golf trolley battery

[codswallop]

My golf battery has recently started to fail before 18 holes is completed.My charger is the 3-stage type which shows the bty as fully charged,can this be checked?(the charger)Or otherwise can the bty be checked to see what state of charge it has reached Thanks!!!!

[Kirkpatrick]

most important questions - how old is the battery and have you had it from new. Batteries can be lead-acid (sealed) or the gel type. If the former, and also if the battery has the facility to unscrew the 6 screw-plugs (assuming it's a 12volt) it's then possible to check the specific gravity of the acid. If you don't have one, Halfords sell Hydrometers (with instructions) to measure the SG. If the gel-type, this test is not possible. The battery should show the Ampere-hour capacity. Say, 30 Amp/hr, this would deliver 5 amps of current for about 6 hours when new. In a few months this capacity reduces and after 24 months can be down to about half the capacity. This is why the manufacturer usually gives only 2yrs.warranty. Not trying to be too technical, hope this info helps.The charger will show "charged" as the battery has taken "all it can" not all "it could" when it was new.

[ChuckFickens]

there is a good chance that the battery is a fairly standard motorcycle type lead acid battery.

if it is and it needs replacing have a look at motorcycle shops for a replacement as they will probably be far cheaper than buying the "correct" one from the proper supplier

[cazzz1975]

check them with a voltmeter, It is probably the battery though

[Kirkpatrick]

Checking with a voltmeter will not always give you the answer. Each cell in the battery (lead-acid type) produces 2 volts. After a correct charging cycle the voltage will have risen to 2.2 volts, dropping back to 2v after a short time. This 2v will be the delivered voltage for the period of use before chemical action inside the cell causes the voltage to drop below 2v down to less than 1.8v when the cell is "discharged". The charge/discharge graph shows a sharp drop from 2.2 to 2v in minutes, then the graph is a straight line for hours before "tipping over" to 1.8v. So at any point in time (say after 1,2, 3,4,5hrs) the voltmeter will read
2v. You can't tell where on the straight line you are.

[cazzz1975]

a voltmeter will not tell you which cell is down but it will tell you that a cell is down, it will also tell you if the battery is losing charge over a period of time whilst disconnected.

[codswallop]

Thank you all for your prompt and concise answers,one or two a bit technical for me though!The bty is the lead-acid sealed type. That was a good point about checking in m/cycle shops,but dimensions might be a problem!.Thanks again!!!

[Disco Fever]

Most batteries for motorbikes are generally the same size......

[codswallop]

PS Is there any way of testing the amperage of a sealed battery?? Thanks again