What Should My Golf Cart Charger Read When Fully Charged?

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Many people can’t tell when their golf cart is properly charged. Well, the number of volts a battery charger holds will determine this. Typically, 6-volt chargers are built to produce 7 volts to reach a full charge. So a golf cart battery charger with this specification should read a little above 6 volts on a multimeter when fully charged.

On the other hand, the ammeter on a 36-volt battery charger should read 15+ amps when the charger is plugged into the golf cart to indicate that it is charging. This result should remain the same even if the batteries have been dormant. In the case of a 48v golf cart with flooded batteries, the target voltage is 57.6 – 58.8 volts, so expect 2.4 – 2.5 volts per cell.

To be honest, at some point even I didn’t know what my golf cart charger should read when fully charged? Thanks to the knowledge from experts, I do now, and you will too. It won’t hurt to broaden your knowledge of golf cart batteries. So read on for more insights!

How Do Golf Cart Chargers Work?

Golf cart chargers work the same way all battery chargers work. Firstly, the charger infuses and transmits a DC voltage across the battery before recharging. Also, some chemical changes happen inside the battery to sustain the charge. Typically, golf carts use wet cells or lead acid-flooded batteries.

With the golf cart, a charge undergoes three phases. In all the phases, the charger places a substantial amount of current across the battery for a short time. The current decreases and charges the golf cart gradually over a long period. When the golf cart battery has almost attained a full charge, the charging speed trickles down to the lowest setting to sustain the charge.

How Long Will It Take My Golf Cart Battery To Charge?

A golf cart battery charger takes about 8 to 10 hours before it reaches full charge. When charging your golf cart, leave it overnight after using it for the day. It doesn’t matter whether you used the golf cart for only 8 minutes, make sure you charge your golf cart battery any day you use it.

If you want to know the charging status of your golf cart battery, monitor the blinking LED lights on the charger. The LED lights on your golf cart battery charger indicate different charging levels.

Here’s what each of the lights mean –

• The short green glint indicates a charge of less than 80%.
• The long green glint indicates a charge of more than 80%.
• The static green light indicates a full charge of 100%.
• The red glint indicates a charging error.

Golf cart battery – Battery Charging Tips

Top-notch golf carts with high-quality batteries are crucial for easier maintenance and durability. Your golf cart model doesn’t matter. It could be EZ-GO, Club bar, and even Yamaha. Go for whatever works for you.

Below are some things to consider when charging your golf cart battery.

1. Charge your batteries after every use.

Don’t let your batteries stay a day without charging them if you used the golf cart that day. For battery longevity, charge your batteries overnight.

2. Water your batteries regularly.

The battery type will determine how often you should water your batteries. New batteries don’t need much water, but as you start using your batteries often, you will need to water your batteries once it twice a month.

Nevertheless, note that, batteries can lose water during summer because of the warm weather. Watering is crucial for batteries. The best time to add water is when the batteries are fully-charged.

3. Clean your batteries.

Never underestimate the importance of cleaning your batteries. All batteries can collect dirt, dust, grease, and even dander, which means they must all be cleaned. Golf cart batteries are not an exception.

4. Buy a durable charger.

Your purchasing power can make or mar your battery life. Refrain from buying a charger simply because it is cheap. Choose quality over quantity.

5. Don’t overcharge your batteries.

This one is a no-no. Avoid overcharging your golf cart batteries so you don’t damage them. Overcharging could cause excessive water consumption, corrosion of positive plates, and a lead-acid battery.

 

How to test a golf cart battery charger

Don’t know what your golf charger should read when completely charged? Try testing it!

You can test your charger with several approaches. However, I’ll be dropping two proven techniques. Follow the steps below to test a golf cart charger.

Approach 1 –

• Turn on the charger as soon as the voltmeter is attached to the battery so you can read the electrical output.
• On the voltmeter, there is a needle that moves left to right.
  The right side indicates higher volts. If you get a reading of 36 amps, then your battery charger is doing fine.

Approach 2 –

• Scan through the features/specifications of the charger.
• Use a digital multimeter to measure the charging voltage of the golf cart charger. The charging voltage should be higher than the nominal voltage of the golf cart battery.
• Check for the documentation of the charger and battery.
  If an ammeter is close by, monitor the charging current.

Note that, a good golf cart charger will subtly discharge the battery when it is fully charged, and recharge it immediately after, to keep the golf cart battery in good shape.

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Conclusion

What should my golf cart charger read when fully charged? That’s a pretty good question if you ask me.

Maybe you were curious about this information in the past and never got a response. The answer is right here in this content. So read again if you must, and if you haven’t read this guide yet, get into it!