Golf carts are expensive and if they are not looked after correctly they can quickly become a financial burden draining wallet and joy.
One part of your golf cart that can make or break your carting experience is your golf cart battery. A lot of the time golf cart owners will blame their cart for performance issues but it could be as simple as getting new golf cart batteries.
But how often do batteries last and how can you know when it’s time to replace your current golf cart batteries?
Well, that’s exactly what we are going to be looking into today.
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So How Long Does A Golf Battery Last?
The life expectancy of a golf cart battery under optimal conditions can last anywhere between 8-10 years. Likewise, if the golf cart battery isn’t looked after properly it could last between 3-5 years at best.
It all comes down to how well you look after it amongst other factors that we will discuss throughout this post.
Ways You Can Make Your Golf Cart Batteries Last Longer
Avoid Using Water From A Tap Or Hose
Depending on where you live water from your tap isn’t pure and will come with additional chemicals put in to make it drinkable (Or so they say…).
Also, the water can be harder in some states than others and this hard water isn’t going to be as good as bottled water/distilled water for your golf cart battery.
It comes with little to know outside contaminants that you may get from tap water due to the pipes it has to travel to. These additional contaminants will corrode your golf cart battery faster.
Distilled water = Longer battery life
Help Your Golf Cart Batteries Cool While They Charge
When you’re charging your golf cart batteries you may just plug them in and walk off which is fine…
But if you want your golf cart batteries to last longer you should make sure they don’t get too hot whilst charging.
When golf cart batteries get too hot they run the risk of bubbling on the inside, bulging, producing sparks, and flames, which can lead to your battery not working as well or even blowing up!
Most golf cart batteries are located under the seats and those seats act as a ceiling that traps heat in while charging. Simply lifting the seat off will help heat escape and cool down your golf cart batteries.
You could even go one step further if it’s particularly hot and buy a couple of cheap fans to blow some cold air in their direction.
Golf cart owners may enjoy the heat but the golf cart batteries do not.
Use A Good Quality Charger
Making sure you’re using the right charger is vital for your battery golf cart batteries lifespan. Using a charger that is too strong can fry your golf cart battery in no time.
It’s always best to check which type is recommended for your battery for faster and safer charging times. If you’re not sure what this would be you can always contact the manufacturer and ask them.
My personal recommendation would be to use an automatic charger or trickle charger rather than a manual battery charger for your golf cart batteries. These chargers will charge your battery until it has become fully charged and then stop.
Manual chargers will require you to be there and disconnect it once it’s fully charged. But let’s face it you will probably forge its charging and leave it in overnight which can cause overcharging which is bad for your golf cart batteries.
Automatic chargers also have a trickle charge setting; essentially, this will make sure that your battery is fully charged even if you leave the battery sitting for weeks on end.
They do this by slowly charging your battery over time. This slow charge method helps the battery from overheating and overcharging too.
Store Your Golf Cart Batteries Properly
To increase the golf cart battery life span and performance of your battery significantly storing it correctly is essential. What does correctly storing a battery look like?
Well, the ideal storage conditions would be somewhere indoors where the temperature is on the cooler side of things.
Golf cart batteries are particularly sensitive to extreme temperatures in either direction, hot or cold.
This is why it’s not ideal to store it outside where the temperatures can change and ruin the integrity and performance of your battery over time.
It’s always recommended to remove your batteries from your golf cart and not leave them stored in the cart itself.
Maintain Fluid Levels
Maintaining the proper fluid level for your golf cart batteries will increase the performance of your batteries. This is why it’s important you check your fluid level every 3-4 weeks to make sure the levels haven’t dropped too low.
When the fluid level is too high or too low it can be a cause of damage to your battery which can result in acid leaking out… not ideal!
You want your fluid levels to be just a fraction higher than the battery itself, just enough that it’s submerged.
Buy High-Quality Golf Cart Batteries
Investing in a high-quality golf cart battery will save you money in the long run.
Lower-quality golf cart batteries or battery packs may seem like a great idea at the time but you will have to get 2-3 of them in the same lifespan as a quality battery from an established brand.
If you spend the extra few dollars and look after the battery correctly you could get anywhere between 8-10 years from that battery.
They are made from superior materials that don’t wear down so easily.
Do a little bit of digging, check reviews online, and look for guarantees if you can.
Use Anti Corrosion Lubricants
Considering your battery is full of acid it would make sense that certain parts inside it will corrode over time. When these parts corrode or stop working then your battery will stop too.
The only way to counteract this would be to use an anti-corrosion lubricant on these parts which should help them over time.
For your wires, you should check if they are wrapped in rubber tape and if not wrap them yourself.
Regular & Proper Maintenance
Besides checking your fluid levels and using anti-corrosion lubricants on your golf cart batteries parts you should also keep an eye out for parts that will need replacing soon.
Regular battery maintenance checking the corrosion levels on parts, inspecting the battery terminals, looking for bulging in the battery itself, or making sure your wires aren’t exposed is essential.
Being proactive and fixing issues before they happen will extend the golf cart battery life expectancy of your battery greatly.
When parts go bad because of a lack of proper maintenance it puts strain on the battery as a whole which can lead to more failing parts.
It is easier to replace one failing part than a handful of broken parts.
Things That Will Shorten Your Batteries Life Expectancy
Frequency of Use
How often you use your golf cart will have a huge impact on how long the batteries will last.
For example, a golf cart rented out by a golf course that could be used multiple times a day for the majority of the year will not last as long as a golf cart owned by a private owner who plays a couple of times a week.
The reason that private golf cart batteries last longer than the golf club’s batteries is one is constantly being drained then recharged on the regular which wears the battery down over time.
The other is still being used frequently but won’t require as many charges throughout the week.
A golf course golf cart that is being used all the time could have a life span of around 5 years whilst a private golf cart used regularly could last around 10 years.
The Features Of Your Golf Cart
The more additional features you add to your cart the harder your golf cart battery has to work. From the start, your golf cart battery is designed to power a standard cart.
Now when you add on extras like new lights, GPS, fans, or even coolers for drinks these all require some juice from the battery.
This means your battery will need to be charged quicker than it would if you had no customizations. As we know the more charges it needs the shorter the golf cart battery’s lifespan will be.
When Should You Replace Your Golf Battery?
Slower Accelerating
When you begin to notice your golf cart is not taking off as quickly as before it could be a sign that your battery is on the way out.
Since the battery is damaged it can’t supply the cart with the same amount of torque as before hence the slow start.
The only other explanation for a slower start would be if there is additional weight slowing the cart down.
So if you have your buddy in the cart or maybe you’re playing after Thanksgiving dinner the extra weight could be the issue.
Checkout the below posts to help with your speed issue:
Making An Electric Golf Cart Faster (5 Quick And Easy Tips)
Damage
Perhaps the easiest way to know if you should replace your battery is if you notice any major damage to it.
For example, if you see fluid leaking out from the battery, broken wires, or it’s beginning to look out of shape (Bulging) then it’s time for a new one.
Slow Charging
If you start to notice that your battery is taking longer than usual to charge it could be a sign your battery is on the way out.
When this begins to happen take a good look at your battery and asses any damage, also check your charger isn’t faulty to make sure it is your battery that’s the issue.
Bad Going Up Hill
Going up a hill or incline in your golf cart should be relatively easy to climb for a well-functioning golf cart.
When you notice your cart begins to slow faster than usual going uphill it could be the battery not pumping out enough power to get it there.
Doesn’t Travel As Far
When your golf cart is fully charged but you notice at the end of your round that the battery level is lower than usual your battery could need replacing. Hopefully you’re playing 9 holes instead of 18 if your cart battery dies.
Checkout this post of the top 7 golf carts on the market today.
Recycling Your Old Batteries: Why It’s Important
If you just dumb your golf cart battery in any random dumpster, it will end up in a landfill somewhere where it can cause a bunch of harm.
Lead acid is incredibly corrosive and can potentially poison water supplies or soil. This can completely mess with the local ecosystem, killing wildlife or harming the people working in these landfills.
However, if they are disposed of properly, none of the above will happen. In fact 99% of the lead can be recycled and once broken apart so can all the different plastic parts.
So how do you recycle these batteries correctly?
Recycling Your Old Batteries: How To Do It
Golf cart batteries can cause massive harm to the environment if not disposed of properly once they’ve served their purpose.
Luckily, consumers are fantastic at recycling lead-based batteries in the US, with an impressive recycle rate above 95%.
This high recycling rate helps reduce the demand for new raw materials and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
So, where can you recycle your golf cart batteries? Well, there are a few places you can try.
First step you can contact the place you bought the battery/cart from to see if they can dispose of it for you.
Secondly, you can do a quick Google search for “hazardous waste collection” or “car/cart battery disposal service”. You should find one easy enough and be able to pass the problem on to someone else.
Or simply contact your local recycling center for advice.