How to Charge a Golf Cart Battery Properly

How to Charge a Golf Cart Battery Properly

Battery management is where golf cart ownership is won or lost. The good news: three habits cover most of it.

The habits that matter

• Charge after use, not when the cart refuses to move
• Charge fully — partial charges on lead-acid cause sulphation
• Use the charger that matches the pack voltage and chemistry

Order of connections

Connect the charger to the cart first, then to the wall; disconnect the wall first, then the cart. It prevents sparking near battery gases, and it takes four seconds.

Where to charge

Ventilated, dry and away from anything flammable. Do not charge a frozen pack, and let a deeply discharged pack warm to room temperature before charging it.

Reading the charger

A charger that finishes quickly and runs cool is normal for lithium. A lead-acid charger that never seems to reach float charge usually means a failing cell — get the pack tested rather than keep topping it up.