uk.people.disability

cas wrote:
> I live in a sheltered flat,and the man above me brought a very nice buggy
> large type cost about £3, also brought a electric wheel chair for use
> in his was about 2 x years ago the outdoor buggy has not been used
> except the other day in the car park. he is realy to disabled and confused
> to control it and would be a danger to himself and other road the
> roads around here are all steep warden said he might sell would
> be interested but ,as far as I know he very rarely charges it up. the
> buggy is out side of my door in the hallway. I thought that batteries should
> be on trickle charge all the time when not in use other wise tbe battery
> could be they can be expensive. what would you advise thank
> you...cas
>
>
The biggest worry about these sorts of batteries is if they have been
allowed to fully discharge and then left in that state. Even if not
used, they will self discharge and so even a fully charged battery left
unused will be at risk in a few months. A battery that has been used and
run flat is at risk immediately and can suffer irreperable damage if
left like that.

If it has always been fully recharged after every use and if it has been
charged every couple of months otherwise, that will probably be fine.

Replacement batteries vary by orders of magnitude in cost, depending on
make and model.

The good news is that it is fairly easy to see if the batteries need
replacing - fully charge them and then see how long it can be used until
the low battery alarm is triggered..

If you only want to use it for 5 mile round trips, then the fact that
the batteries have been damaged and are down to 50% is not a worry, if
its range with good batteries is 15 miles..

--
Sue