How to Extend the Life of Your Cordless Tool Batteries

How to Extend the Life of Your Cordless Tool Batteries

Introduction

If you own a set of cordless tools, you might be curious about how to extend their lifespan, particularly the batteries that they rely on. Reconditioning or maintaining the batteries is an effective way to extend their operational life. This guide will cover various techniques and methods for extending the life of your cordless tool batteries, including something as simple as using a battery reconditioner.

Understanding Your Battery

Not all cordless tool batteries can be disassembled or reconditioned. However, if your batteries are rechargeable and not sealed, they can be opened and their cells balanced. This process, referred to as cell balancing, can help maintain a balanced charge across all battery cells, ensuring your cordless tools operate at their best capacity.

Opening Your Battery

To open your batteries, you will need to locate and remove any screws or clips. My battery, for example, has eight Phillips screws that must be undi (Note: The original text had a placeholder to indicate where to cut content. Adding a placeholder here for context).

Cell Balancing and Reconditioning

Most factory chargers do not perform cell balancing, but you can use a specialized tool or method to ensure that all cells in the battery pack remain balanced. This is particularly important for lithium-ion batteries, which can become unbalanced over time, leading to issues such as reverse charging of the lowest-capacity cell. Reverse charging can damage the battery, sometimes beyond repair.

Battery Reconditioning Process

I have a lithium battery reconditioner, originally purchased for RC model batteries. This reconditioner comes with a set of jumper leads, allowing you to individually discharge and charge each cell in the pack. I run each cell through a complete charge-discharge cycle once or twice a year. The goal is to leave all cells fully charged at the end of the process.

By doing this, you can effectively recondition the battery, allowing it to perform optimally for a longer period. According to my experience, I have been using the same batteries in my cordless tools, which I initially purchased in 2014, despite frequent and heavy usage.

Preventing Reverse Charging

Once your battery cells become unbalanced, you face the risk of reverse charging the lowest-capacity cell. This phenomenon occurs when the lowest-capacity cell becomes flat while the others still have significant charge left. In such cases, the lowest-capacity cell is at risk of damage and may become non-functional. If the issue is caught early, you may only need to replace the individual cell. However, if the entire battery pack is affected, you might need to replace the entire pack.

Conclusion

Extending the life of your cordless tool batteries through reconditioning and balancing is a practical solution to ensure the longevity of your tools. Whether you have a dedicated reconditioning device or prefer a more manual approach, maintaining your batteries can save you money and ensure that your cordless tools continue to perform at their best.

If you find that your batteries are unresponsive or have a shortened lifespan, you might need to replace the batteries to restore your tool's performance. However, carefully considering these reconditioning techniques can often extend the life of your existing batteries.