'The fire hazard no one ever expected': The hidden, deadly dangers of residential golf carts

Golfers may not realize it but their golf carts could be ticking time bombs if they charge them inside a garage. That's because golf-cart batteries, especially older ones, emit hydrogen, an odorless, colorless gas that is highly flammable.

"We are talking about a double whammy here," said Assistant Palm Beach County Fire Marshal David DeRita. "If it doesn't suffocate you, it can kill you through a fire."

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue personnel are responding to an increasing number of calls in golf-course communities for help in determining why carbon monoxide (CO) detectors are being set off. When they arrive, they find the issue is not carbon monoxide; it is hydrogen from the charging of golf carts that has set off the detectors, according to DeRita.

It is a good thing hydrogen can set off the detector, DeRita said, because its presence is a serious problem. When levels reach 4 to 7 percent, hydrogen becomes explosive.

Palm Beach County has had more than its fair share of golf-cart related fires.

Three years ago, a two-story mansion at Addison Reserve Country Club, west of Delray Beach, was destroyed by a fire caused by a golf cart that was being charged in the garage of the $1.9 million home. By the time firefighters arrived early in the morning of Sept. 2, 2016, the 9,100-square foot home was fully enveloped in flames. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the home on Isla Verde Way. There were no injuries.

DeRita recently appeared before a meeting of the Alliance of Delray Residential Associations to stress how unsafe it is to walk away and charge a golf cart in a closed garage.

Golf carts need to be charged in the open or in a well-ventilated area, he said.

With hydrogen present, a problem could develop, he noted, by even touching the garage-door switch or garage-door light - all of which work off electricity. DeRita said golf cart batteries need to be periodically filled with distilled water because water evaporates. If water level drops too low, hydrogen is emitted. The units before 2018 do not have safety mechanisms that shut off the charging if water levels are too low.

Olympus Insurance, based in Palm Beach Gardens, calls the charging of golf cart batteries "a fire hazard no one ever expected."

On its web site, Olympus said its investigators were recently involved in a case where a golf cart started a fire in the garage of a home that resulted in a total loss. This is a real issue in Palm Beach County, according to Olympus, where golf-course community residents use golf carts to get around their neighborhoods.

West Palm Beach Fire Chief Diana Matty said it used to be that golf cart batteries were charged outside at clubhouses. What has changed in recent years is that more and more golfers are charging them in their garages or other enclosed spaces.

"Awareness is the key," she said.

One of the county's larger law firms, Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey, and Fronrath of West Palm Beach, was involved in a golf-course explosion lawsuit three years ago that destroyed a home at a South Florida country club. According to the lawsuit, the homeowner left for about 20 minutes while the golf cart was charging inside the garage. He returned to find his home on fire and his wife screaming "like no husband should ever hear their wife screaming." He sustained extensive injuries when he went back into the house to look for his young son who had already left the house. The father sustained extensive injuries. The lawsuit was resolved with a confidential settlement.

DeRita noted that hydrogen is very light and can leak into a home through cracks, crevices and air vents. Once that happens, hydrogen gas can find an open flame or even static electricity, setting off an explosion, he added. For that reason, DeRita warned golfers to open their garage manually if the CO detector has been tripped.

Ibis Golf & Country Club in West Palm Beach, an 1,841 luxury-home community, says it is very much aware of problems caused by the improper charging of golf cart batteries.

With about 1,000 Ibis residents owning golf carts, this is "an important issue," said Gordon Holness, president of the property association. He noted recently that three homes in Ibis had CO detectors tripped by what was likely hydrogen gas emissions from golf-cart batteries.

And that doesn't include Holness himself who recently forgot to turn off the lights on his golf cart, allowing the batteries to charge for several hours. Close to midnight, his CO detector went off.

Ibis's director of public safety, Greg Butcher, sent a letter to residents earlier this month warning them of the problem created by charging golf carts in a garage.

Butcher recommend that residents install carbon monoxide sensors in their garages/cart storage areas, not only to possibly detect excessive battery charging emissions, but also to also protect against carbon monoxide poisoning, in case a vehicle is left running inside a garage.

"To our knowledge, we have never had an explosion incident tied to emission of flammable gases from a cart battery - and we certainly never want to have one," Butcher said.

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