Except for some resort facilities in the south and west coast, most battery-powered electric vehicles are often stored during the winter months, where temperatures can dip below freezing. Unfortunately, this is usually a time when mistakes are often made in storing flooded lead-acid batteries. This can ultimately lead to damage and poor performance if proper maintenance procedures are not met. This is why one of the best tools for storing and operating your battery powered golf car during the winter, is a simple hydrometer.
A hydrometer measures the state of charge for your batteries and it’s important in cold weather to ensure your batteries are fully charged. Before storing your golf car for the winter, the batteries must be fully charged. This will keep the electrolyte levels high and prevent water in the battery case from freezing, which could crack the case from expansion. Tests have shown that a fully charged battery has a freezing point around -80-degrees Fahrenheit, compared to an uncharged battery, which can freeze at 20-degrees Fahrenheit.
Charging the batteries before placing your golf car in storage is a great step, but it’s not the only one. While your batteries are in storage, they should be boosted every 60 days in colder months and every 30 days in warmer months. To do this, take specific gravity readings for each battery cell with your hydrometer to check their state of charge. Keep in mind that temperature affects charging rates and readings. In order to get correct specific gravity readings from your hydrometer, subtract four points (.004) from your reading for every 10-degrees below 80 °F. In Celsius, subtract four points (.004) for every 5.6-degrees below 27°C.
In some areas of the country, where it’s still possible to operate your golf car in the winter, the colder temperatures will still have an effect on the batteries. Deep-cycle flooded lead-acid batteries will take longer to charge in colder temperatures and will also operate with less capacity. Expect that for every 15 to 20-degrees Fahrenheit below 80-degrees Fahrenheit, a deep-cycle flooded lead-acid battery will lose 10-percent of its capacity.
This is why your hydrometer is a valuable tool for keeping your batteries in good condition, whether it’s in storage or still being used during the winter months. Ultimately, checking specific gravity readings and utilizing the correction factor will keep your batteries in top shape and allow you to get longer lasting performance that will ultimately save money in the long run.
For more information on golf car batteries, run-time ratings, and maintenance tips to keep golf car batteries running longer, visit www.usbattery.com.
