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Golf cart batteries on solar?

Thecfarrell

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Joined
Jan 30, 2021
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Are their any problems with using golf cart batteries with a 24v solar system, other than replacement every few years.
 
Golf cart batteries are among the the best fla batteries for solar due to their heavy duty build and are made for heavy cycling.
Still only recommended for a 50% duty cycle for longevity but pack a lot of power.
I had some I bought at Costco for under $100 ea used for outside lighting last 10 years.
Just keep up the maintenance and check them often with a good hydrometer for health and watch the water levels.
Distilled water only.
 
Golf cart batteries are among the the best fla batteries for solar due to their heavy duty build and are made for heavy cycling.
Still only recommended for a 50% duty cycle for longevity but pack a lot of power.
I had one for outside lighting last
 
Costco or Sams club always has a good deal on them. ? 4 6v in series makes 24v. They are heavy mofos though ?
yup i have 4 6v wired for 12v weighing in at 260lbs... getting ready to replace this battery setup with 4x 280ah lithium cells almost the same usable capacity at at less than half the size and only 45lbs.

20201114_002649.jpg
 
The Trojan batteries in my used golf cart are of unknown age, or how they were maintained prior to my owning. I plan to swap with lithium when they die however they still perform great.

I typically avoid Costco as their batteries have horrible reviews. I recommend Trojan only because that’s the batteries I received. Trojan distributors claim to have a “house brand” that is made by Trojan but at a much better price. Could be blems or batteries that did not capacity test, as they are rated slightly under the Trojan rating.

I don't mind the weight as they act as ballast for my mobile solar panel mount.
 

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Golf cart batteries are among the the best fla batteries for solar due to their heavy duty build and are made for heavy cycling.
Still only recommended for a 50% duty cycle for longevity but pack a lot of power.
I had some I bought at Costco for under $100 ea used for outside lighting last 10 years.
Just keep up the maintenance and check them often with a good hydrometer for health and watch the water levels.
Distilled water only.
The Costco/Interstate 6v 210Ah @ 20Hr: golf cart batteries I am currently using, you definitely don't want to go below 50% discharge or you'll kill them. $89.99 +Tax is a good value but don't expect them to last more than 2yrs, and with only a 1 year Costco warranty, I think Interstate and Costco could do a lot better.
 
I was quoted $135 for a 6V 225AH Trojan T105, plus 5% discount for cash. Warranty is 2-year with 1-year free, prorate year 2. Should last at least 5-years. Mine are at least 3-years old and still work great for both cruising and inverter usage.

If you are only getting 2-years from a Costco that does not seem like a good value. Not to mention the hassle of swapping batteries.
 
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I was quoted $135 for a 6V 225AH Trojan T105, plus 5% discount for cash. Warranty is 2-year with 1-year free, prorate year 2. Should last at least 5-years. Mine are at least 3-years old and still work great for both cruising and inverter usage.

If you are only getting 2-years from a Costco that does not seem like a good value. Not to mention the hassle of swapping batteries.
You are correct! Trojan are much better built batteries.
 
For the truly lazy (spoken from personal experience) the Trojan Hydrolink system is about as easy as it gets. Just clip on the hose, stick into a bottle and give it a good squeeze or few. Just don't be too lazy to remove the water bottle when it freezes outside. I have only done that a couple of times.

 
The Costco/Interstate 6v 210Ah @ 20Hr: golf cart batteries I am currently using, you definitely don't want to go below 50% discharge or you'll kill them. $89.99 +Tax is a good value but don't expect them to last more than 2yrs, and with only a 1 year Costco warranty, I think Interstate and Costco could do a lot better.
I had mine for almost 10 years (bought in 2011) running 2-3 12v outside led lights dusk to dawn. They would use down to a 60-65% SOC at most.
last month one finally took a dump, but one still reads good. Trying now to figure out what I can do with only 1?. 10 years of dedicated maintenance on them worked. Buy a hydrometer if you really want to keep an eye on FLA batteries.
Running ANY flooded battery below 50% will greatly shorten its life even Trojans. I used 4 T105 Trojans on my toy hauler but never abused them. But others in our group did and theirs went south after two seasons at the imperial dunes. I got 3 1/3 years on the ones I had before I sold the toy hauler.
 
Go to a golf cart dealer and purchase a working used 6V that will match the capacity.
I'll probably just give it to some local RV'ers that still use 6v FLA batteries. I moved into the LiFePo scene a couple years ago for batteries.
My back loves me for that. LOL ✌️
 
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