Battery powered Golf Cars are becoming more popular in a variety of industries, especially with vacation resorts that incorporate their own golf courses. But when temperatures are on the rise during hot summer months, it’s important to know that high temperatures affect flooded lead-acid batteries and that there are methods to properly maintain deep-cycle batteries in these conditions.

During the summer months and tourist seasons, some parts of the country can experience extreme heatwaves where temperatures soar into the triple digits. This affects the performance of batteries to a point where precautions should be taken. Flooded Lead-Acid batteries need periodic watering, so during extreme heat conditions it’s important to check water levels more frequently. It’s essential to fill each battery cell with water so that the electrolyte is just below the vent tube, but covers the cell plates entirely. Make sure water is only added after a full charge unless the plates are exposed. If the cell plates are exposed, only add enough water to cover the plates followed by a full charge and additional watering.

Because of the chemical make-up of deep-cycle flooded lead-acid batteries, they will charge and discharge at different rates, depending on the ambient temperatures. This sometimes leads to overcharging during excessive heat conditions, which is why it is important to charge the batteries in a cool location.

In high temperature situations, specific gravity readings (using a hydrometer) may show that a battery is not fully charged when it actually is. Therefore, it is important to correct specific gravity readings for temperature in order to know the actual state of charge. For every 10-degrees F (7-degrees C) above an ambient temperature of 80-degrees F,(72-degrees C) you must add 0.004 (0.005 for Celsius readings) to your hydrometer reading to get the proper state of charge of the battery.

Checking water levels and preventing overcharging will help keep your batteries in top shape during excessive heat conditions. Your batteries will also perform better and last longer, lowering your annual operating costs which can be a dramatic savings for fleets of battery powered vehicles. For more information on proper maintenance and checking the condition of your golf car’s batteries, visit www.usbattery.com.