Anyone who uses flooded lead-acid batteries in their golf cars knows they need to regularly check the water levels in the batteries. While adding water manually to four, six, or eight batteries in one golf car may seem like a simple enough maintenance procedure, it can seem overwhelming if you’re dealing with an entire fleet.
Most golf car owners have heard of Single Point Watering Systems but often question the costs and difficulty of installation involved; often deciding to stick with manual watering methods. To help determine if a SPWS is cost effective, it’s important to look at how often the batteries must be watered and the amount of time and cost it takes to water one vehicle — or an entire fleet. On average, medium to heavy use golf car users should water their fleet’s batteries at least once a month. These could be vehicles that are constantly in use, like those used on a golf course or for daily transportation in a retirement community.
Watering batteries by hand typically involves removing the vent caps, adding the right amount of water using a watering pitcher or water caddy (never use a garden hose), and replacing the vent caps. For a 48-volt golf car, this would translate to approximately 6 to 12 minutes per car. Not bad for a single golf car owner but when done monthly it can become a chore. Multiply that times an average 100-car fleet and watering once per month translates to 120 to 240 hours per year. For a fleet, using $15 per hour for an average technician, your maintenance costs can range from $1,800 to $3,600 per year.
Using a watering system, the maintenance time is reduced to 1 to 2 minutes per car for any size battery pack. In addition, no vent cap removal is required using a watering system. As an example, for the same 100 car fleet that is watered once per month, the maintenance time per year is reduced to 20 to 40 hours, at an estimated labor cost of $300 to $600 per year. That’s a reduction of $1500 to $3000 per year, or $7500 to $15,000 over the five-year life expectancy of the batteries.
There are several types of single point watering systems that are designed to work on just about any battery model. Battery Watering Technologies (BWT) and Flow-Rite Systems are a couple of examples that are very simple to install and have an expected life of longer than five years. Many fleet managers using watering systems claim they can get 10 years out of them with a moderate level of maintenance and replacement parts. If we add all the numbers up, the cost of a typical watering system is approximately $150 per car. Many of the kits are also pre-assembled for your specific golf car, battery manufacturer, and configuration.
For individuals and fleets that find it difficult to remember when the last watering cycle took place, manufacturers like BWT offer a Sense Smart Valve. This device replaces one vent cap on a single battery of a battery pack and doesn’t require drilling or calibration. It features a built-in processor and probe that triggers an LED indicator light mounted to the battery pack that signals operators when the battery pack needs water.
An optional indicator light can be mounted on the dash of the vehicle making it even easier to know when your battery pack needs watering.
Saving money on maintenance costs is one benefit but if you can also dramatically increase the life of your fleet’s batteries, you should see some real savings that might change the way you think about battery maintenance and the importance of carefully watering your batteries.
To find additional resources on battery maintenance and ways to increase battery efficiency and service life, visit U.S. Battery’s website at www.usbattery.com.
