a
Golf cart batteries are one of the most versatile batteries
readily available for either a small home, cabin or for
someone just starting to live off the grid. Some may think
that this lowly battery has no place in the real world of energy
storage, but it is applicable in some situations and can be relatively
cost effective.
This battery is typically referred to as "golf car" or "golf
cart" battery. We are not golfers so therefore do not know
the intricacies that make the distinction between a cart or car so we
will stick with "golf cart" from here on.
At first glance it looks like something you might pull out
of an automobile or truck that is used for engine starting.
The difference being it only has three cells as opposed to six in a
starting battery. There is an 8 volt golf car battery but the
vast majority are the 6 volt type. While an 8 volt battery
may be an advantage in a vehicle to reduce weight, for renewable energy
storage the 6 volt will be more cost effective.
Most likely if you have had any exposure to renewable energy
storage, you already know that a car starting battery is an extremely
poor choice for socking away those ampere hours for later
use. But, if you have been hanging around the battery section
at the department store, you may have also seen something that looks
like a car battery, it's 12 volt, contains "deep cycle" in the
description and sells for a reasonable price. You go home
thinking that you have found the secret to the high cost of storage
batteries. Before you decide to go back and load up your
truck with this cheap solution, let's look at the drawbacks.
We all know that the lead acid batteries are chemical storage containers and can exhibit different characteristic depending on how they are constructed. With the 12 volt car starting battery, there are twice as many thin plates in comparison to the 6 volt golf cart batteries. The starting battery has much more plate exposure resulting in it being able to give up a lot of electrons in short bursts. On the other side, heavy charge-discharge cycles for prolonged periods of time can distort and damage the thin, delicate plates. Furthermore, the positive plates will corrode much faster than a true deep cycle battery - which results in a very short lifespan.
6 volt golf cart batteries, with its thicker plates, are
able to endure long periods of deep discharging and recharging with
less effect on its life span.
A product that can be tempting for a first-time battery
buyer is the Group 24 or 27 RV or Marine deep cycle battery.
These can be found at auto parts stores, department stores and discount
warehouses. This particular battery comes up in discussions
often enough to know that people are taking serious look at one of
these for their house system. They are 12 volt batteries and
it doesn't matter what "new" technology they advertise, they are still
a cross between a starting and deep cycle design.
Power-Point |
To explain it in cost effective detail, let's look at how many ampere hours (AH) you can draw out of a Group 27, 12 volt dual purpose battery, versus a typical GC-2 golf cart 6 volt battery. As an example we will use a comparison of the West Marine brand to avoid mixing different brands and pricing structures.
The Group 27 battery cost $120, has an advertised discharge
life cycle of 200 and is rated at an AH capacity of 80. The
GC-2 costs $190, life cycle of 700 and is rated at an AH capacity of
215. We will use 2 Group 27 batteries connected in parallel
to maintain 12 volts and provide a 160 AH capacity. Two
GC-2's will be hooked in series to provide 12 volts and a 215 AH
capacity.
Battery Type |
Amp Hour Capacity | Cycle Life | Total Battery Cost | Total AH's provided at 80% DOD* | Lifetime Cost per 100 AH's |
Group 27 | 160 | 200 | $240 | 25,600 | $0.94 |
GC-2 | 215 | 700 | $380 | 120,400 | $0.32 |
According to the spec's provided, the more expensive GC-2's will actually cost a third that of the cheaper Group 27. As far as comparing various brands, the plate thickness will be one of the top determining factors that you can use as a general guide. The only problem you will encounter is this number is not typically published in the spec's for the GC-2 type of battery.
Something else that will complicate matters is the variation
in manufacturers with various "store brands". For example
Costco, Sams Club and Walmart may carry the GC-2 but it will most
likely have a store label instead of the company that actually made
it. To compound this problem, the contracts for these
batteries can vary from state to state and from time to time according
to who has the lowest bid. This will mean that the Sams Club
golf cart batteries your buddy purchased 3 years ago and is still going
strong, may not be the same battery today. If you
think golf cart batteries are right for you, several inquires
might land you more specific and helpful information.
The problem that makes it hard to turn down the Warehouse
Club golf cart battery is the price. We have found them to be
the cheapest, by far, than any other source.
The third set of batteries to store power for the Ranch was a set of Sams Club GC-2's. We had two sets of eight hooked in series and then each bank was connected to a buss bar for a 420 AH capacity. These lasted 12 months. Thinking that maybe we just got a bad batch, we tried the same thing again. Twelve months later we were again looking at 16 depleted little batteries.
We kept them charged, watered and clean and didn't abuse
them with microwaves and such. The largest DOD they were
subjected to was 35% with the average more like 20% - 25%.
Even if you considered each day for a year as a "cycle" that would be
only be 365 which is short of the average 500 which we see on a lot of
charts. If we had been hammering them daily with high load
devices, this might be understandable but the typical draw we have is
in the 3 - 10 ampere range. One thought was that we should
have added another bank of 8 the second time around, for a total of 24
to ease the average load per battery.
Golf Cart batteries certainly have their place. For the price, we would not hesitate to use them for a small load application or where larger batteries are not feasible such as in remote locations. Keep in mind that to our short lived experience, there are many others who have had multiple years on a set with no problems. If you are planning to use a store brand, searching out the specs such as plate thickness would be advisable so you can do a little comparison shopping
Golf Cart batteries certainly
have their
place. For the
price,
we would not hesitate to use them for a small load application or where
larger batteries are not feasible such as in remote
locations. Keep in mind that to our short lived experience,
there are many others who have had multiple years on a set with no
problems. If you are planning to use a store brand, searching
out the specs such as plate thickness would be advisable so you can do
a little comparison shopping.
What is your experience with golf cart batteries? Do you have a favorite brand or source you buy from? You can help others by voicing your opinion! Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
GC-2 golf cart Batteries are good, but Not all golf cart batteries are the same Interstate made in Mexico???
Golf Cart Batteries in my camper
Your problem is that you used cheapo golf cart batteries.
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GC2's lasted 5 years and maybe could do more Not rated yet
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Solar house Not rated yetDo You Use Golf Cart Batteries?
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