After a long winter, the snow melts and spring finally arrives. You are ready to use your electric vehicle, but low and behold, the expected joy ride feels sluggish. Following a few weeks of battery maintenance, your ride starts improving. The rise of temperature does help. The summer arrives and with the summer higher temperatures you find yourself with sluggish batteries again.

Only this time batteries do not improve; many worsen as the summer goes on. You try “magic potions,” “sneak oils,” various additives. You do daring things, like adding electrolyte or replacing it and more, in an effort to avoid the pain of replacing your batteries. After all, it has only been three or four years since you took around eight or nine hundred dollars out of your pocket to buy them!

This story is commonplace every summer in many households that own electric vehicles. Below you will find a list of things you can do with your batteries to improve performance and maintain them during the summer. These recommendations are valid for most lead acid base electric vehicles, like golf carts, Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs), RV’s, scooters, boats, trucks, lawnmowers, etc.

Installing The Battery Life Saver™ electronic device (BLS) will effectively eliminate sulfate crystals while preventing the formation of new ones. But without regular maintenance, extending the life of your batteries will only go so far.

What should you do with your batteries during the summer?

The physical inspection is always a first. Your battery terminals should be clean and tight.

Check the solution level every other week or at least once a month. Never let the electrolyte level to go at or below the plate level.

It is better you check the water level after a recharge cycle. Adding distilled water and recharging right after is never a good practice.

You can implement this routine: at the end of the day, once you have finished your errands or your game, recharge your EV. After it is fully charged, disconnect your charger, and then inspect the electrolyte level. Always use your protective gear: goggles, gloves, and a protective robe. A flashlight can be handy to see clearly the electrolyte level. Add only distilled water as needed. Never overflow or water too much as that reduces the concentration of the electrolyte. A diluted electrolyte tends to boils easier when recharging. Let your EV rest for the evening. In the morning, before using it again, do a full recharge cycle.

A consecutive recharge cycle is not only done in this case, but it is recommended to do on a regular basis to eliminate stratification. Stratification simply happens over time on all batteries as the electrolyte is a solution and tends to concentrate at the bottom. Battery chargers get fooled and register batteries as fully recharged when only the most concentrated solution has been recharged. To get more information about stratification and what do to eliminate it see article……”Stratification: The Hidden Battery Killer”

If you use your cart only a few days a week, you should still recharge it every 48 hrs and recharge additionally in the morning before using your cart. If your batteries are kind of sluggish, recharge them every day, even if you do not use them. Batteries discharge rate speeds up greatly in the summer.

Protect your cart from direct exposure to the sun. Store your cart in a shady place.

Around midsummer, again check battery terminals and clean them up as needed. Clean terminals improve electric flow. Good electric flow makes recharging batteries and release of current easier.

If you notice your cart slowing down, as soon as you can, bring your cart back to your recharge station. Get a full recharge done. If you force slowing batteries to run much further, you will speed up sulfate crystal formation and your normal recharge will not eliminate them. Even old batteries will perform better if you recognize the slowing point and do a full recharge without forcing them further.

This brings us to another point. Do not cut corners with the recharge cycle of your cart. Complete the recharge cycle before disconnecting your charger. If you have only driven a few blocks, you still need to recharge your EV. Do not leave or store your EV when it is partially discharged. Too many people have been given the bad advice to only recharge when the EV has been completely discharged. Doing so speeds up battery deterioration.

Heavily sulfated batteries tend to boil while recharging. If you notice boiling in your batteries, disconnect your charger and let them cool down, recharge in stages, disconnecting every time batteries start boiling. If you have a trickle charger, use it to recharge them. Trickle chargers recharge at about 2 Amps. The slow recharge prevents the boiling, although it takes way longer to recharge. A little bit of boiling is not bad but when batteries boil, toxic fumes are released, as the water in the electrolyte gets hydrolyzed (broken apart), releasing hydrogen and sulfur fumes.

Never add new sulfuric acid solution (electrolyte) to your batteries.  The sulfuric acid will corrode the already weakened plates and will create holes on the plates (open cells). That is something we cannot remedy.

Never, never, never pour and/or hose the electrolyte out of your batteries. Besides being really bad for the environment and the underground water sources; it is dangerous for you. Adding new sulfuric acid solution will only bring a few days of improved performance, and then your batteries will not hold charge or die, because now you will have one or more batteries with open cells.

In summary:

1. Inspect battery terminals and connections. Clean them up as needed to improve connectivity.
2. It is best to inspect electrolyte levels at the end of the day after your batteries have been fully recharged, always using your protective gear. A flashlight is handy to inspect the level of the electrolyte.
3. Use only distilled water to refill the electrolyte and never let the electrolyte to be at o below the plates’ level. It should always be above, but never too much, so as not to overflow or water down the electrolyte solution.
4. Do not recharge right after watering your batteries. Let them rest in the evening and only recharge in full in the morning before using your electric vehicle.
5. Recharge your batteries on a regular basis. Battery discharge speeds up greatly during the summer. Recharge your batteries after use, even if you have only used your cart for a few blocks.
6. Store your cart in a shady place. Avoid direct sun exposure. Never store your cart/batteries when they are discharged or partially discharged. A partial discharge will result in stratification and deterioration of your batteries.
7. The advice of recharging only after full discharge will result in shortened battery life. Recharge after every use.
8. The same way that battery discharge speeds up in the summer, so does the accumulation of sulfate crystals. That is why it so vital to recharge regularly and to have BLS installed permanently.
9. If you use your EV only once or a few times a week, you need to recharge it at least once every 48 hrs. If your batteries are already showing signs of deterioration, recharge daily and again in the morning before using your cart.
10. Stratification simply happens. It is recommended to do consecutive recharges. After every recharge, disconnect your charger. Let your EV rest for the evening. Chargers can be fooled to register batteries as fully charged when batteries are stratified (the electrolyte concentrates at the bottom of the battery). The charger shuts off automatically but the batteries have not been charged in full.  A recharge in the morning will offer a more accurate charging cycle.
11. Heavily sulfated batteries will cause the electrolyte to boil, generating harmful fumes. When your batteries are doing that, disconnect the charger and let them cool down. Recharge your batteries in stages to reduce the boiling. If you have a trickle charger, use it to recharge them. That will reduce the boiling, but will take a long time to fully recharge the batteries.
12. Never, never, NEVER pour and/or hose the electrolyte out of your batteries, to replace it for new electrolyte. It is bad for you and the environment. Adding new sulfuric acid solution will only bring a few days of improved performance. The new electrolyte will corrode the already weakened plates, creating holes on them (open cells). Very shortly afterwards, your batteries will not being able to hold charge and will die.

By following the earlier mentioned points and installing BLS in your cart, you will greatly extend the life of your batteries and protect your investment.  You can find a BLS for every golf cart, NEV and Electric vehicles in the market. The most popular are the BLS-36N, BLS-48N and BLS-72N for models that use 36, 48 and 72 volt respectively. The BLS now comes with an automatic shut off point to protect batteries from too much discharge. 

By Emanuel Hillmann

The final objective of any battery is to store and provide energy when needed.  Lead acid batteries are ideal for golf carts, NEVs, forklifts, RVs, boats and many other battery applications. As we have covered in other articles, a fully charged, new battery is basically a cell or group of cells made of a plate of lead, a solution of sulfuric acid and another plate of lead oxide. A byproduct of discharging is lead sulfate. When you recharge batteries, the lead sulfate reverses to the original elements; lead, lead oxide and a sulfuric acid solution.  In most cases and over time, the process is not fully reversed. The lead sulfate crystallizes and does not go away by normal recharging, eventually making the battery nonoperational.

If nothing else is wrong we can reverse that process. We can recover batteries. The Battery Life Saver™ electronic device generates a range of frequencies that match the frequency of the different sulfate crystals, dissolving them and enabling the natural recharging chemical process that reverses battery deterioration.

The process must be gradual to protect the integrity of the plates in the batteries and prevent the dropping of crystals to the bottom. Any crystals that get dropped are basically lost. They not only weaken the battery, but with enough accumulation, can cause an electric short in one or more cells.

This situation brings up a problem: How can we speed up recovery and improve maintenance without destroying the plates?
To solve this question we need first to keep in mind basic maintenance. Water regularly (only distilled water), clean the terminals connecting the batteries and the charger and protect the batteries as much as possible from extreme weather… Hot weather will speed up deterioration; very cold weather can freeze the electrolyte, destroying the battery as well.

Secondly, we need to better understand what happens inside a battery.  I found that many people have been ill advised about the recharging process. Many are told to only recharge when the system has been used for long periods of time, not to recharge after light use. This could not be further from the truth. The longer a battery has been left in a lower state of charge, the more crystals it accumulates. Below 80% State of Charge (SOC) batteries start accumulating crystals exponentially and those crystals tend to remain. Plus the light use not followed by immediate recharge often causes a phenomenon that we have not talked much about: battery stratification.

Stratification simply happens over time.  The sulfuric acid solution tends to concentrate in the bottom of the battery creating some lethal problems. The heavily concentrated sulfuric acid will corrode the plates in the lower section. It will read as a high voltage when the battery has not been fully recharged, therefore the charger will stop the charging process prematurely. In the meantime, you have accumulated more and more crystals, many of which will not go away or will simply drop to the bottom of the battery, resulting in shortened battery life.  Stratification gets worse after long periods of disuse, such as occurs in the storage.

What to do?

Some people shake their batteries on a regular basis to mix up the solution.  This is impractical and dangerous as you can spill the acid. I have seen some recovery when using a hydrometer to pump the solution many times in each cell as it is done to read the battery condition. But again you should be careful and take all necessary precautions and wear protection when working with acids.

There are many simple things you can do to reverse this problem, at the same time speeding up your battery recovery and maintenance:

Recharge your system every time you use it, even if it has only been used for a few minutes.

After you finish charging your batteries, disconnect your charger and let the batteries rest during the night. The rest period will allow the charge to be more evenly distributed in the solution. In the morning, before using the system, start the charging cycle again.

Following this simple routine, which we call the “Double Charge”, will eliminate stratification from the get go, even if you have new batteries. This procedure is not the same as equalization, as you have let the batteries rest between charges.  In equalization, you disconnect and reconnect the charger immediately after finishing the charging process. I do not recommend the typical equalization process as it tends to deteriorate the plates.
In the case of golf cart, RV and boat owners, if you only use your system on the weekends, do a recharge in middle of the week and another in the morning before using your system.

During the storage season recharge your system regularly. After the winter is over, and before you start using it, recharge your batteries with a low amp charger. A long charging session of 16 to 24 hrs at 2 amps will greatly help to eliminate the stratification. If you are unable to charge regularly during storage, we recommend fully charging them, and then disconnecting them from each other before letting them sit. It is ideal to keep them stored in a controlled climate.

The extra recharge sessions while using the BLS will eliminate the stratification and speed up battery recovery and maintenance.

In summary:

1)    Do the regular maintenance: distilled water, terminal cleaning, protection from weather elements and recharge as soon as you have used your system.

2)    Charge your batteries and let them rest 8 to 24 hrs and recharge again, even if you have not used them.

3)    During storage recharge your batteries regularly. If you are unable to charge them regularly, charge them fully then disconnect them from each other and try to store them in a controlled climate.

4)    After storage and before using the batteries recharge them in low amperage setting between 16 and 24 hrs. Let the system rest and then recharge as usual before starting regular use.

This article will be helpful to speed up battery recovery and maintenance of your battery system.  Please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Testing Batteries Part 1:

How to determine the State of Health of Lead-Acid Batteries

Batteries do not come with an energy gauge. Some electric vehicles and alternative energy systems come with battery monitoring devices, but it is not common in applications like golf carts, boats or RV’s.  This article is intended to help you determine the health of a lead acid battery.

For the testing purpose there are two basic types of lead-acid batteries; flooded and sealed.  For more information on the different types of see articles: “Types of Batteries and the BLS” and “Lead-Acid Batteries: A Basic Orientation.” The most obvious difference is that with flooded batteries you can access the electrolyte or add water while with sealed you cannot.

The cycle of a battery

The State of Health (SOH) of a battery is more or less an arbitrary measure of the condition of a battery compared to the manufacturing standards. The measurement is calculated in a percentage value.

When we buy new batteries we expect them to have a full SOH, but that is rarely the case. In general, a completely new battery does not start with a 100% SOH as it takes some time for the acid solution to permeate the plates to achieve the full potential of the battery. On the other hand, batteries deteriorate simply by being stored unused.  Batteries will slowly but constantly discharge during storage, causing them to deteriorate over time. This discharge produces accumulating lead sulfate, which turns into crystals that do not go away with a normal recharge. Over time battery plates become completely covered in sulfate crystals causing them to die a premature death.

Batteries should come with a stamped manufacturing date. It is not recommended buying batteries that have been sitting on the shelf for more than 6 months.

Factors influencing the SOH

There are external and internal indicators of the SOH.

External factors include rusted terminals, bad connections, cracks and bends.

A mechanical inspection is simple and informative.

1. Check if the connectors are clean and free of rust. Those are easy to clean up or replace.

2. Cracks: Any cracks on the battery body are a reliable indicator of the need to replace a battery, especially on flooded batteries or batteries than have been dropped or left without charging in regions that experience heavy winters. Letting a battery discharge during the winter will cause the solution to become mostly water which can freeze and cause the batteries to crack.

3. Bends: batteries that have been boiling tend to develop “pot bellies”. The positive plate on those batteries has a limited viability as they can crumble and will basically come apart. For a golf cart owner is better to replace those as soon as possible. On Solar /wind banks you can get more out of them. In any case make sure to check internal factors to make an informed decision. 

Internal Factors are tied to the State of Charge (SOC), the internal resistance, the number of charge-discharge cycles and ability to accept a charge. 

The State of Charge (SOC): it tells you how much “fuel” you have left in your battery.  The SOC of a battery is measured in percentage units where 0% is empty and 100% is full, with a whole range in between.  It is an indirect measurement of how much energy you have in your battery.

There are two main types of methods of measurement the SOC: The chemical type and Voltage.

1.      The Chemical method can only be used with flooded batteries. You will need access to the electrolyte to measure the specific gravity of the electrolyte (sulfuric acid).

Specific Gravity or better called Relative Density is how the density of a substance relates to another one that is being used as reference.  The compared substance can be more or less dense than the established unit. In our case the reference unit is water that has a density of 1.0 and our analyzed substance (electrolyte) is going o be the sulfuric acid in the battery. (See Chart 1 for details).

2.      The Voltage method can be used with any battery type flooded and sealed. It measures how much electrical energy is flowing inside a circuit from one point to another point. The electrical potential that is measured in volts.  It measures the voltage from the positive pole in the battery to the negative one.

The voltage is compared to the SOC of the given battery. Different battery companies have their own charts of discharge curve to calculate the SOC but in general they are similar.  (See Chart 1 for details)

Chart 1. Each battery manufacturer has a State of Charge Chart that you can reference.  Below is an example of a State of Charge Chart from Trojan Batteries: 

The Internal Resistance/Impedance:  As far as the lead acid battery circuit concerns the values of internal resistance and Impedance are the same. It is the measure of the opposition that a circuit presents to the passage of a current when a voltage is applied.  When a battery is new, the resistance tends to be 1 Ohm per cell, over time batteries accumulate lead sulfate crystals increasing the resistance. The higher the value the worst condition is the battery.

Every battery type has its own resistance value. Please check the datasheet for the batteries you are using to get the exact number. The resistance value is very important when recovering batteries as it can show the improvement in the battery.

Number of charge-discharge cycles: Different manufacturers have an expected number of charge-discharge cycles that they expect a battery will last. Based on this information they offer the limited warranty that, after a certain period, becomes prorated.  Manufacturers will cover the warranty 100% for a short period, but as the product ages, they’ll assume less and less responsibility for the quality of the battery.  Again sulfation and electrolyte lost will reduce the number of cycles a battery should last.  The higher the number of cycles and the warranty a company offers the better the chances are that the battery has a better SOH.

Ability to accept a charge:  This point was left to last because ultimately the real test for a battery is if it can accept charge and release it. There is a huge list of things that can prevent a battery from accepting charge. A few of them can be reversed, others not. We will go over this point in more detail in the next article.

Many have experienced the problems that come when they return to their homes and their systems will not start.

The following is a list of things to do to help you prevent that malady:

1. On the days before leaving do a thorough clean up of connections and batteries.

A mechanical inspection will help you to identify what terminals need replacement and maximize the recharge rate.

2. Fully charge your battery systems.

If possible use your chargers in a low amperage mode. It will take longer in fully charge the batteries but will do a much better job.

Batteries are recharge at higher amperage rates mostly for practical reasons but if you are not using the systems you can take your time recharging the batteries.

3. Once you have fully charged your batteries, disconnect them from each other.

That will reduce the discharge rate.

4. Store your system away from the elements like rain and snow.

Discharged batteries can more easily freeze, destroying plates, leaving them useless.

5. If you live in an area where extreme freezing tends to happen, an insulated storage is recommended.

6. If you are nearby or have a person taking care of your place during the winter, recharge your systems at least once every month.

7. If you own a Battery Life Saver™ electronic device you do not need to disconnect the batteries from each other. You can leave the BLS connected and with a timer program your charger to go on and off on weekly basis.

Do not leave the BLS connected if you are not programming the system to be recharged.

8. When you are back reconnect the batteries and recharged them as usual.

If your charger do not recognize them and will not charge. You can use a regular charger that is not smart and recharge them.

Again recharge in a low amperage mode is the best to get your batteries going.

9. If you own a BLS, reconnect it while recharging. This will dissolve the lead sulfate crystals that are reducing your battery life and extend the life of your batteries.

If you own several 12volts pieces of equipment you can use the BLS 12/24 B and rotate it on the different systems while charging.

10. For more information and tips about battery maintenance visit: www.batterylifesaver.com

Lead-Acid Batteries

(Commonly used in cars, trucks, boats, golf carts, forklifts, RV’s, solar/wind systems and many other applications)

Voltage of a battery

Lead-acid batteries include AGM, VRLA, Gel Cell and Flooded batteries.  Lead acid batteries are composed of battery cells.

Each battery cell is approximately  2 volts.  In most batteries, you can determine the voltage by counting the battery cells.

In flooded batteries, each filler cap is a battery cell.  In sealed batteries, the caps are sealed.  A battery with 3 caps is a 6 volt battery.

Examples:

6 volt Golf Cart Battery The 3 filling caps are circled	12 volt Sealed Gel Cell Battery The 6 sealed caps are circled

Voltage of a battery system

Now that we know the voltage of the batteries, we can now determine the voltage of the system.

Golf Carts: Count the number of batteries and multiply by the voltage. 6 x 6 volt batteries is a 36 volt system.

Other systems: To determine the total voltage of a battery system, you first must determine how the system is connected.  Battery systems are either connected in series or in parallel.  First, observe the connections between the batteries.

Series connected battery systems are connected from the positive (+) terminal of one battery to the negative (-) terminal of the next battery, or vice-versa.  To get the total voltage of a series connected battery system, multiply the number of batteries by the voltage.

3 x 12 volt batteries connected in series is a 36 volt system.

Parallel connected battery systems are connected from the positive (+) terminal of one battery to the positive (+) terminal of the next battery as well as the negative (-) terminal of the same battery to the negative (-) terminal of the next battery.  The total voltage of a parallel connected battery system is the voltage of one battery. 3 x 12 volt batteries connected in parallel is a 12 volt battery system.

But the cost of battery replacement can be painful.

Just like a car, golf cart batteries need to be properly cared for to get maximum battery life.

Here are a few tips to get the most out of your batteries.

1. Charge after every use: Golf cart batteries are not like cell phones, they need to be charged after every use, even short drives.
2. Water Regularly: Use only distilled water. Be careful not to overfill, battery acid is very harmful and corrosive. The water level should be about 1/4 of an inch above the plates.
3. Keep terminals and connections clean: A wire brush or terminal cleaner will do the trick. If the batteries are covered with acid, sprinkle baking soda over the top and wash away with water.
4. Use a desulfator to prevent sulfation: Desulfators handle the problem of lead sulfate build-up that causes 80% of batteries to fail prematurely. They will also maintain short charge times and long drive times.
5. Store properly: Storage of batteries is crucial. In cool climates , improper storage can cause batteries to crack, making them unusable. In warm climates, sulfation can drastically shorten the life.

Here are some basic tips on storage depending on your climate.

• Winter Storage: The best option is to fully charge and store in warm space.

If stored outside, it’s important to fully charge and disconnect any accessories. Good Practice: Charge the batteries once every month.

• Summer Storage: It is best to store in a cool space.

Check the water levels periodically. Good Practice: Charge the batteries once every month.

How will golf cart batteries last?

There are many factors when estimating how long golf cart batteries last. The quality of the battery, climate, usage, and maintenance all play a huge factor in battery life.  The use of a good battery desulfator will greatly improve battery life as well.

Here is a chart with the average life expectancy of golf cart batteries:

Questions? Please give us a call at 727-446-8400.

Todos nos beneficiamos de usar baterías de plomo- acido.

Nuestros carros y carros de golf pararían de funcionar sin ellas. Muchos de los lujos de la civilización no se podrían mantener estando desconectados del sistema eléctrico de la ciudad. Cosas como los refrigeradores, televisores y aire acondicionado en nuestros vehículos recreacionales no funcionarían sin baterías. Los sistemas solares y de viento dependen de bancos de baterías para acumular la energía producida. Reemplazar esas baterías es bastante costoso y en general su vida útil es mucho más corta de lo que se supone debería ser.

¿Cómo sacarle el mejor provecho a mis baterías?

Para tener una mejor comprensión acerca de qué hacer, necesitamos responder un par de preguntas:

a. ¿Qué es una batería? Una batería es un dispositivo en el que energía química es transformada en energía eléctrica. Esta energía puede ser usada en forma controlada.

b. ¿Cómo funciona una batería? Podemos decir que una batería corriente tiene tres elementos básicos: Una platina hecha de plomo, la solución de acido sulfúrico y otra platina hecha de oxido de plomo. Cuando la batería está siendo descargada la solución de acido sulfúrico reacciona con el plomo y el oxido de plomo, liberando electrones que generan el flujo eléctrico. El producto de esta reacción es sulfato de plomo y deja una solución de acido sulfúrico menos concentrado y una reducción en el grosor de las platinas. Cuando la batería está completamente descargada lo único que queda es una larga acumulación de sulfato de plomo sobre las platinas y una solución muy diluida del acido sulfúrico que es mayormente agua.

Cando se comienza a recargar la batería el sulfato de plomo se empieza a disolver debido a la corri ente de electrones que entra en el sistema.

Regresando el sistema a sus componentes originales: Plomo, solución de acido sulfúrico y oxido de plomo.

El problema

Cuando una batería no es cargada completamente hay fracciones de sulfato de plomo que no se disuelven quedando acumuladas en las platinas.

La próxima vez que la batería sea usada el sulfato de plomo que naturalmente se forma en la descarga se va a unir a esos cristales dejados sin disolver y ahora van a ser cristales más fuertes y más difíciles de disolver cuando se cargue la batería nuevamente. El problema es que una carga estándar no va a ser capaz de disolver esos cristales. Entonces vas a terminar acumulando mas y mas sulfatos de plomo que no se van a disolver.

Sus platinas se vuelven más delgadas y la solución de acido sulfú rico se vuelve menos fuerte.

Esto reduce gradualmente la vida de tus baterías.

¿Qué hacer?

Primero que todo debes estar seguro de cargar tus baterías completamente y regularmente aun si no estás usando tus baterías.

Puedes usar un buen desulfatador electrónico. El puede disolver los sulfatos que la carga normal no podría disolver. Esta acción extiende la vida de sus baterías.

Después de haber evaluado muchos polvos aditivos y líquidos en el mercado para eliminar sulfatos.

Yo no recomiendo usar ese tipo de sustancias.

Sobrecargar las baterías también llamado ecualización de baterías. Es otra acción que no recomiendo. A la larga esta acción va a terminar “matando” sus baterías. A pesar de cualquier mejora aparente.

Como mencione antes, reacciones químicas ocurren cuando se cargan y descargan las baterías de plomo-acido.

El calor acelera estas reacciones, causa que la carga se pierda más rápidamente aun sin estar usando la batería. Es importante prevenir que sus baterí as sean expuest as a altas temperaturas tanto como sea posible. Es mejor almacenarlas en un lugar fresco.

Estaciona tus carros en un lugar sombreado evitando la exposición directa al sol tanto como sea posible.

Si el calor puede reducir dramáticamente la vida de una batería, el frio la puede destruir completamente. Por favor no descuides tus baterías cuando el clima está demasiado frio (por debajo

del punto de congelación). Si vas a dejar tu carro o carro de golf por meses en lugares donde cae nieve o se enfrían por debajo del punto de congelación. Asegúrate de dejar tus baterías completamente cargadas antes de que las bajas temperaturas comiencen. Si te vas a ausentar por meses un cargador

de goteo te vendría muy bien para mantener tus baterías en buena condición. El riesgo de tener una batería descargada expuesta a temperaturas de congelamiento, es el agua que se forma cuando la batería se descarga, cuando congelada puede averiar tus baterías.

Hablando acerca de agua si tus baterías son del tipo no sellado asegúrate de agregar agua regularmente.

El peor enemigo de tus baterías es el abandono.

Baterías que son cuidadas correctamente duran 2 veces más que las que son descuidadas.

Que no hacer:

1. No sobrecargues o ecualices tus baterías

2. No almacenes tus baterías en lugares calientes o bajo exposición directa al sol

3. No uses ningún tipo de aditivos, líquidos o sólidos en sus baterías

4. No dejes de poner agua en tus baterías y solo use agua destilada.

Cualquier otra agua contiene minerales y otros elementos que son dañinos para su batería.

5. No dejes de cargar tus baterías regularmente

6. No exponga sus baterías a muy bajas temperaturas debido al riesgo de ruptura.

Que hacer:

1. Carga tus baterías regularmente. Déjelas cargarse totalmente antes desconectar el cargador.

2. Usa el dispositivo electrónico Salvavidas de Baterías que elimina los sulfatos difíciles de disolver

3. Almacena o estaciona tus carros en un lugar sombreado o por lo menos en un lugar donde no hay exposición directa al sol

4. Agrega agua regularmente cuando necesario si tienes baterías del tipo sin sellar, usando solamente agua destilada

5. Proteja tus baterí as de temperaturas debajo de congelamiento.

Estas reglas simples te ayudaran a sacar el mejor provecho de tus baterías.

The average life expectancy of a golf cart battery is three years, in cooler climates they average 4-5 years. Good quality golf cart batteries can cost between $120.00 and $200.00 a piece. Do the math: a cart with 6 batteries at $140 a piece = $840. Some carts have 8 batteries.

In six years, you’ll spend that twice.

Ouch!

But what makes batteries be so short lived? Answer: the buildup of lead sulfate on the battery plates.

If batteries sit in disuse, as they often do, the problem escalates. During the hot summer weather, while many users are up north, crystal build up can make batteries unserviceable in a matter of months.
Battery operated golf carts, as well, slow down over time.

They don’t go as far; they don’t hold as much charge.

Lead sulfate builds up on the battery plates.

In today’s energy saving communities, golf carts are to adults what bicycles are to kids.

They are used for errand running, shopping, visiting or simply getting around town. Just as golfers want their carts to last more than18 holes, moms, babysitters and shoppers want their carts to last 18 blocks and back.

Dead or weak batteries are no fun.

There is a simple, easy to use solution to extend battery life. It is called Battery Life Saver electronic device, BLS for short, that uses a square wave (a powerful, variable wave) that excites the lead sulfate crystals that form on the battery plates and causes them to dissolve.

You attach it to the battery or battery bank and forget it; it keeps lead sulfate from forming, thus extending the life of your batteries, and keeping them at top efficiency. It also can be used to restore “dead,” sulfate-ridden batteries to a like new condition.

The Ben Franklin maxim: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” means dollars and cents today.

When he recited the famous vigil, he noticed how after a fire was seen and cried out, Philadelphia was full of men of different ages, professions and titles who applied themselves to the hard work of putting the fire out. So in 1736, he organized Philadelphia’s Union Fire Company, the first in the city.

In 1752, Franklin helped to found the Philadelphia Contribution for Insurance Against Loss by Fire, because victims of fires had been wiped out financially.

We can all make history today by thinking and acting ahead and preventing battery failure.

Find out more information about the BLS at www.batterylifesaver.com or call toll free 1-866-301-8835 for more info.

By Thomas Kelly

We like to drive our cars, golf cars, boats and RV’s. Companies and their warehouses depend on forklifts to move and restock products. All of these things move around because of batteries, replacing those batteries can be really expensive.

Batteries fail because they accumulate sulfates that do not go away by regular batteries recharge.

A company can spend between $2000 and $4000 to replace a sulfated forklift battery every four years.

An individual can spend between $700 and $1000 to replace their sulfated golf car batteries and between $200 and $600 to replace their sulfated marine batteries.

This expense can be devastating for a small business or an individual. There is more; we give up our old batteries thinking that they are going to be recycled.

A closer look discovers that batteries are sent abroad to countries like; South Korea, China, India and even our neighbor Mexico, where regulations for recycling are very lax and wages are low.

Australia, Japan and the UK similarly export battery waste and other lead scraps.

Lead and leftovers of sulfuric acid end up polluting water sources, the soil and the air. Entire populations get exposed and become sick.

Eventually, atmospheric elements will bring them back to our land.

There is good news on the horizon.

A newly patented product manufactured by a US company based on Clearwater, FL.

“Battery Solutions and Innovations Inc.” is doing some “miracles” with batteries. Their product is called: The Battery Life Saver™ electronic device or most commonly named “The BLS”. The Battery Life Saver electronic device eliminates the whole range of sulfates efficiently. At the same time

that sulfates are gradually eliminated, lead and lead oxide goes back to the plates, much like electroplating, and the sulfuric acid becomes stronger.

The BLS has already rejuvenated batteries and extended battery life for over 15,000 users.

Their cumulative savings can be calculated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It is very popular with marine batteries, golf car batteries, off grid solar systems and wind systems. More important is how much it has helped to protect the environment.

“Every day I hear from companies and people who have bought our products telling me how batteries they thought lost are ‘brought back to life’”, says Thomas J. Kelly, VP for Sales and Marketing.

“It feels good to sell products that will save people money and help protect the environment at the same time. We believe that when you do good for someone else, you do good for yourself.”

Our cars and golf cars will go nowhere without them. Many niceties of civilization maintained outside electrical grid systems like a refrigerator or TV in our RV would not be possible without batteries. Of course, wind and solar systems depend on battery banks.

Those batteries can cost us a pretty penny to replace and most of the time last way below their supposed life expectancy.

How do I get the most out of my batteries?

To better understand what to do we will need to answer a couple questions:

a. What is a battery? A battery is a device in which chemical energy is transformed into electrical energy.

That energy can be used in a controlled manner.

b. How does a battery work? In a normal battery we have three basic elements: one plate made of lead, an electrolyte of sulfuric acid and another plate made of lead oxide. When the battery is discharged, the sulfuric acid in the electrolyte reacts with the lead and lead oxide releasing electricity, forming lead sulfate. This leaves a watery electrolyte solution. When a battery is completely discharged, what is left is lead sulfate and water. When you start recharging the battery, the lead sulfate is broken apart by the electric current. This returns the system to the original elements: lead and lead oxide on the plates and sulfuric acid in the electrolyte, for the most part.

We said for the most part because an incomplete recharge is going to leave behind some lead sulfate.

The next time you use the energy from the battery, the newly formed sulfate is going to attach to the left over sulfates making stronger sulfates. The problem is that a normal battery recharge is not going to be able to break them down completely.

So you will have more and more sulfates that now are not breaking up and gradually are shortening the life of your batteries.

What to do?

First make sure you recharge your batteries completely and regularly even if you do not use your vehicle.

You can use a good electronic desulfator. It can dissolve the otherwise hard to eliminate sulfates, extending the battery life.

After testing many powders and liquids sold to eliminate sulfates, I would not recommend using those kinds of substances.

Overcharging, also called equalizing is another action that is not recommended. It will end up killing your batteries in the long run despite any apparent immediate improvements.

As we mentioned earlier there are chemical reactions charging and discharging batteries.

Heat accelerates those reactions causing a battery to discharge faster. It is important to protect your batteries as much as possible from high temperatures. It is better to store in a cool place. Park your cars in a shadowy place and avoiding as much as possible the direct sun.

If heat can dramatically reduce the battery life, ice can destroy it completely. Do not ignore icy weather. If you are going to leave your car or golf car for months in a place that can be hit by extensive freezing temperatures or you expect a freeze, make sure to fully charge your batteries before the freezing temperatures start.

If you are going to leave for months at the time a trickle charger is very useful to maintain batteries in a good condition. The risk of a discharged battery hit by freezing temperatures is that the water formed by the discharge of the battery when frozen can crack the battery, destroying it.

Talking about water, if your batteries are the unsealed types make sure to regularly water them.

The worst enemy of your batteries is neglect.

Batteries well cared for last two times longer than neglected ones.

Don’ts

1. Do not equalize and/or overcharge your batteries.

2. Do not store your batteries in hot places or under direct sun exposure.

3. Do not use solid or liquid additives in your batteries.

4. Do not neglect to water and only use distilled water. Any other water contains minerals that are bad for your battery.

5. Do not neglect to charge regularly.

6. Do not expose directly your batteries to very low temperatures to prevent any risk of cracking.

Do’s

1. Regularly charge your batteries. Let them to get fully charged before disconnecting the charger.

2. Use a good electronic desulfator that will help to eliminate hard sulfates from the plates.

3. Store cars and batteries in cool places or at least away from direct sun exposure.

4. Water batteries regularly if they are the unsealed type using distilled water.

5. Protect batteries from being directly exposed to extreme cold weather.

These simple rules will help you to get the most out of your batteries.