Push the golf car all the way. But you know you could start pushing one in the event the batteries fail. In this article, you will learn how to test golf cart batteries to prevent this tragedy from ruining your day on the golf course.
The battery is a term that refers to two different metals immersed in acid. Batteries do not provide electrical storage as many people think.
However, batteries can generate electricity as a result of a chemical reaction that emits stored potential chemical energy in the form of electrical energy.
The longer a golf cart battery lasts, the lower it’s capacity. Capacity refers to how long a battery can continue to provide its intended amps after being fully charged.
It may seem time-consuming, but so is pushing carts around the property in case the batteries are bad. So how about we tell you what to do and how? Let’s start with the basics and then find out how to get the job done.
You can easily run preliminary tests on your batteries using a voltmeter or hydrometer. Here we will discuss the procedures.
How to Test Your Golf Cart Battery
Manually pushing your golf cart around a property is not the goal of the day, but it can happen with faulty batteries.
If you’re curious about electric golf cart batteries and their current health, learn more about their testing processes.
There is more than one way to test power before embarking on a car adventure.
Using the Hydrometer
A hydrometer is used to test the state of charge of the battery cells. It gives the measure of the density of the electrolyte through a specific gravity reading.
You can use a hydrometer to determine the specific gravity of the electrolyte. If this value is between 1,100 and 1,220, what is required is to recharge the battery. If it’s between 1,225 and 1,265, it means you can test the battery.
And after the test, if the value is around 1,280, then breathe a sigh of relief to know that it is a good battery.
Does the hydrometer have a temperature correction table? If so, adjust the battery temperature reading accordingly. You should also remember that the difference in specific gravity is not significant in the case of discharged batteries.
And if there is a 50 point variation in the batteries with the specific gravity reading of 1.225, then know that they are bad and demand a replacement.
Load Testing
A load tester gives a more accurate result in a short period of time. A load tester for a battery is a simple DC heating coil that is connected to a voltmeter.
When connected to a battery, it indicates the battery voltage. It is provided with a button that you can press if you want to complete a circuit for the heating coil to generate heat from the resistance.
By putting a dummy charge on the battery, you can see how the battery works when it is being used. The load tester clips onto the battery terminals and displays the voltage. Pressing a button on the tester introduces a resistor into the circuit and charges the battery.
A good battery will only lower the voltage by 0.2 to 0.4 volts. More than this indicates a possibly faulty or faulty battery.
This keeps the battery charged. Observing the behavior of this voltage under this load can give you information about the condition of the batteries.
A fully charged battery that is in good condition should only drop about 3 volts when charged and stay at that level. Observing a voltage drop greater than 5 volts is a symptom of a bad battery.
Using a Discharge Machine
Another method of testing the battery of a golf cart is to use a discharge machine. This method is not very common due to the expensive dump machines.
The discharge machine joins the main positive and negative cables of your battery bank. It consists of a heating coil just like the load tester to provide a seventy-five amp load on all batteries during discharge.
The machine tells you how long, in minutes, the golf cart could move under a typical load of this level before reaching a depth of 75 percent.
Looking at Individual Batteries
Golf cart batteries are not like single shell car batteries. Your vehicle has a collection of batteries attached to each other. If you can access individual batteries, test the voltmeter on them as individual entities.
It is possible to have a battery outside the group like a bad apple. This faulty power source weighs the entire system.
The trick to testing individual batteries is deciding on replacement options. From a technical point of view, you can replace individual batteries. However, it may cost more to choose this option.
Finding a bad battery means that more will fail over time. Replace the whole set with the smartest course of action.
Conclusion
Batteries don’t last as long as humans, which we’re sure you already know. However, most people neglect the care and even testing of batteries.
But now that we’ve explained how to do it in the simplest way, you don’t have to worry about the procedure being complicated. Find out what method you want to adopt to test the batteries in case they start giving you warning signs.
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