T&T: Battery Charging in hot weather

[Mark Richter]

<<How on earth could  batteries ever get fully charged at 13.9 volts, given
that the charger has some  time limits on absorption? In the case of my
charger, it holds the voltage for  an additional hour beyond absorption,
they call it over charge, then if floats  at right
around 13.1 V (temp compensated, 13.5 V not temp compensated)....What's
going to happen to my batteries if I continue charging at 14.4 V despite
the temp in the engine room and the batteries being at around 95 degrees? >>

Jake,
Charging your flooded golf cart batteries without temperature compensation
as you suggest will boil the water away at a faster rate and require you to
monitor and refill them with distilled water more often.  Their life will be
shortened somewhat.  And you risk a runaway charging situation if they get
too hot, so you need to keep a close eye on them.  You might want to invest
in a small wireless or wired thermometer (Wal-mart, $10-20) so you can see
that they don't get over about 120 degrees f.  Given your situation, I think
the shorter battery life will be a good trade-off for you.

You could also install a fan to help cool the batteries.  If possible, bring
in outside air through a drier duct and blow it through the battery case.
Better ventilation of the engine room could also help a bit.

If your battery bank is not almost fully charged (say, within 5% of battery
capacity) when the inverter drops to float voltage, you could reset the
charging timer by shutting the inverter/charger off for a few minutes, then
turning it back on.  It should go back to bulk mode, around 14.4v with the
temperature probe unplugged.

Mark Richter, m/v Winnie the Pooh
Mark's Mobile Marine