Electric golf carts are all equipped with batteries; these batteries are deep cycle based and similar to what you would find on marine boats. A deep cycle battery can last for years if well maintained but will burn out quickly if neglected.

It’s important to keep your battery charged, allowing it to lose too much power can actually damage the battery. There are lots of charger options, both standard electrical and solar chargers exist, for best results it’s a good idea to have a charger that will automatically switch to low charge when the battery is full.

It’s best to charge the battery after every use and especially if you plan to leave it stored for an extended period of time. One vital rule you must always remember when handling a golf cart battery is safety, always wear gloves and goggles.

The batteries are acid based and use electricity neither of these things are fun for your skin and eyes. Never neglect safety for speed or convenience. It’s also vital to charge the battery correctly. Doing it wrong could damage the battery.

Once you’ve removed the battery from your cart use baking soda and water to clean the battery connections and cables. If the caps on your battery come off then fill the cells with distilled water. Dirty water or tap water is not ideal to get the best performance out of your battery. Therefore, use clean water.

Connect the cable to the battery and follow the instructions that came with your charger to make sure all connections and settings are correct before powering it on. Charge time can vary depending on the battery and the charger but it’s a good idea to try and detach the charger as soon as the battery is fully charged.

Immediately re-install the battery in the cart unless you plan to store it. If you don’t plan to use it again you can leave it plugged on a low charge setting. If you don’t leave it plugged you will need to recharge it in about two weeks before you use it.

The battery will not hold its charge longer than a few weeks at most. As mentioned earlier it’s not a good idea to let your batteries completely lose their charge. A process called sulfation causes sulfur to build up on the lead plates and eventually your batteries will no longer work.

If the worst happens however there are a few steps you can take to salvage the situation. Battery reconditioning will only work for so long, if you continue to allow your battery drain too regularly it will eventually stop working. The process is fairly simply drain all fluid from your battery and replace it with 85% distilled water and 15% Epsom salt.

Again it’s very important to use clean water tap or dirty water will not be as good for a battery that is already suffering. Recharge the battery and test it, it will probably not charge completely the first time after reconditioning, that is normal, simply charge it again. Once again the most important rule of battery maintenance is safety first, always use protective gloves and goggles while working with the batteries it uses electricity and acid after all and they are not your friends.

A battery is the soul of an electric-powered golf cart. Deep cycle batteries are used to power the engine to run the golf cart. Even though these types of batteries appear like conventional car batteries, deep cycle batteries are extensively used in variety of different applications where ordinary car batteries are not so suitable.

While both are lead-acid batteries, deep cycle batteries supply a stable electric current for long hours, the car batteries release sudden bursts of huge amount of electricity to start the car engine and lasts only for a short time. Golf carts, like electric vehicles, draw the entire requirements of electric current from a set of batteries as one battery is not sufficient to drive a golf cart.

Single golf cart batteries are normally available in 6- volts or 8-volts capacities. The pooled voltage from individual batteries in the pack is enough to get the desired voltage to power a golf cart. For example, a 36-volt golf cart usually consists of a set of six 6-volt batteries and a 48-volt golf cart is equipped with a pack of either eight 6 volt batteries or six 8-volt batteries.

The power of the battery and its running time depends on the voltage. A higher voltage means a more powerful battery and longer running time However, the batteries should be charged regularly, otherwise, the total voltage of the battery pack has no relevance and batteries will be dead without charging.

The total voltage of the battery pack of a golf cart determines the type of charger required for charging the batteries. For example, while a 36 V golf cart needs a 36 volt battery charger, a 48 Volt charger is required for a 48 V golf cart. If someone wants to upgrade his present 36V golf cart to a 48 V golf cart with the addition of two 6V batteries, he can either buy an extra 12V charger for the two new batteries or replace an existing 36 V charger with a 48V charger.

As a general principle, the voltage of the battery charger should match the total voltage of the batteries. In order to ensure that golf cart runs without any breakdown, the batteries should be charged after every use.

Most of the recent models of chargers are fully automatic and monitor the electric current while charging so that there is no scope for overcharging. Those having an old model of golf cart charger that is not automatic can set a timer to shut off the charger once the battery pack of the golf cart is completely charged.

As a general rule, one should charge the batteries for at least double the time the golf cart was used. Another important point a golf cart owner should keep in mind is to assess from time to time how efficiently the batteries are working.

In order to ensure that the batteries are in first-rate condition, they should be properly maintained. It is important to be aware of certain essential maintenance procedures such as checking whether water levels of the batteries are proper and about various cleaning methods to ensure that the surface of the batteries are free from dirt and corrosion.

It is advisable to implement weekly or monthly maintenance routines to check whether the batteries are in good condition and that the safety measures introduced are adequate. One weak battery in the battery pack is enough to run down all other batteries and therefore, battery checks should be carried out frequently.

If someone wants to fir the golf cart with certain accessories, the same golf cart batteries are sufficient to use these accessories. There are various methods to connect the accessories and they vary according to specific conditions. The voltage of most of the battery-powered golf cart accessories are 12 volts.

The fast and simple method to operate the accessories is to connect them up directly to the two 6 volts batteries of the battery pack. However, this may lead to disparity in the battery pack, particularly if there are large numbers of accessories that require very high wattage.

At this stage, it is advisable to provide an exclusive supplementary battery only for operating the accessories or a converter to uniformly distribute the electric current from all the batteries to the accessories. When it is time to change the golf cart batteries, it is necessary to find out the best way to dispose of the batteries.

There are many retail shops that recycle old batteries for resale. Most of the retailers that sell lead-acid batteries also accept used batteries as required by many state laws. It is good to recycle old batteries from the environment point of view as well as for the personal good health of the golfer and people around him.

If you own an electric golf cart, one way of saving money is to recondition the old deep cycle batteries on your own. How do you do it? Click on the link below to visit the Electric Golf Cart Battery Guide and learn the reconditioning process.

==> Click here to visit Electric Golf Cart Battery Guide!

There are two types of golf cart engines: gasoline-powered and battery-operated. Those trying to purchase a new golf cart should first decide the type of golf cart engine that he would like to have in the new vehicle.

Several manufactures of golf carts have of late shifted away from equipping golf carts with gasoline engines to power their vehicles exclusively for golfing. Although many producers of golf carts no longer use gasoline engines for golf carts, they extensively use these types of engines in other types of vehicles such as those connected with ‘off-road’ driving or driving by limited group of people.

There have been significant technological developments in gasoline-powered engines. Many producers, still making use of gasoline engines exclusively for golf carts adopt this latest technology. These engines emit minimal amounts of harmful gases, do not pollute the atmosphere and do not make any noise, while running.

In addition, the latest versions of gasoline engines are more powerful than the battery-operated engines. The following paragraphs explain the merits and demerits of each type of engine fitted in golf carts so that one can opt for the correct type of golf cart that meets his needs. It is important to know the type of engine that a cart should have, especially if the golf course is rocky or a hilly area.

The later version of gasoline-driven golf cart engine is, normally, more fuel efficient and will give enhanced gas mileage than earlier models. However, the drawback in the gasoline engine is the heavy burden of maintenance expenses.

The maintenance jobs for this type of engine are usually carried out by experienced mechanics, unless the golf cart owner is confident of undertaking maintenance without any external help.

The high costs of mechanical parts and labor account for the huge maintenance expenditure on gasoline motors. In contrast, maintenance costs of battery-powered motors are relatively lower and that is why this type of motor is more popular these days than the gasoline-powered engine. Many new developments in battery technology have made battery-powered engines more powerful as compared to the models of previous years.

Purchasers of battery-driven golf carts can get these days an extensive choice of models with different battery patterns; some of them are nearly heavy duty types. The latest versions of battery-powered motors have longer running time without recharging and even if they are to be recharged, it is now much simpler, quicker and more secure than in the past.

As there are large number of models in battery-powered golf cart engine segment, purchasers of golf carts now have a wide choice of prices that suits everyone’s budget than one can get in gasoline-powered vehicles. The type of terrain on which the golf cart will be used determines the type of golf cart one should buy.

A golf cart powered by gasoline engine is ideal if one proposes to use the vehicle on a difficult hilly terrain as gasoline models can exert more power for driving up the hill. On the other hand, a battery-powered golf cart is more appropriate for driving on a comparatively flat terrain and price-wise, it is much cheaper than a gasoline-powered vehicle. Whatever be the type of motor, the quality has improved substantially in the recent models.

If you own an electric golf cart, one way of saving money is to recondition the old deep cycle batteries on your own. How do you do it? Click on the link below to visit the Electric Golf Cart Battery Guide and learn the reconditioning process.

==> Click here to visit Electric Golf Cart Battery Guide!