One of our most commonly asked question from customers is in regards to the charging of the mobility scooter or powerchairs battery.
The below guide will not only give you step by step instructions on how to charge your gopher but if you follow the below best battery charging practises, it will also allow your battery to operate for longer at a higher capacity.
It is important to note, that all batteries will lose charge/power eventually the below guide will not fix any batteries that are already lacking charge and won't make a battery last indefinitely. However, you will find that if you follow the below, you will be able to rely on your mobility scooter and use it with confidence each day.
Charging Step by Step
1. Turn your Mobility Scooter or Powerchair off. Different machines will turn off in various ways. Usually, you would have to turn a key, remove a key, push a button or switch.
2. Connect the charger. Just plug the charging socket into the designated spot in the machine. This will be located in different places depending on models and makes. However for Large and medium scooters, it's usually on the tiller around knee height, on smaller portable scooters it's often toward the feet or back of the scooter, closer to the battery. Most Powerchairs and Electric Wheelchairs have their charging plugs under the joystick controller.
3. Connect your charger to a powerpoint or turn on the powerpoint at the switch. It is advisable to disconnect the charger from power when not in use for safety reasons.
Some older style chargers may also have an off/off switch. Make sure this is set to on.
4. Your Battery should now start charging. This is indicated by little lights on the battery and usually on the mobility aid. The small light on the charger will display a red or orange light. This means that the battery is currently being charged.
Charging times can vary significantly depending on the size of the scooter, type of battery and charge remaining in the battery. However, a full charge can take anywhere from 6 to 10 hours.
The battery is fully charged when the light on your charger turns green. In some cases, this light might also flash green. Please refer to your user manual or retailer for more information.
5. Disconnect your charger, first from the scooter, then from the power outlet, alternatively you can turn off the power outlet via a switch.
Best Practises
Ideally, batteries should be charged every night after the scooter has been used to their full capacity, even if you have only gone out for a short ride and your battery bar indicates that your batteries still have charge left in them.
If the scooter is in storage or not being used, it should be fully charged once a week to ensure the batteries will continue to perform when it is back in use.
It is also important to note that your battery bar on your mobility aid is a guide only, similar to cars you will sometimes find that the first 3rd of a charge lasts longer than the last 3rd of charge left in your battery.
You can't overcharge your battery with modern chargers in good working order. When the battery is connected to power, the charger will only charge as much as is required.
