how much to charge golf cart batteries

Marcel
Marcel Solar Expert Posts: 39 ✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
I have 2 Energizer golf cart batteries that are 6 volt. Bought them a year ago. They are wired together to make 12 volts. I am charging them with a skinny little 50 watt Solec panel without using a charge controller. The only information on the batteries states the reserve capacity is 105 minutes. Research on the WWW tells me they are 220 amp hour. The name of the batteries is EGC2. When I check them with the hydromoter it shows 1100, not to good. Can I keep charging them without a charge controller? I only recently started doing this, before they were on a C40. Can the batteries be saved?
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: how much to charge golf cart batteries

    A specific gravity of 1.100 is, as you already know, dead as a doornail. How long have they been there? The longer they sit dead, the less chance of recovery. Put a battery charger on them and see what happens; they can't get any deader.

    A 50 Watt panel probably managed 3 Amps or so. Now, based on your having been able to get an SG reading you probably didn't charge them 'til the plates were exposed. Did you? Never add water to a dead battery - unless the plates are exposed. Then just enough to cover them.

    Charge 'em and see what happens. Even a cheap 10 Amp automotive charger should make some improvement.
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: how much to charge golf cart batteries

    they are probably kaput. even if they weren't you would want more than about 3a to charge them with as 5% of 220ah is 11a and that's a good minimum for charging. if you have a 20a charger then throw it on it, but you should watch that the battery voltage doesn't go so high as to go above about 14.8v or so. upon reaching that point just float charge it with the 3a from the pv. the higher charge rates could boil out the electrolyte faster so watch the levels and only add distilled water.
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  • Marcel
    Marcel Solar Expert Posts: 39 ✭
    #4
    Re: how much to charge golf cart batteries

    I think we killed them this summer before we got the Trojans. They've been providing enough power to run lights and whatnot in the RV but occasionally run out of juice. I've had the 50 watt panel on them straight for 5-6 days with 8 hours of Sun. The charge has been inching up. I'll put them on the battery charger. Thanks folks.
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