need troubleshooting help

[dcastillo]

Kinda bummed I cant seem to figure out whats going on, but could really use some debug help..
Short story:
-previous working setup,
6 12V 19AHr batteries from Chrome battery setup as 36V
200A Kelly controller
2000W 30yr old golf cart motor

I was getting about 30+ min of runtime with juice to spare
this lasted for about 3-5 months of driving just 1-2 times a week max, sometimes less.
after each ride I would charge all 6 in parallel at ~6A (1A per battery) which would take almost an entire day.

then one time I plugged in the charger I hard cracking noise and the charger was fried

fast forward 3 weeks and my replacement charger (newer model) is in.

I charge the batteries and now only get about 15min of runtime and it starts to die

charge time is also only about 10-12hrs telling me something is wrong.

tried a different charger, same outcome

took batteries to store and checked CCA, all maintained 13.10V except one dropped to 12.9V, so i had that one replaced but still seeing the shortened runtime...
I am out of ideas, Please help me get this back up and running properly to enjoy it with my kids more

 

[wesleyb82]

Did you hear the crack from the charger immediately after connecting it or did it take time to fail? Was there any type of mechanical failure at this time- did the charge port break or was the noise from the charger?

Also, 13.1 is low, I normally end up with 13.5-13.6 after charging. If 10.5 is discharged, 13.1 would be about 85% charged but I'm not an expert here so that this with a grain of salt.

Which charger are you using now? Which batteries are you using?

 

[dcastillo]

just to be clear the 13.1 is during the discharge test, not after

batteries
http://www.chromebattery.com/12v-19ah-sealed-lead-acid-sla-battery-t2-terminals.html

charger
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200331939_200331939?isSearch=1677825


Cracking pooping sound came from the charger itself as soon as it was connected.

My initial thoughts are the batteries arent getting a full charge since the spec sheet says standby voltage is 13.5-8V (but that is under the charge section so Im not sure what it means) calling there support didnt give me a good answer
calling the chargers support told me that batteries shouldnt be charged that high, so now Im confused...

there was no mechanical failure I know of

maybe I should try a 3rd charger just to see if it charges them to a higher voltage?

One other thought, Im not sure but I think the old charger was considered a manual charger where the new ones are called 'automatic'

but not sure what that means exactly

thanx again for any help
Danny

 

[dcastillo]

so I talked more with ChromeBattery who says full charge should be 13.6V
My charger only takes it to 13.2V...
What concerns me is I tried another charger and it also only took it to 13.3V.

I think my best plan is to buy one of the chargers from chrome battery and try it out. (they have a 90day return policy just in case)

unless anyone has another idea on what to try
-Danny

 

[nayr83333]

Try to charge the batteries one at a time. I believe you have one or two bad batteries that are causing your charger to shut off. if they all charge up to 13.5-13.6 then you may need a better charger. are all the batteries the exact same and very close in age. I've heard but have no solid info that non matching batteries wired together can cause problems.

 

[Poboy kartman]

Try to charge the batteries one at a time. I believe you have one or two bad batteries that are causing your charger to shut off. if they all charge up to 13.5-13.6 then you may need a better charger. are all the batteries the exact same and very close in age. I've heard but have no solid info that non matching batteries wired together can cause problems.

I agree....but if it's a 9volt....you can put it to your tongue......SORRY....

 

[dcastillo]

Been very busy lately, sorry for the late followup

after more diag I found my issue was a broken fuse on one of the betteries, ironically the fuse was still holding together by the plastic so I couldnt tell it was bad (ANL fuse)

so basically I had two groups of pairs and one single battery, stilll showing me 39 volts, but two groups had 36AHr, and one had 18Ahr. that was the problem

all good now
-Danny

 

[wesleyb82]

Nice!