Thanks for making this video. We just recently purchased a 48v cart and it was obvious the charger it came with was hard on the batteries due to the heat generated and boiling of the water. The charger you recommend in this video was the perfect solution. Also appreciate the info on the 7/8 hole size for the external connector. Install was maybe 1/2 hour for me due to the info in this video.
This is from batter minders website. Not Designed to replace original higher Amp chargers. Use to maintain and desulfate batteries AFTER being fully charged with conventional charger. This will prevent premature failure of unit due to overwork.
I bought a refirb 2012 rxv 48 volt in 2015 from a local refirber dealer. It had 4 new Trojans and it came with the small OEM powerwise eq charger. Once a year I add distilled water in the batteries and they’re still going strong here in late 2024. Surely they’ll go soon but I’m happy with 9 years.
If you got 9 years then you definitely should count your blessings. That is very unusual for lead acid batteries but sometimes if you treat them well they give your their best.
Two more points to add is that I routinely spray CRC battery terminal protector on the terminals and the cart is certainly not used daily and when used it’s never been on long trips. Usually within a mile. It always gets plugged back to the charger
Ok sulfation happens from low charge levels to prevent sulfating you want A high current charge over 10a it will push sulfate off of plates into the electrolyte. You don not want a slow charge or a pulse this is why high end chargers for forklifts or stationary applications use capacitors they filter for a smoother constant charge (Hindle power makes great chargers) for high end applications. I can give you some great advice on batteries it is my profession if you are ever interested.
For the application where one is "storing" their Golf Cart during the off season (hot summer months in Phoenix, garage temperatures averaging 100 degrees each day for 3 or 4 months) and "exercising" the battery once a week for a 5 - 10 minute Ride with 40 stops and starts and then hooking up to this particular 3amp charger (that recognizes it will add sulphates due to low slow amp charging so it does it's anti-sulphate dance procedure to compensate for it) is this the correct trickle charger for this application for the off season? Is there a situation when a slow low amp charging cycle is a benefit with a wet battery at a low rate? As I understand the preferred cycle for charging a wet battery is: Bulk - Absorption - Float with the amps used in each part of this 3 stage cycle reducing in each stage. With a 5 to 10 minute workout of the wet battery once per week would it spend much time in the bulk charge phase since SOC (state of charge) would still be pretty high after the short work out? Or in the scenario presented above would the over 10 amp rate of charge still be the better choice for charging up the last 10 to 15% of the battery? Thanks in advance for the time you take to respond. I'm trying to learn how best to extend the life of my new wet batteries and the down time summers when the battery is used infrequently and stored in very hot conditions. I can't do anything about the storage and temperature. I can get someone to exercise the batteries with the once per week run of the cart with lots of stops and starts to full speed. I can buy a fast charger for when I use it daily in the busy use season where the fast charger higher amps is the only practical choice but what about the off season?
Avoid sulfation with a completely sealed golf cart battery! Power stars EVF-150 and EVF-200 are Sealed lead acid golf cart batteries with the highest warranty in the industry.
@BigTimeBattery all lead acid batteries sulfate. And none our truly sealed. You can take that sealed cap off and underneath it will be caps just like a regular lead acid battery.
You can also double the life by simply using a better battery such as the Power Star evf-200 or 150. They are completely sealed and also yield a longer warranty then any other golf cart batteries!
Looked all over for a video like yours. You should entitle it Battery Minder Install, because that's how people look for it. Only thing I wish you'd spent more time on was how to find the batteries you need to hook the leads to. I'm a novice, and batteries can be intimidating. I couldn't see, from your video, the where and why you hooked each lead. Everything else is straight forward. Asked a bunch of friends if they knew how to find the correct batteries in a series, and they didn't know either.
Thanks for the feedback and great tips. The best way I could describe it is that the battery terminals that you connect the battery minder to are the only ones that don't connect to another battery. That is probably the easiest way to find them.
The last Positive terminal and the last negative terminal that don't connect to an or battery and these terminals should be where the battery charger outlet wires connect for you regular big cart charger when you plug it in to use that.
I have 48v EZGO golf cart. Was looking at options to replace all 6 batteries. Purchased this charger instead and saw an increase in battery life of 25-30% in just a few weeks.
Use my golf cart mostly on Thursdays and weekends. I’ve read stuff online about a charger needing to be a higher amp to do whatever it should be doing to the battery along with charging it. Just wanted to check and see how this has been working for you as well as ask if it would be ideal for my situation. I can’t imagine that it would ever have less than 10-12 hours to charge and in the case I had less time I would just use the OEM. Thanks for the video, hope all is well.
I think it would be perfect for your situation. I use this charger 99% of the time and only ever plug in the one that came with the cart when I need a quick charge. My batteries are 5 years old now and still hold a charge just as well as the day I bought them.
@@ClintHolland that’s great, just got it in today and got it set up. I’ve read some stuff about needing higher amps to “stir the contents, but if that’s even a real thing I’d think driving it would do that, but just in case I’ll randomly use the other charger when it’s a good temp and just needs a little charge. Thanks!
We have a 2018 Club Car Precedent with 6 - 8v Trojan batteries. One cell in one battery is failing after only 3.5 years. I called our local Trojan dealer and asked about a desulfating charger. He said, don't do it. Sulfate will fall off the plates and collect on the bottom of the battery. When the sulfate builds up to the point of touching the plates, that cell will short, sometimes with catastrophic results. He said the "Eric" charger we have from Club Car is the best for the cart and Trojan batteries. I'm replacing the one bad battery, against his recommendation, but I'm not in a position to spend $1,600 on a full set right now. If I win the lottery, I'd put in a good Lithium battery pack and be done with cart battery issues.
That comment doesn't make sense at all. You don't just run this charger once, you continually charge with this which keeps the sulfate off the battery. Not only that, but desulfation has been proven in independent tests to prolong batteries. Or you could trust the guy who makes money from selling you a new battery.
Wow. This was very informative. Amazing. Thank you. And please consider making more videos. I have plenty of topics if you need ideas. I’ve watch some of your other stuff, and it’s apparent you do valuable work.
Can you update on the current condition of your batteries and charger set up ? Also, how old were your batteries when you started using that charger ? I'm currently using Pulse Tec Xtreme desulfators. I have 3 .12 units connected to two 6 volt batteries which is one pulse tech unit for two 6 volt batteries in a 36 volt ezgo cart. I'm always looking for a better way because theses Trojan T-105 lead acid batteries aren't cheap. I'll be going with a Epoch 36 volt lithium battery when these finally die. I've even tried three .12 volt solar panels connected in series to try and extend my cart range on the Sporting Clays courses but the jury is still out on that set up. Thanks, good video. Please update us......
@@MacMcCabe2456 My batteries are still in top condition. I last tested them about 3 months ago when I refilled the water and they all tested less than 10% degradation since purchase. My batteries were maybe a couple months old when i started using a desulfating charger. After spending all that money on the Trojans I wanted to find a way to not have to buy them again soon. Wish I had the money to go Lithium and I probably will next time. At the moment my batteries are about 5 years old. I think as long as you have a good desulfating charger that trickle charges, you can probably easily double your battery life. That plus keeping the water level correct will do wonders for their longetivity.
I went the Lester III for my 48volt, so far so good, still have to maintain the water, I guess time will tell. It has a bluetooth function that allows me to see what the charger is doing and the charger mounts to the cart so goes where it goes and it small. Bypass the original charge port and does not use the non working computer board that is original to the cart and controls the original charger.
After watching this video, it looks like, when you install the wiring, you are connecting directly to the batteries. Does that bypass the OBC? I have a 1998 Club Car and the SLA batteries are about 3-4 years old but don't hold charge very well, but I'm thinking they should have a few years of life left in them. I'm 'electrically challenged' and want a simple solution to improve battery life. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Clint, thanks for the video. It's kind of old (3 years) but still the only one that I found on the subject. I was wondering, I have a 6 - 8v battery setup. Do you still connect the same way that you did?
I use a 220 watt solar panel, rated at around 19 volts. Hook your batt directly to the panel. Let the sun desulfacate the lead plates. Be sure to keep distilled water in the cells. To easy and it works great!
I love solar chargers but they do not de-sulfate a battery unless they have a de-sulfator built in. It is accomplished by applying certain frequencies to the battery terminals.
@ClintHolland No, I don't use a solar panel charge controller to do this. Read what I wrote. "Hook the solar panel DIRECTLY to the battery! That way, the battery is receiving around 19 volts dc. I've been doing it this way for over 15 years. I live off grid. This is how I recondition my battery bank when it becomes sulficated.
@@rockhoundingeasternwashing5308Semantics I guess. Not sure the difference between a solar charger and connecting the solar panels directly to a battery and charging it. In both cases, the solar panels are charging the battery which makes it a charger. I am still not following though. The act of desulfating by a charger is accomplished in two ways. It uses high voltage and varying frequencies that cause the sulfates to fall off the battery into solution. My guess on why the solar panel increases the life is the low voltage. It has also been shown that slow charging increases the life of batteries too which is what I think you are doing.
@@ClintHolland if you hook the panel directly to the battery, the battery will be receiving around 19 to 20 volts or so. A standard battery charging will stop charging at around 14.2 volts. 14.2 votes is not enough voltage to desulficate the lead plates. The battery has to receive at least 15.5 volts or more to boil the electrolyte in the cells. The cells will indeed boil, not a heated boil. Just rigorous boiling from gassing
Do they make a charger you can mount on the cart? So you can just plug the cart in. If so is there a better choice for battery longevity? Thx for consideration.
@@bftcoman I am not aware of one. While it wouldn't be huge, it would definitely add some weight to the cart as well. The charger being mounted in the cart or outside of the cart would have no effect on battery life. The best way to extend the battery life is with any type of desulfating charger and ideally one that does temperature compensation. I like BatteryMinder but there are a plethora of other brands that do the same thing.
We're seasonal residents of Florida, here Jan, Feb and March generally. Would you leave this charger hooked up continually for the 9 months we are gone? Or would you use a timer to turn it off and on? Thanks.
You can leave this charger running 24/7. Doing so will actually extend the life of your batteries as opposed to letting them slowly discharge. Just make sure the water/electrolyte level is good before you do.
Just subbed, mainly bc I see you answer all questions. I have a 2005 36v EZGO with fairly new Trojans. I am using a Power Wise fast charging (at least 15 amps) unit. I went through a 6 week period where I didn't use the cart, the charger had cut off and I figured the batteries were charged and would hold a charge like car batteries do, so I unplugged it the last 2 weeks of the 6 week period. I went to use it, and noticed the voltage gauge on the cart when I left the house was only half full and had to cancel my round of golf. Should it drop that much with new batteries in that short a time?
It should not. If the batteries test good I would suspect you have something drawing power when the cart is off, ie a parasitic draw. Here is what I would do if you have time. Charge the batteries up and then disconnect one of the terminals. Wait 2 weeks if you can and see if the problem occurs. If not, then something is drawing too much power when the cart is off. You can also test that theory with an ammeter if you have one. The other thing I would test are the batteries. Make sure they have enough electrolyte in them and maybe even pick up a cheap battery tester on amazon. This is the tester I use but you can get cheaper ones for about $20. TOPDON AB101
Make sure you charge those lithiums outside. Once they catch on fire, and it happens more than most people know, there is no putting the fire out until the lithium is exhausted.
@@garystone6397 im on many golf cart forums that issue has not come up. I will keep my eyes pealed. The internal bms is to keep it working and charging properly.
@@03treefitty We have a Luxury 45' Motorcoach used for the occasional weekend in the winter here in Florida and we escape the summer heat from June through October traveling the US and Canada. I know of several coaches that have gone up in flames due to the LiPo batteries. Additionally there has been a few recalls on some high end electric cars because the batteries will burst into flames with no notice, Tesla for one. Our local Fire Department did a public service presentation at our club regarding charging a golf cart with LiPo batteries. They recommended charging outside, away from the house. Not a large population of LiPo carts out there but they are becoming more popular. I think I'm going to wait a few years and then buy a new cart that was designed, developed and manufactured for LiPo power systems. Good luck though.
Hi @Clint Holland. I have a 48 volt Club Car with an Onboard Computer (OBC). The OBC is what manages the charging program with the factory external charger. Do you know if I hardwire this BatteryMINDer to my main positive and main negative (like you did), will it bypass the OBC?
I am a little confused. So, this is the only charger you will use unless you need a fast charge. I live in Thailand, it is always warm/hot here. Is this the only charger I need? I don’t need fast charge.
hi , so my golf cart runs 6 x 8 volt batteries, had a few issues with them over time due to the initial battery charger cooking the batteries .. that was replaced with another one that was much better , however i would lie to desulfer the batteries but i dont think my current charger does that .. i have one of the NOCO genius 5 chargers but it only seems to do 12v desulfate . also not sure what you mean by finding the right two batteries to connect that charger you are using .. wouldnt it be the first one and the last one ?
The 48v version of the battery minder would do just that. And you are correct, the first and last battery. Might seem simple to you and me but a lot of people don't understand series connected batteries.
I assume it slow charges the batteries as it's 3 amps. We travel to places where the cart gets heavy use. Would you suggest using the factory charger when in heavy use and the minder during most other times?
Clint, I have the EZGO cart with 4 - 12v Trojan 1275 bad batteries. I plan to buy UPG 12v 100Ah batteries. I have the heavy metal charger. Was wondering if the P3648 Smart Charger would be an upgrade to extend battery life? It is an affordable option to the BatteryMINDEer 483CEC1? Thanks.
Hi Eric, Great video, I am new to elec golf carts T have a 99 EZgo with 6 6volt Trojan T105 Batteries , Which charger do yor suggest? the batteries a 4 years old, will this help extend their Life ? TIA
To be honest, there aren't a lot of 36volt desulfators for golf carts but search for the BLS brand, Battery Life Saver. They get ok ratings. Any desulfator will help extend the life. That plus making sure you keep them topped off with distilled water.
@@ClintHolland after watching this video, which was great btw, I searched and found a Defabee 36/48 charger very similar to the battery minder. although it doesn't have the kit to install a charger plug. It is also considerably cheaper. considering this because my cart is 36v. but it will do both.
I had to replace two batteries that were only 28 months old. Now I have another 8 volt battery that only has 6.7 volts. What is causing these batteries to drain?
Great video! I have 5 - 12 battery pack for a 60v system. Which version of the battery minder should I use? Or is my set up not going to work with a 12v 2 or 3 amp version?
Unfortunately Battery Minder doesn't make a 60v system. A search on Google didn't really turn up anyone making a 60v one so you may not have any options.
I've been wondering why they use 8V batteries instead of 6V or 12V batteries. Who uses 8V batteries (besides golf carts)? Why don't they use a more common battery? They're always more needlessly expensive. Makes no sense (except for just selling you stuff)..
@@ClintHolland You can always buy 12 volt batteries ( 4 for 48 volt, three for 36 volt). The ONLY downside is range will be reduced by maybe 15 to 20%.
This would work just fine for that. This charger doesn't work well if you need your batteries charged within an hour or two like the fast charger that your cart came with. If you can let it charge over night you will be fine.
I have an older Club Car DS 48 volt with 4 Trojan T-1275 batteries. This really interests me because I have had a time getting my batteries to charge properly lately. So how do I tell where I have 48 volts within the battery stack? I have 4 in a row all hooked together. Thanks for the video and the help.
I know this is a really old post but did you figure this out. If you have 4 x 12v batteries you will need to connect across the positive of the first battery and the negative of the last battery since they are wired in series.
I have a 2003 ezgo 36 v golf cart with 6 Trojan batteries. I continue to have a dead golf cart and have recently replaced two of the batteries. The other 4 are about 3 years old. I need to figure out what's wrong with it. I use a regular 12 v battery charger and wire two together to get a fulll fulll charge and then put them together normally and use the wall charger from there on a regular basis... I need to figure out why it keeps dying so fast on us. Is it possible I have accidentally put the main black positive and negative input to the batteries on backwards. For example the main capacitor on the golf cart that connects to the first battery on the positive side and then the last battery On the negative side ...
Anything is possible but if you connected it backwards I would say it wouldn't work at all or it would drain the batteries in a matter of minutes probably as well as burning up some wires. Did this problem just start happening or was it after some repairs?
I purchased a cart in 2020 and had a hard time finding good batteries. I bought cheap ones and they are pretty much toast. Im looking at all my options; but considering AGM and lithium batteries. If I go with AGM do I charge them everyday as I use the cart?
If you can afford it, go with Lithium. They are amazing, last a long time and are much lighter. If you go with AGM, just make sure you use a smart charger designed for AGMs. They will constantly monitor the battery voltage and charge them accordingly without you having to care.
Why does my internal breaker on the 48 volt club Car charger keep tripping after about ten minutes charging? I've cleaned my cables more than once today. It has done it before, when the cable connections got dirty. I've actually cleaned them three times in two days. Could it be the cables and cable connctors are corroded inside under the copper? I just don;t wanto pay 60 bucks for all new cables and then find out that isn't the problem. Also, if I do buy new cables should I use 4 guage or 2 guage
Well, thats tough to diagnose over the internet but it could be the cables or even the batteries or a failing breaker. Something is pulling too much current which probably means a cable issue but it very well could be failing batteries or even just one failing battery. Did you get this worked out yet? I know my response is very late.
Is there a way to buy just the the part that puts the charger connecter on the golf cart. I have 2 golf carts so I want to buy an extra plug port for the charger instead of 2 chargers
Are you still using the battery minder? Are you still seeing a positive impact on your batteries? You have one of the only/few videos on RU-vid that I found on the battery minder. Great video.
I don't think I would put the money in a lithium battery for a gas golf cart. You will never recoup that investment like you will for an electric cart.
I have a 2016 president(48 volt) that has 2018 batteries. It is jerking when when I accelerate I have been told it was the speed sensor (changed it)or batteries or solenoid. Any ideas?
@@blessed1sj Are you smelling anything odd when you are driving? Also, when you let off the accelerator does it brake and slow down really quickly or is it normal deceleration?
This is what I would recommend if you can find one. If not, just look for one that has a built in de-sulfator. www.batteryminders.com/36v-on-board-battery-charger-desulfator/
I am installing new batteries in my cart 6v Trojans for a 48v system. It looks like I can have the factory charge port and the BatteryMimder port. Is that correct?
Most of the reviews I watched on RU-vid gave the batteryminder a top ranking. Seems like lead acid batteries are the most economical as long as you can keep them plates clean. I've watched countless videos where people have brought old dead batteries back to life by desulfating them.
Definitely. I have had decent success bringing them back to life but not 100%. And sometimes it can take weeks of charging to get them to even start responding.
Unfortunately they don't offer at 36v charger and desulfator. However, they do have the most important part which is the desulfator which you can connect inline with your charger. www.batteryminders.com/36v-on-board-battery-charger-desulfator/
You do not. I still have both mine connected but I wouldn't use them at the same time. I use the Batteryminder 90% of the time and my original charger if we need a fast charge.
Clint, I live in SC and return to NJ for 5 months in the summer. I just purchased and installed new golf cart batteries as well as the BatteryMinder 48 volt charger. When I am away in the summer months should I leave the BatteryMinder charger attached to the golf cart batteries or disconnect completely for the summer months?
Leave it running all year. Your batteries will self discharge if you aren't charging it and if you left it long enough they may even discharge to the point of damaging themselves.
I've been doing golf cart for 25 years Will give you double absolutely not. Maybe 10% extra life if that but it's still good charger to keep the batteries up on voltage if you're unable to charge it for a long period on vacation or something
It's called a Battery Minder. There is a link in the description. The wires are smaller gauge because this is a slow charger and the thicker cables aren't needed.
Pretty much any way you want. With 8 batteries I assume they are all 6 volt. You can literally touch both terminals with your dry hands and you won't feel a thing.
When I bought the cart it has US Batteries that were 7 years old and barely worked. I had to replace them and our local golf cart dealer only carried Trojans.
Unfortunately they don't make an all in one for the 36v and you will have to install this one inline with your charger. www.batteryminders.com/36v-on-board-battery-charger-desulfator/
So... the manufacturer of my golf cart batteries (US Battery) recommends a three stage charge with the first two stages being a mix of high amperage and high voltage... enough current to "boil the batteries". Trojan makes similar recommendations. This high current charge is designed to delaminate the chemistry in the battery case. I know you don't want to get "too deep into the science" but I think your science might not actually be science at all. And I kind of think the guys who made the batteries would know more than you or I might.
Hmm, a company would totally be incentivized to tell you how to make their disposable product last longer right? Btw, did you do any research before you posted this? I have no incentive for you to buy one of these chargers, I am just trying to help people out. These desulfating chargers do use high voltage and frequencies to do much of what you mentioned. And if you actually do a google search you will find out that many battery experts recommend desulfating chargers. Or just search on RU-vid and you will find a dozen videos not produced by me of people actually putting them to the test and proving they work. They can even bring batteries that fail testing and won't hold a charge back to life in many cases. So yeah, science wins again.
You can call it whatever you want. There are scientific and 3rd party independent studies showing that it does in fact work. In many cases you can even restore a battery that has failed. Try doing some research before spouting off incorrect information.
I never said I use this for daily use. If you use your GC daily, this thing will never work. We actually use a combination of this and the original charger but we rarely use our golf cart daily.
