BATTERY CARE – CHARGING - MAINTENANCE - AND SULPHATING PROCEDURES
NOTE : this section relates only to SLA (sealed lead acid) batteries - for information on care and maintenance on your Lithium-ion battery please click this link
If your battery leads are not already connected please attach them as follows:
First thread the leads through a hole in the side of the bag (if there is one) then using the screws provided connect the red battery lead (+) to the red battery terminal (+), and the black (-) battery lead to the black battery terminal (-), making sure that the metal connection points are clean and the screws are tightened.
- Replacement batteries are expensive. In order to maximize the life of your battery, please note the following important instructions
- IMPORTANT. You must give your battery an initial ‘commissioning' charge before using it for the first time. Charge your battery for a minimum of 24 hours, even if the green light appears soon after commencing charging.
- Always start every round with a fully charged battery.
- It will probably take three initial charge and use cycles before it settles in
Charge your battery as soon as possible after every round (certainly within 24 hours) even if you have played only a few holes. This will maximize the life of your battery.
To charge your battery, ensure your charger is not connected to the AC supply and connect it to the battery. Connect the charger to the main AC electrical supply. If the green light on your charger flashes, switch off immediately and check the polarity of the charger leads. The charger light will turn red indicating that charging is taking place. When your battery is charged, the light will turn from red to green. With a new or fully charged battery, the red light may show only for a short time before turning green.
Ideally, you should charge your battery for a minimum of 8 hours, even if the red light turns green before this. This will ensure that the maximum charge is put into the battery and will increase battery life.
The charger supplied with your trolley is a modern 3 stage charger. If not being used, we recommend that you leave the battery connected to the charger and to the main AC supply until the next time you play golf, up to a maximum of about 2 weeks. The electronic circuits in the charger will protect your battery from over-charging and will ensure your battery capacity is kept topped-up.
Disconnect the charger from the AC supply before disconnecting the battery. If you do not intend to use your trolley for several months, fully charge the battery and then disconnect from the charger. Recharge your battery every 2 months. Leaving the battery on charge for an extended period may cause the battery to dry out and shorten the life of both the battery and charger.
- DO NOT leave the charger connected to the AC supply if the battery is not attached. This will shorten the life of the charger.
- DO NOT leave the charger connected to the battery if it is not connected to the AC supply. This will discharge your battery.
- DO NOT charge your battery on a concrete floor - always charge on a shelf/bench or place the battery on a plank of wood.
- NEVER allow your battery to freeze. This will permanently damage the battery.
- DO NOT store battery in a hot place such as the trunk of your car
- ALWAYS keep you battery charged between games
- DO NOT connect your battery to any other apparatus other than your golf cart (the controller of which protects the battery from over discharge)
The above procedures are designed to maximize the life of your battery.
LONG TERM BATTERY CARE
Battery performance can gradually reduce due to the effects of sulphation - see section below for details - and appears like a type of ‘memory effect'. Ideally, all golf cart batteries should be "fully discharged" every month or so to prevent this happening. Please note that "fully discharged" is NOT Zero %. - it is actually describing a condition where the controller turns off power to the trolley from the battery - at a relatively high percentage of its capacity. When using the trolley to discharge the battery the controller will automatically cut-out further operation when the battery charge reached a level of about 10.8 volts - this cut-out is designed to prevent over-discharge of the battery. You should never discharge the battery using any other means. If the capacity of the battery is reduced to below 50% of its capacity it will be virtually impossible to recharge or use the battery. For example some mechanically minded users might think of using an auto-headlamp, or other load, for this discharge process - this should never be done, as it will definitely cause over-discharge and permanent damage to the battery
See notes below describing the suggested de-sulphation procedure.
SULPHATION
When a golf battery is not charged after use, or used to its full capacity, or becomes over-discharged, sulphation of the battery plates may occur.
This is particularly common where a high-capacity (27/36 hole) battery is used mainly for only 18 holes, but can affect any modern battery.
Basically, sulphation is a chemical change where lead sulphate is deposited on the battery plates and prevents charge getting in or out of the battery.
PREVENTION
Ideally, all golf batteries should be discharged every month or so to prevent the occurrence of sulphation.
Fully discharge the battery every 4 to 6 weeks by removing the two drive wheels, and operating the cart in manual mode to let the battery run down.
When the motor has stopped, charge your battery as normal.
CLEARANCE PROCEDURE
If your battery does begin to sulphate - for instance performance gradually declines and the battery no longer manages 18 holes - the sulphation can possibly be removed by the following procedure:
- Fully charge your battery for at least 12 hours, even if the green light comes on during this time
- As soon as possible after charging, put the battery on the trolley and remove the two drive wheels
- Operate the trolley in manual mode and let it run until the battery is fully discharged – the cut-out in the trolley controller will operate when the trolley reaches its discharge level – this may take several hours as the trolley has no load on it
- As soon as possible, fully recharge the battery and repeat the procedure 3 more times
The rapid charging/discharging should help to break down any built-up sulphate and restore your battery capacity. This should help to allow the longest possible life for your battery – it is sulphation which ‘kills' batteries prematurely.
The chemical deposition is not a fault with either the battery or the charger, it is simply a result of under-discharge. It is not covered by the Warranty.
THREE STAGE CHARGERS
STAGE 1
CONSTANT CURRENT CHARGE – RAPID CHARGE
The LED light stays red during this charging stage.
The charger is designed to allow rapid-charging up to 90% of the battery capacity.
When the rapid-charging phase is completed, the green charging light will come on. When this is reached, the battery can be used but it is not fully charged. The remaining 10% of the charge is put in much more slowly on a trickle-charge - see Stage 3 below
STAGE 2
TRICKLE CHARGE
The LED indicator light will turn to green.
The charger will maintain the battery at over 13 volts.
The battery should now have about 90% of its capacity. If rapid charging were to continue past this stage the battery would overheat and distort, leading to the battery being permanently damaged. It is for this reason that other chargers - like automobile-chargers should never be used to charge your trolley battery. This stage-3 trickle-charge is at a much lower current – dropping quickly from 3 Amps down to around 0.4 amps, or lower, and can take several hours to complete – hence our suggestion of 12 hours total charging time
STAGE 3
FLOAT CHARGE
At the end of the stage-2 trickle-charge the charger switches to a very small ‘Float' charge of <0.1 Amps. This very low level maintains the optimum charge and if necessary allows your charger to remain connected to the battery until the next time you use it.
With normal 2-stage chargers, you MUST disconnect the battery after 12 hours otherwise it will overheat. Kölnex supply only 3 stage or 4-stage chargers which include a Float stage, and can be left on-charge for over 12-hours, nevertheless we recommend that you generally disconnect your battery from the charger after 24-hours.
WINTER BATTERY CHARGING
If you are unlikely to use your battery for a long period, especially in winter. Fully charge your battery, disconnect and store it in a cool, dry place away from frost.
Put the battery back on charge every 4/6 weeks to top it up and store it again.
Fully charge the battery again just before you play.
If you leave your battery connected to the charger for an extended period, there is the possibility that even the persistent ‘float' current can cause the battery acid to evaporate and reduce the battery life.
Never allow your battery to freeze. This will permanently damage the battery.
The above procedures are designed to maximize the life of your battery.
SAFETY FIRST
Always charge your battery in a cool, dry place away from any flammable materials. Charge in a well ventilated area