Will Rain Ruin A Golf Cart Charger?

Will Rain Ruin A Golf Cart Charger?

Some golfers love to ride a golf cart just as much as hitting a hole in one. However, what they hate doing is to charge those carts, and more often than not, they will forget and leave the chargers out in the rain or on the cart while it is raining. Let’s see how bad it really is.

Rain will not ruin a waterproof golf cart charger. However, a standard charger made out of metal and left to weather continuously in the rain will be susceptible to rust, and if the interior is water-logged, the circuitry may fail.

If left in the rain once, then it should still be able to function after being left for some time to dry out.

Let’s take a look at what a golf cart charger is, what various types you can get, and how it functions to properly understand how it can be affected by the elements due to its characteristics.

Then we will see which types, if any, are affected by rain.

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Golf Cart Charger Overview

When you think of playing a round of golf on your favorite back nine, sometimes the instead of getting some good exercise in by walking through the holes, you will decide to take your cart.

A cart is great because this means you can bring additional clubs with you if you so choose, you can pack refreshments.

You can even take any family members or friends with you to enjoy an open day out on the greens (it will be easy to convince them to come along if they don’t have to walk.

There is only one downside to take a cart; you always have to make sure it is maintained, and more than that, the one thing that is probably more important than the actual cart is the charger because, without the charger, the cart won’t run, at all.

Let’s determine what types of golf cart chargers there are, and then we may be able to understand if the rain will ruin them all or only certain types.

What Is A Golf Cart Charger

A golf cart charger is a device that is similar to a regular car battery charger. It is used to charge the batteries in your golf cart.

Golf cart chargers can charge standard golf cart batteries almost 1000 times, which means that they can last three or more years.

The chargers are based on a DC (direct current system), and besides charging golf carts, they are also able to charge forklifts.

Are All Golf Cart Chargers The Same

Golf cart charges are similar in terms of construction and application; however, you get two main types when dealing with the amount of voltage.

This is because golf carts come with different size batteries to drive bigger or smaller carts.

The two main types of voltage that a golf cart charger produces is either 36volts or 48volts.

As we touched on, these systems are usually DC (direct current ) systems because DC systems and charging units are generally used to send constant power and is used for fast charging.

It would help if you considered this because a golf cart usually takes about six to eight hours to charge fully.

AC charging is available, and so are AC golf carts; however, DC is more widely used.

What Other Golf Cart Chargers Do You Get?

Well, we now know that the most common types are DC chargers that utilize 36 or 48 volts. For the most part, after these characteristics, most chargers will be manufactured in a similar way.

They will all be the same in terms of their function, except some models may be dumb chargers, which means they will not turn back on by themselves.

You will have to manually unplug and plug them back in (this is one of the reasons your cart is never charged when you are away from your cart for a sustained period of time).

Other chargers can be considered smart chargers, and these can turn on and off automatically, which negates the need for trickle charges.

However, trickle chargers are cheaper than if you opt for a charger that has smart charge capability.

It is also important to note that chargers such as dumb chargers are slowly getting phased out, and the norm could now be considered smart chargers with trickle functions.

The only other thing to note is that even though most chargers are similar nowadays, you would still need to get a charger with the correct charging plug for your cart.

These are functions, and so they are not classified as a specific type per se.

You would opt and specify the voltage as the type of charger you needed and then choose its characteristics if you had the choice.

Types Of Connection Points

You do get various types of connection points because some cart manufacturers design and implement multiple methods in order to charge their carts in different ways, hoping to gain an advantage like faster charging.

The types of connection points include;

  • Crowfoot
  • 3 Pin Round
  • SB50
  • Powerwise “D”
  • Powerwise Slotted
  • 3 Pin Triangle
  • Nabson (Yamaha 2 Pin)
  • 3 Pin Leaf

Are Any Of These Types Of Golf Cart Chargers Waterproof?

It is essential to note that there are various models and makes for golf cart chargers, and some golf cart chargers are actually made to be waterproof.

This means they are built to withstand the elements and even have brackets that you can mount on your golf cart.

Therefore golf cart chargers that are waterproof can be left out in the rain, and they will not get ruined on account of the rain.

Will Rain Ruin My Golf Cart Charger?

As we stated, you do actually get waterproof golf cart chargers; however, not all chargers are built to withstand the elements.

Hence rain will not ruin waterproof charges, but chargers with some sort of metal casing will definitely start to rust over time due to oxidation (the process of when iron and oxygen react in the presence of water).

Furthermore, remember that a golf cart charger is similar to a regular car charger in terms of circuitry and construction, whether it is AC or DC, and this means they should not get wet. This is because they are producing and conducting current.

Even though water is not a good conductor of electricity, if your charger is out in the elements and continuously exposed to rain, the charger may get waterlogged, and the circuitry may rust, deteriorate, or get damaged.

Another thing to note is that if you are using a smart charger, it has the ability to turn on and off, and even though they are not prone to short circuits, this may be possible if a large amount of water floods the charger. 

Keep in mind that this is over an extended period of time, and if your charger is left out in the rain once, then you are probably able to save it by letting it air out and dry over a few days.

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Conclusion

In discovering the different types of golf cart chargers, we were able to understand how they functioned and what properties they had. Due to this, we could understand better, their affliction to the elements, which for our concern is rain.

Car chargers are made from different materials and metals, and leaving them out to get weathered by the elements is never a good idea.

However, you do get waterproof golf cart chargers.

These are robust and can withstand a fair amount of punishment. In addition to that, all their circuitry is tightly sealed up and protected.

Standard golf cart chargers are not designed the same as a waterproof charger and are not made to handle continuous punishment from the elements.

Therefore if left in the rain for an extended period of time, they are susceptible to rust, and if flooded, the water could damage its circuitry.

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