Cart batteries Cancel The title field is required!

1. Timothy Walker

   

   0 posts
   
   8/23/2013 4:08 PM

   Does anyone have insight to offer in regards to removing all of the batteries from our fleet of electric carts for the winter to save on electricity?
   
   What would be the potential problems to doing this?
   
   Thanks

   
   
   
   
2. Melvin Waldron

   

   43 posts
   
   8/23/2013 4:08 PM

   Timothy Walker, CGCS said: Does anyone have insight to offer in regards to removing all of the batteries from our fleet of electric carts for the winter to save on electricity?
   
   What would be the potential problems to doing this?
   
   Thanks

   
   
   There might be some back injury, but besides that I don't know for sure any reason to or not to, except by keeping them charged they won't freeze? Is your storage area heated? What if you disconnected some cables rather then removing them?
   
   I'm sure someone will be more helpful then I was.
   
   Mel

   
   Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO
   
   
3. Henry Heinz

   

   0 posts
   
   8/24/2013 6:08 AM

   With them being fully charged, the kicking on and off to maintain them is basicly a tricklecharge. The amps to mainatain them is very low and should not cost much at all. I would think if they were to drain down by setting there that you would use more electric to bring them back to a full charge than if you just left them hooked up, and end up costing more. Maybe your cart distributor could give you some input based on the lenth of time they will be sitting for.
   
   
   
   Regards,

   
   
   
   
4. Timothy Walker

   

   0 posts
   
   8/24/2013 11:08 AM

   Thanks to both of you - it was echoing my thoughts exactly. I will contact the distributor for more info. The cart garage is not heated the thought was to put them in the clubhouse while closed for winter and keep batteries warm.
   
   Gm is trying to find all ways to save money instead of generating and increasing revenues.

   
   
   
   
5. Keith Pegg

   

   0 posts
   
   8/25/2013 5:08 PM

   keep them clean and dry and charge them every few weeks and you should be fine. Battery trays may need to be cleaned painted and such, but that can be done one by one.
   
   Keith

   
   
   
   
6. Melvin Waldron

   

   43 posts
   
   8/25/2013 8:08 PM

   I would be courious what amount of money could be saved by not keeping them basically on trickle charge? It might cost more to do all of the work to keep them safe and not charged over the winter. But that is just really a guess on my part.
   
   Mel

   
   Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO
   
   
7. Nowakowski Michael J

   
   8/27/2013 9:08 AM

   We have left our electric carts charging all winter and also removed them. The big difference I have found is that leaving them in and charged all winter results in more corroded cables as they are hooked up 12 months and not 6. Then again the work to remove them is a pain so the costs may be offset.

   
   
   
   
8. Richard Wit

   

   1 posts
   
   9/6/2013 12:09 PM

   From my understanding of the way the charger works at least with EZGO RXV cars is that you have to at least every 3-4 weeks unplug and plug back in the charger. It does not and will not start on its own to "trickle" charge the batteries. We have had several issues with batterys and have left carts alone during the winter thinking they were fine being plugged in. Only to find that we had frozen cracked batteries in the spring. I would think the time to unplug and plug back in and re-charging would be way cheaper than unhooking and removing all the batteries and then having to reinstall them in the spring.
   
   Richard A. Wit, CGCS
   The Golf Club at Red Rock
   Rapid City, South Dakota