What is likely up when my Dewalt 14.4 XL battery gets hot in charging, and then finally swells up and tries to push off its bottom plate?
I wonder if it is the battery or the charger, and am hesitant to place any of my other batteries in it.
I am using borrowed tools and corded until I can sort this out.
Replies
Battery was run down too low and intrenally shorted...
Charger is puttingg out too much juice...
It's a Dewalt....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
"finally swells up and tries to push off its bottom plate?"
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
probably the charger. The battery should get nice and warm but hot and swelled up means the battery is way over charging and the charger is not cutting the charge rate back as it is supposed to. If you had or have shorted cells in the battery the charger is supposed to be smart enough to know that. Charge brain fried along with your battery.
I don't know the vintage, buit a yar or two ago, DW had several recalls on its chargers because of potential for causing fires. Try to trace the serial nuimber through them...
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Everytime I do a walk thru the tool aisles at the Home Teacup I have to take a look in the box they have set up and advertised as a depository for your old cordless batteries.
I kid you not, all I ever see in there are DeWalt batteries.
You said: >> Everytime I do a walk thru the tool aisles at the Home Teacup I have to take a look in the box they have set up and advertised as a depository for your old cordless batteries. <<
Since you said that, I did just that yesterday - took a look at HD. There was an assortment of batteries in there, but there was no DW in the one I looked in - a few Firestorm, crapsman, and one brand that I couldn't identify - kind of a dull yellowish orange color - and a whole lot of 'D' and 'C' cells. Next time I'm in blowes, I'll check their box.
As far as Panasonic - they make nice drills, impacts and clock radios. If they really want to be in the tool market though, from a business standpoint, they should take a look at Dewalt and take some notes. Panasonic just doesn't have a wide enough a tool product line for me to really consider them a serious them a contender...
For anyone who doesn't like their DW tools, if they are in new condition, please send them to me :-)Matt
I second the idea of sending all your dewalt crap to me....lmao
I've got thousands of dollars of "dewalt crap" and abuse them daily. So far I've had no problems.
Panasonic just doesn't have a wide enough a tool product line for me to really consider them a serious them a contender...
So making just a small assortment of tools, but making them right, doesn't impress you??
But making a FULL line of inferior products will get your business!
Boy When B&D bought the dewalt name and started making all those yellow duds, you fell for it hook, line and sinker!!!
Mr T
I can't afford to be affordable anymore
I thought the same thing when Panasonic brought out their screw gun.
But think about it. Th eelectronics in these things are VERY high teck - the kind of circuitry that panasonic excells in.
And I ahve read hundreds of high quality recomendations from Panasonic users who absolutely love their screw guns, and tool reviews and tests, showing that Panasonci screw/drills are superior products.
I don't own one yet, but I doubt it will be too long...
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Panasonic 12 volt drills and Impact drivers - buy them - you will be happy.
I also wish they made a more extensive line of equally good products to share the batteries with (3.5 amp hour nickle metal hydride), but have yet to find a drill that compares in the weight and size to power ratio.
Charger. Last year I had a battery blow up, literally. Thinking it was the battery, I put in my second, but kept an eye on it. About the time it too started to sputter, I pulled it (wearing gloves, and it's a good thing, cause that baby was hot.)
DW recalled chargers a while ago. I bought a new charger and battery and haven't had another problem, but I don't leave it unattended for long. You just never know...
I've been working on a large site for a while, and at quitting time there are at least a half-dozen chargers around the place left plugged in, with batteries that may have been charging anywhere from a few minutes to several days. Only one of those chargers has to malfunction to possibly torch the house. I always unplug mine... they aren't tracing a fire to my stuff.
This is a Fine opportunity for you to switch to Panasonic This way you can get rid of all that dewalt junk and get equipment thats worth the money.
In general it's hard to tell what the problem is. Basically, one or more cells have probably shorted out and are just converting the charging current to heat. But the causes of this are varied:
1) Simple cell failure -- battery "worn out", or factory defect.
2) Battery was discharged too deeply, causing one or more cells to reverse polarity. This causes them to short out.
3) Charger failure -- charger putting out too much current or not shutting off when full charge should be detected.
200 dollars should fix it .
Tim Mooney
I'll keep the gun and one OK battery, toss the charger and fried battery, and see if the new battery and charger I won on ebay (total cost $77) will do it.
The charger is the updated kind, and charges Dewalt batteries from 7 to 18V.
Sounds like a plan. Same thing happened to me . I bought another drill thus three batteries for a while . Two drills.
Tim Mooney
Have you read the FH article from December 1999? "Understanding Cordless-Tool Batteries" (www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/h00106.asp)
Janet