Precedent caught on fire while charging

[ClubCar2002]

I am brand new to electric carts. I was going to get a RoyPow in my 2002 DS, but supply issues have changed my mind. I will be replacing the current LAs with new LAs.
Is it advisable and common practice to prop the seat open while charging, in order to give the battery compartment some ventilation?

[Bama Brad]

Originally Posted by ClubCar2002

I am brand new to electric carts. I was going to get a RoyPow in my 2002 DS, but supply issues have changed my mind. I will be replacing the current LAs with new LAs.
Is it advisable and common practice to prop the seat open while charging, in order to give the battery compartment some ventilation?

Yes, always a good idea to let batteries have as much fresh air as possible when charging.

[Bama Brad]

Looking at the pictures, it appears to me that the charging port got hot enough to catch the plastic on fire. I don't think that the batteries had anything to do with the fire until they got hot enough to "pop" the tops off (you said that was what you heard). Seems this fire was going on for a while before the batteries got hot enough to pop the tops off. The plastic body is melted pretty badly, which I would think would take some time. When you put it out, was majority of flames coming from plastic body? Also, You said the charger was still charging after you put the fire out? That seems odd. I would have thought it would have cut off or shorted out at the point when the wires melted and shorted out. I wonder if that was the real culprit. Do you have a fire detector in the garage? If so, why didn't it go off?

[Volt_Ampere]

I mounted a smoke detector right above my carts in the garage. I hope it's loud enough to hear in the house. Charging takes way too long to monitor.

[Camaro69]

Originally Posted by Volt_Ampere

I mounted a smoke detector right above my carts in the garage. I hope it's loud enough to hear in the house. Charging takes way too long to monitor.

Not a bad idea.

[fltekdiver]

Bama great observation, It sounded like a shot gun being discharged , our bedroom wall backs to the other side of the garage, so it was really loud , I thought something fell over in the garage , 10 pm at night we were laying down. 2nd "pop " same loudness i walked very fast to the garage. When I opened the garage door, you couldn't see a few feet from the smoke, but I could see the flames about 2 feet high, when I opened the door the garage it set the house smoke detectors off. After putting the fire out, I looked at the charger and said to myself, how is the charger green light still on, and why didn't it trip the GFCI outlet, but GFCI is only tripped by water, I guess not current. Breaker would trip at that point. Great idea on the garage smoke detector.

Volt that only works if your home to put the fire out ?

Remember garage doors have a 20-minute fire rating https://buildingcodetrainer.com/fire...-garage-house/

So, when the fire starts in a garage, it can get really big before the inside smoke detectors go off.

I just bought this 48v to 12v reducer for a cart im building for ourselves : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's switched from the key eliminating the extra on off switch.

I can't remember if i turned the on/ off switch that gives the 48v to the reducer off. When I open the seat to put the cart in tow mode, its pretty hard to forget because it's right there.

Do you see any problems mounting the reducer in the battery box as long as when it heats up it doesn't have contact with the batteries?

[fltekdiver]

I'm looking to rebuild the cart. Thinking other than the obvious stuff like new body, battery box, Looks like I'll need the harness that goes from the controller to the charger port, up-to the dash. New batteries , cables, the black bottom pc that the charger connect into and has 3 screws to the floor, i have extra premium seats that can go back on, I'm thinking this should be a pretty easy fix, as long as the actual floor didn't melt, I believe that part club car wants serial numbers etc for

I restored a flooded cart back about 2 years ago, had to replace everything, so I'm thinking worse case is maybe a controller, and new charger , batteries , harness , etc maybe $2k ? Cart's a 2018 so in todays market $8k with new body, batteries etc

[Volt_Ampere]

I would never leave my house while my cart is charging! But my BR is not near my garage so I'm not sure a smoke detector would wake me up. I also don't charge at night when we are sleeping so I am sure I would hear it. Those things are loud. It's a good idea to periodically check the charge plug for wear or damage because that is where you are likely to get excess heat during charging.

[fltekdiver]

Good advice thank you
Here is some photos now I'm not sure if it was the charging cord or poit's called or port possibly to wire harness on the neath it up to the dash
From the photos if it was the charging port it would be disintegrated
Originally I thought the whole charging port was gone but it is still intact and the wires behind it are still intact that may be why the charger was still on trying to charge

[fltekdiver]

I got to attach the photos