Golf-FAQ.com

what happens to a golf cart battery if it doesn't have enough water

by Adeline Bruen Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

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.Jan 23, 2019

Full Answer

What kind of water goes in golf cart batteries?

  • Ensure that you fill water in your golf cart batteries only after charging them. ...
  • Use only distilled water so that there is no possibility of contamination.
  • Service your golf cart batteries on a half-yearly or a yearly basis.

Can I use purified water in my golf cart battery?

When the water inside the batteries evaporates, this results in a dry battery; resulting in reduced water levels. 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.

Which golf cart battery is best?

What are the Advantages of Lithium Batteries for Golf Carts?

  • Constant power – Unlike lead-acid batteries, lithium batteries operate at full power throughout discharge, even when they are at less than 5%. ...
  • Lightweight – Lithium batteries are 50-60% lighter than their lead-acid equivalents. ...
  • Fast charging – Lithium batteries can be fully charged within 1-3 hours. ...

More items...

What is the best battery charger for a golf cart?

PROS:

  • This product is designed in a fully automatic manner so that it can easily charge a golf cart battery.
  • This is great for golf carts – and can be used for many other different batteries, which may be important to some consumers.
  • This charger was designed with reverse polarity protection.
  • There is a power on, power off, and fully charged indication.

More items...

Are golf cart batteries supposed to be full of 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.

What happens if golf cart batteries go dry?

As the water level reduces, the cell plate in the battery is exposed, dried, and flake off to cause sulfation. One of the reasons to avoid overcharging or leaving your golf cart plugged all the time is to prevent your battery from an early grave.

How do you know when your golf cart battery needs water?

According to most battery experts, your golf cart water should be about one-quarter inch below the top of the fill well. Another way to gauge this level is to make sure the water covers your battery cell plates but doesn't go too high above them. It should just cover them up without making them disappear.

How often do I need to put water in my golf cart batteries?

Always fill the batteries after charging. The typical schedule is about once every 30 days, but this may vary by several days depending on your specific situation. When filling the batteries, add just enough water to bring it 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch shy of the indicator ring to prevent overfilling.

Is a battery ruined if it runs out of water?

What Happens If A Lead-Acid Battery Runs Out Of Water? If that happens, the lead plates will be exposed to the existing oxygen and hydrogen gas in the battery. This exposure will cause an exothermic reaction with the battery terminals, emitting huge amounts of heat. The heat will further evaporate the water.

How do you revive a dry golf cart battery?

Step 1: Tip the battery on its edge: Allow approximately half the battery acid to run out of each cell and into a plastic container. ... Step 2: Mix 8 ounces of Epsom salts into 2 quarts of warm distilled water: Stir thoroughly. ... Step 3: Put the battery or batteries on a charger.

How often do you need to add water to a battery?

A battery should only be watered after it is completely charged. But, you should always check the water level before charging. Before charging, make sure there is just enough water to cover any exposed plates (rectangular metal parts visible when you look inside a battery).

When should I fill my battery with water?

While a battery should only be filled after it is completely charged, you should also check the water level before charging to make sure there is just enough water to cover any exposed plates. After charging, add enough water to bring the level to the bottom of the vent, about ¾ below the top of the cell.

What happens if you don't use distilled water in golf cart batteries?

The chemical balance inside of a battery will become compromised by adding tap or well water into them. Overtime this lessens the effectiveness of the sulfuric acid inside of the battery cell.

What the best time to refill your golf cart battery water?

It is best to refill your golf cart batteries water when it’s low. Read your battery maintenance manual to know how to check your battery water level. You can also consult your golf cart maintenance expert to check or teach you how to check the water level.

How often do golf cart batteries need water?

If you noticed the water level falls below the maximum line, it is advisable to refill with the recommended battery water.

LUXE Electric Car

LUXE Electric Car is the only Luxury, Custom, Electric Golf Car manufacturer in the Coachella Valley.

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.

What happens if golf cart batteries run out of water?

If the electrolyte solution “water” falls too far, the lead plates in your batteries can become exposed to the air and start to sulfate and become inactive. This drastically reduces the life and performance of your battery. Let’s look into what you can do to prevent this from happening.

How often should I check the water level in my golf car batteries?

The biggest determining factor to answering this question is how much your golf car is used.

When should I add water to my batteries?

Once you notice that your golf car batteries are low, you need to determine how low. Follow these guidelines:

What kind of water is safe for my golf car batteries?

You’ve determined that your batteries need some water added to them and you’ve charged them. What kind of water should you use?

How do I add water to my golf car batteries?

Adding water to golf car batteries isn’t complicated, but there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind when working with batteries.

How much water should I add to my golf car batteries

If you inspect your batteries regularly you should not have to add much water on each occasion which will make the entire process faster. Generally, you only want to fill them until the solution is about ¼ inch above the lead plates.

Why do you need to refill a golf cart battery?

These components submerge the plates in order to produce energy. When the battery is discharged, the water level that contains electrolytes becomes lower.

Why does my golf cart water evaporate?

This happens during the summer or in places with higher temperatures. When a golf cart is exposed to high temperatures for a prolonged period of time, the water inside the battery tends to evaporate. As the water continues to evaporate, the water level becomes lower and lower.

Why do you need to refill a battery with water?

The idea behind refilling your battery with water is to prevent the plates from getting exposed. When you refill, make sure the water level is above the plates. You might also be wondering what level is right so you don’t overfill it. In your battery, you can use the plastic vent as your gauge. Make sure the level is slightly below the bottom ...

What happens when a battery is discharged?

When the battery is discharged, the water level that contains electrolytes becomes lower. This is normal as the water gets back to its normal level after recharging. The critical condition is when the water level becomes lower even if the battery is not discharged. This happens during the summer or in places with higher temperatures.

Can you recharge a golf cart battery?

This condition is called sulfation, and when this happens, you can no longer recharge the battery. To avoid this, you should refill the water in your golf cart battery regularly.

Can a Trojan 6 volt battery go bad?

Every battery can go bad, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a Trojan 6 volt, 12 volt, or any other brand. The truth is that there is still no such thing as a perfect battery. The most common problem with the Trojan 6 volt is gassing, which is caused by an imbalance spread of the amount of electrolytes and acid.

Can you keep a golf cart battery in water?

Nevertheless, this can be avoided through keeping the water at normal levels. Golf cart batteries may seem to be complicated to use, but it’s easy to maintain once you know the proper way of using it as all batteries need to be taken care of.

What happens if your golf cart battery fails?

Obviously, for electric golf carts, the battery is what provides power to your motor. If your batteries start to quit on you, the golf cart won’t move, or will drastically decrease in range. With a gas motor, the battery is what starts the motor and keeps it running by providing electricity to the spark plugs. Without it, your motor won’t crank.

Why is my golf cart battery failing?

The most common thing that leads to early golf cart battery failure is corrosion. The problem goes deeper, too. It will ruin your cables, terminals, and even cause damage to battery trays and tie downs. Replacing a whole battery cable can be costly and difficult, so it’s best to avoid that problem.

How to clean corroded battery posts?

Undo the terminals from the battery posts and soak the corroded area in the cleaner or baking soda solution for about 5 or so minutes, then put on some gloves, grab your wire brush, and keep scrubbing until it’s all gone. Repeat as necessary, then rinse with a lot of water.

How does a battery work?

Your battery works by having two metals, a cathode and anode, react to each other to create chemical energy that we harness as electrical energy. With wet cell lead-acid batteries, these metals are kept in a liquid electrolyte, a liquid solution comprised of pure water and hydrosulphuric acid mixed to a set specific gravity. Other types of batteries typically use a gel, mat, or solid electrolyte to perform the same function. For the purpose of this topic however, the only battery we’ll be discussing is the traditional lead-acid battery, as this is the only type of battery for which you will have to worry about electrolyte levels.

Why is my battery puddled?

If your battery gets dirty, muddy, grimy, or anything else, make sure to clean that off too. These things can cause extra resistance in your electrical system, putting an unnecessary drain on your battery and shortening its life.

How long do batteries last?

All joking aside, every battery is different, but most properly maintained batteries will last about 4 to 6 years depending on usage, charge cycle, and a bunch of uncontrollable variables. Lead acid batteries will require a lot of maintenance to do so, however.

What happens when hydrogen gas is released from a battery?

Look for corrosion often, and neutralize it immediately. It’s a long and never ending war, but your wallet will thank you. Corrosion happens when hydrogen gases, released from your battery, mix with other chemicals and gasses in the atmosphere, and then bond to the metals of cables, terminals, and battery posts.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9