Is there any way to see how much life is still left in, say, an 18V Milwaukee battery?
Many thanks.
Is there any way to see how much life is still left in, say, an 18V Milwaukee battery?
Many thanks.
By considering things like energy-efficient mechanicals, window orientation, and renewable energy sources, homes can be evaluated to meet the energy codes. Here's what the IRC has to say.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox
Fine Homebuilding
Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox
© 2024 Active Interest Media. All rights reserved.
Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox
Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.
Start Your Free TrialStart your subscription today and save up to 81%
SubscribeGet complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.
Already a member? Log in
Replies
Tom,I was thinking about the same thing yesterday.It seems my 18 volt batteries are not getting charged much at all.Ther're only 1-2 yrs old.I'm wondering if it's because I leave them in the charger for extended periods of time or that the charger is always plugged in whether charging batteries or not.Mine are dewalt and I have not been impressed with them.They never seemed to hold a charge that long at all.
Sorry I couldn't help you but I'm glad you posted.Maybe we can both get some good advice/answers.
Good Luck!
George C.
It may just be cheaper to buy another battery, but here is a good way to test them
http://www.thomasdistributing.com/mh-c777plus.htm
The article in FHB as I remember warned of shorter life in the higher voltage (more than 9.6) batteries. As I remember 1 to 2 years was about right, which goes by pretty fast I agree. The guy said the shorter life was due to more cells in less space = ing more heat.
The dilema is: do I buy a new drill + 2 batteries + charger for 125$ or a new battery for 89$ (not the best price, but I saw that price just this week in the LYard for a Makita 14vt).
Edited 5/7/2005 2:01 pm ET by Fonzie
Are you talking life of charge, or life of battery?
Batteries will tend to run down faster as they get older, and at some point they run down so fast (or self-discharge so fast on the shelf) that it's not worth the effort to use them.
But an equally common failure mode is one or more cells shorting out, which can happen at pretty much any age but which gets more likely as the battery gets older. It's impossible to predict when a cell will short out, though occasionally you get a little warning because the battery seems to be going flat real fast. A battery getting warmer than usual during charging is also a hint, but hard to quantify in real life situations without some sort of temperature measuring device.
And, of course, many of the new batteries have built-in electronics which can fail and render the battery useless even if the cells are good.
With regard to replacement batteries, occasionally it's cheaper to have a battery rebuilt at a place like Batteries Plus vs buying a new one. This is especially true when it's an odd type of battery that doesn't have a competitive aftermarket.
Also, it's generally not good to leave a battery on charge indefinitely. Lead-acid batteries shouldn't be allowed to discharge, but nicads last longer in discharged state, and so should be simply be allowed to self-discharge when they aren't going to be usef for awhile. Don't know about NiMH or any of the other more exotic varieties.
If you want to keep a battery charged, it may be best to put the charger on a timer, so it only charges an hour or two a day (or, better, 4 hours a week, if you can come up with a week timer), after the initial recharge. Many chargers claim to provide a non-damaging "float" charge after a charging cycle is complete, but they usually push through more current than is ideal. (However, some rapid chargers may be confused by the "power outage" of a timer and go into rapid charge mode for too long when the power comes on.)
I use the timer approach to keep my B&D mower battery (lead-acid) charged through winter. Folks who follow B&D's advice and leave the unit on full charge through winter report rapid (12-24 month) battery failure. We got 3+ years out of the last pair.