tronic devices contain tiny rechargeable batteries
that you recharge frequently with the special
charger that came with them. The life of these
batteries is long enough that before they quit
working you will have moved on to a newer model
of the electronic device. These, too, are low-power
batteries.
Starting batteries
The trend in golf/automotive style batteries is
toward “maintenance-free” designs, so most of
the starting batteries you have will be sealed say
“maintenance free” on them and have a warning
not to open them.
Automo-
bile-style
batteries last
about five
years if they are
properly main-
tained. In the case
of the mainte-
nance-free batter-
ies, “maintained”
means washed once
a month to remove
accumulated dust and
dirt that might be con-
ductive while making
sure the connections are
clean and tight.
Lead-acid batteries live
longest if they are kept fully
charged. Keeping them fully
charged is usually taken care
of by the vehicle’s charging
system when the vehicle is
run regularly. Lead-acid batter-
ies will slowly discharge them-
selves over time so a vehicle in
storage should be checked once
a month with a load-type battery
tester and recharged as necessary.
In Michigan, fully charged batteries
can be left out in the cold. However,
if left in the cold in the discharged
state, they will freeze and split their
case, destroying the battery.
The second style of lead-acid battery is
the flooded cell battery, represented by
the less expensive full maintenance automotive-style
starting batteries and the hard working “deep-cycle”
batteries for electric golf course vehicles. Removable
caps allow access to the individual cells of the bat-
tery for adding distilled water (to keep the electro-
lyte level where it should be) and for measuring the
specific gravity of the electrolyte with a hydrometer
as part of checking the battery’s health.
Electric vehicles
While several different chemistries are available to
choose from and are available in maintenance-free
versions, the least expensive way to store elec-
trical power is with the deep-cycle version of the
lead-acid flooded battery that requires regular
maintenance. This battery has been improved over
the years, and is produced in large numbers for
electric golf cars. It is also used for silent electric
mowers and utility vehicles.
Since the amount of power these machines take
to run is substantial, electric vehicles are powered
by an array of batteries. For banks of batteries
like this, semi-automatic watering systems are
available which greatly improve the accuracy and
speed of raising the electrolyte to the proper level
without overfilling. It is important to use distilled
water because in the five years of the battery’s
lifetime, the total volume of the battery liquid will
have been replaced 16 times. If there were any
minerals in the water, they would be left behind in
the battery, shortening battery life.
Safety warnings
Warnings appear molded into the case or as
stickers applied to the outside of batteries. Lead,
sulfuric acid and hydrogen gas are part of the
warnings anyone working with batteries should
be prepared to deal with. In the typical lead-acid
flooded battery, water is lost both when the bat-
tery is charging and when it is discharging. The
water is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen,
and bubbles out of the batteries.
Maintenance-free cells have a catalyst built into
the caps that return the gases, recombined as
water, to the battery. In the older style, the gases
vent out of the battery which explains the impor-
tance in keeping fire and sparks away from batter-
ies. The gases are produced in the perfect ration
(HH:O) for an explosion. Good ventilation, caution
and flame arrestor caps can prevent an explosion
from happening.
NOVEMBER 2018
13