Hi. I’m relatively new to this forum. I inherited a GEM 2002 from my Dad. Here’s my question:
Is it normal for the batteries to discharge quickly when the GEM is not being used (and not plugged in)?
Yesterday, I fully charged it. The charge light was full green. I unplugged it. This morning, less than 24 hours later, I got in the GEM. The charge indicator showed a 90% charge. I’ve noticed that when I leave the GEM unused for about a week, the charge seems to drop to about 60-70% charge even without use. If batteries stored on a store shelf discharged this quickly, batteries would need to be charged before they were ready for use by the customer. I’m concerned there is something wrong with my GEM.
Here’s the rest of the story …
Last fall I replaced the batteries with Costco RV/Marine batteries. (I didn’t want to spend an additional $700 for the deep cycle Trojan batteries. I only use the GEM for very short trips.) Because we’ve had a very cold and wet spring in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’ve used the GEM very little. The weather now has turned warm and so I’m using it more … but still for short (2-3 mile) round trips.
The battery water level is full. I have not added any water since the batteries where new.
Is the quick discharge normal? Maybe I have a bad circuit (short?) that drains the battery? Maybe because I’m using the cheap Costco batteries? Maybe because the charge meter is very inaccurate? What do you think???
Thanks,
- Simon