golf cart batteries dead?
I put the 5er away in storage in Oct. taking the golf cart batteries out that only months old then.:h They were charged when I put them away in my basement. Today I decided to get the 5er out of stora...
Forum Discussion
Unfortunately they sound like they are dead. Once the plates sulfate heavily due to deep discharge they are permanently damaged, and if they are allowed to sit discharged for a period of time it is not at all uncommon for them to be rendered useless. What happens in a long/deep discharge situation is the sulfate become very hard and will no longer react with the acid in the battery (remember, a battery is a chemical reaction container, converting and re-converting compounds to hold and release an electrical current.) If enough of one (or more) of the plates (cells) becomes heavily sufated it will lose the ability to sustain the chemical reactions that make a battery function and it will then drain off any charge capacity of the still functioning cells, rendering the battery incapable of holding a charge.
A reconditioning charger will attempt to 'burn' off the sufate (reconvert it, as normal battery operation will do with a light sufation caused from normal operation), at least to a certain extent, but this can also overheat the battery if not done properly and cause premature failure. A standard charger will not have this function, typically, and normal charging methods will not generate enough power to break up the sulfate buildup.
Batteries should always be maintained at %100 charge when not in active use. In the future, when leaving any battery to sit for more than a few weeks time, you should consider getting a battery tender - they come in 1,2, and 4 battery capacities and they will keep your batteries fully, and safely, charged while they are stored. There are other brands of devices that perform similar service, but I only have experience with the Battery Tender brand...
- R
A reconditioning charger will attempt to 'burn' off the sufate (reconvert it, as normal battery operation will do with a light sufation caused from normal operation), at least to a certain extent, but this can also overheat the battery if not done properly and cause premature failure. A standard charger will not have this function, typically, and normal charging methods will not generate enough power to break up the sulfate buildup.
Batteries should always be maintained at %100 charge when not in active use. In the future, when leaving any battery to sit for more than a few weeks time, you should consider getting a battery tender - they come in 1,2, and 4 battery capacities and they will keep your batteries fully, and safely, charged while they are stored. There are other brands of devices that perform similar service, but I only have experience with the Battery Tender brand...
- R
