuminate the one you are inspecting. 4. Check the level of the water against the fill line in the battery cell.

What happens when golf cart batteries are low on water?

If the water level in your golf cart battery is too low, the plates inside the battery will dry out and begin to flake off. When this happens, you will lose the ability to recharge your golf cart, and you will have to replace your battery altogether.

How do I know if my golf cart batteries need water?

2:174:44How to Fill Your Electric Golf Car Batteries | Golf Cart MaintenanceYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIf you have to the most important thing is to have the proper water. Level. All right we're going toMoreIf you have to the most important thing is to have the proper water. Level. All right we're going to remove the tops off the batteries. This particular battery has a one-piece cap.

Should you charge your golf cart after every use?

Should you charge new golf cart batteries? Yes. New golf cart batteries should be charged every time they are used as this will extend their lifespan, help them retain their capacity for longer, and prevent discharge. It is vitally important to charge new golf cart batteries, even after their first use.

How do I know if my battery needs water?

Check to see if your battery has a green light on top. This usually tells you if the water level is good. If it's gone dark then your battery needs water, or if it turned yellow then your battery needs some assistance. You should not mess with your car battery on your own!

Can you put too much water in a battery?

Don't Over Water If too much water was added before charging, the electrolyte levels will expand and cause the battery to overflow and damage the battery. Additionally, excessive watering of a battery can result in additional dilution of the electrolyte, resulting in reduced battery performance.

Should I charge golf cart batteries after adding water?

Overwatering and under watering can both be detrimental to your battery. Before attempting to fill your battery, it should be completely charged. Only add water to a discharged battery if the battery plates are exposed, in this instance only add water to cover the plates.

How to add water to golf cart batteries?

To add water to golf cart batteries, you need to fill the battery cells with distilled water. Fill the water above the battery plates by 1/4 – 1/2 an inch, but below the level of the vents.

What are golf cart batteries made of?

Golf cart batteries consist of sulfuric acid and several other electrolytes. The battery plates must be submerged in them so that the required energy is produced to get the cart in motion. When the batteries are discharged, the level of the water that contains these electrolytes goes down.

Why is my golf cart battery completely discharged?

The batteries are completely discharged because the golf cart has been idle for a long time. Charge the batteries fully and fill the water to the desired level. You may want to first charge each battery partly and then charge the pack as a whole together fully.

Why does my battery get drained out?

This can result in the new battery getting drained out because the water tends to boil off.

What happens when batteries are discharged?

When the batteries are discharged, the level of the water that contains these electrolytes goes down. This is quite normal and there is nothing to worry about. The water quantity is usually restored to the optimum level automatically when the batteries are charged correctly.

Why is distilled water bad for batteries?

This is because distilled water is the purest form of water and is free of contaminants, minerals, or chemicals that can hamper the chemical process that takes place inside the batteries. The presence of contaminants, minerals, or chemicals in the water can damage the batteries.

Why do you need to allow water to go below the top of the battery plate?

Allow the water level to go below the top of the battery plates as it can reduce battery efficiency.

How do I know if my golf cart batteries need water?

When you are checking the water level in the cells of your battery, you want to make sure that the plates in the battery are covered with water, and that the water level is at the correct level when the battery is fully charged.

What type of water should I add to my golf cart battery?

Every major battery manufacturer recommends that distilled water be added to flooded lead acid batteries. There are a couple of acceptable alternatives, such as de-ionized (demineralized) water, or reverse osmosis water. But the recommendation is distilled water.

How much distilled water do you put in a golf cart battery?

The actual amount of water you may have to add will vary based upon the current level of water in your golf car batteries, but the end result is that you should add as much as necessary to achieve a water level approximately 1/8 – 1/4th of an inch below the bottom of the vent well when fully charged. See diagram above.

Can you put too much water in golf cart batteries?

You can add too much water to your golf cart battery cell. This should be avoided at all costs. You do NOT want to fill your golf cart battery to the cap. This will result in battery acid spilling out of the top of your battery, causing a mess and losing electrolyte and resulting in your battery losing capacity.

Can you use bottled water instead of distilled water in a battery?

Most bottled water has minerals added for taste. You should not use bottled water to fill your golf cart battery. Minerals will be attracted to and accumulate on the plates inside the battery and significantly reduce their capacity and life.

Should I charge golf cart batteries after adding water?

Your golf car should be fully charged before adding water to your batteries, but if you want to charge the golf cart batteries after adding water you can. Your charger may initiate an equalization charge which may cause your batteries to bubble and gas, so you may want to prevent or stop the equalization after charging for an hour or so.

What happens when golf cart batteries are low on water?

Trojan will periodically request that dealers or golf car distributors send them batteries that are being processed for warranty due to failure so they can perform a “battery autopsy” to determine the cause of failure. Sometimes a battery failure is due to a manufacturing defect, but many times they discover the failure is due to poor maintenance.

How often should I refill golf cart batteries?

All relative to use (charge/discharge) but on average a good rule of thumb it should be done monthly. Bi-monthly if it is a cart or system used daily. So you have purchased your new golf cart battery watering system and still not quite sure when or how to use it. Hopefully this little How To article will take all the guess work out of the procedure of actually filling your batteries with distilled water.

How to fill a battery pump?

Squeeze the bulb on the manual pump to begin filling the battery cells with water. Not fast pulses but slow deliberate hand action especially in the initial priming of the pump. Squeeze completely and release to let the tubing and ball begin to fill with water. Usually takes several to do so. Then you will start filling the batteries. Watch as the quick look indicators start to rise and fall with every pump. When the bulb becomes very hard and the valve indicator eyes have risen, all of the cells should be full.

How to connect a battery watering system to gravity feed?

Insert the one point male connector on the battery watering system into the connecting adapter on the gravity feed fill tank. Once connected the flow indicator will start to move reflecting water/electrolyte is flowing into your batteries. When the flow indicator stops spinning the battery bank should be full. You can then confirm by looking at the quick look indicators on the individual valves of a BWT system or Philadelphia Scientific system.

How to connect a manual water pump to a battery?

Connect the manual pump to the battery watering system by inserting the connector from the kit into the connecting adapter on the hand pump.

How to disconnect direct fill link from battery watering system?

Disconnect Direct Fill Link from the battery watering system by pushing the release button on the connector.

How to disconnect battery watering system?

Disconnect from the battery watering system by pushing the release button on the connector.

What is gravity feed fill tank?

Using a gravity feed fill tank is a great way to get electrolyte into a battery bank. Especially good for large battery banks like solar applications and such where it would just take forever to use a manual hand pump. Most important element of this procedure: only check and fill batteries or battery bank after they have been fully charged!

What happens if you don't water your golf cart battery?

If you don’t water your golf car batteries, you risk it having issues and becoming inoperable. As you learn how to maintain your golf car, please take a close look at our guide to learn how to add water to your golf cart batteries correctly.

How to use watered batteries in a car?

Once you’ve determined the level, slowly pour distilled water into the cell and gauge the rising water level. Once the water has reached a good height, stop pouring and reattach the cover. Once reattached, wait a few minutes before starting the car up. The watered batteries are good to use for up to two months.

Can you compare watering batteries to gardening?

If we could compare watering our batteries to anything, we could compare to gardening. When we’re working on gardens, we wait for rainwater to dry before watering the plants to avoid damaging and overwatering plants. It’s the same thing with watering batteries.

Can you water a golf car?

Unfortunately, you can’t water your golf car batteries randomly because you risk damaging your golf car. So when scheduling watering times, the first step is completing a monthly check of battery water levels.

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