Questions > What Can I Do to Help Prolong the Life of My Batteries for My Cordless Power Tools, 18volt...?

From ABOVE June 17, 2011 at 7:52 pm

just do not use it other then that not much else you can do

edison June 17, 2011 at 8:17 pm

There is a battery charger on the market for that purpose or go to the 99p shops where you can buy batteries for exactly that 99p.

Mictlan_KISS June 17, 2011 at 9:06 pm

Keep the units in places with a Relatively stable temperature.
High or Highly Variable temps will vary the life of a battery

Ken K June 17, 2011 at 9:43 pm

Depends on what kind it is…nickle/cadmium, nickle/metal hydride, lithium, alkaline, carbon/zinc ? Alkaline and carbon/zinc are considered one-time-use, when they go dead, throw them away (properly). Nickle/cadmium should be 100% discharged before recharging, and must be 100% charged before removing from the charger and put back into use. When these batteries start having difficulty holding a charge, they should be fully discharged then fully charged three times before putting back into service. The other two don’t matter when you charge them. You can put them on the charger as soon as you finish with the tool. (if the battery feels very warm to the touch, let it cool to room temperature before charging). If you aren’t going to use a battery for a while, you can store it in a freezer, then let it warm to room temperature when you are going to use it again.

fordman June 17, 2011 at 10:12 pm

I’ll go with Ken’s answer. Try not to leave the batteries in a discharged state longer than you have to.

If you have Ni-Cad batteries and you used it, and it is at least 1/2 way discharged, then I will leave the tool on and let the battery fully discharge. Then I will go ahead and recharge it to be sure I have a good charge the next time I use it.

clinton w June 17, 2011 at 11:03 pm

I have tried this method for prolonging the life of a DEAD battery. I would caution you that I really do not recommend it. I will say though it does work on rechargeable tool batteries.
First you will need a high current DC power supply. Such as a car battery charger. Turn on the charger / supply on and touch the leads to the terminals of the tool battery for a couple of seconds. wait about 30 seconds and repeat a couple of times. Now put the tool battery into it’s proper re-charging station for a proper charging. NOTE: it is possible for these batteries to explode or catch fire. like I said I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO THIS– IT IS DANGEROUS. If however you are cautious it can be done. I have done it and it will revive the dead battery in most cases.
BE SAFE

Nick S June 17, 2011 at 11:21 pm

Let them fully discharge before recharging, take them out of tool when storing tool and keep in a temperature stable area.