I was looking at a Milwaukee drill for my husband for Christmas and the tool guy told me that we have to keep it in the house – the lithium ion battery can’t handle the cold and will deteriorate. So I ask you – is this true? Do L-I batteries need a warm, comfy home?
Performance improvements for the prized homes of an influential developer who wanted us all to be able to own one.
"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.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
Sorta. A LiIon battery won't work if you leave it out all night in the cold - like below 40 degrees. It will work again once it becomes warmer.
Basicly, it just requires a slight change in operational proceedure. Batteries are removed from the tools and taken indoors to charge overnight. Use during the day will kep them warm. So will keeping one on an inside coatpocket.
Tu stultus es
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
This is true for all types of batteries...to different degrees. The LI batteries don't deteriorate. Like other types, they just need warmth to activate their charge.
I used to ski with a Walk Man tape player but I had to keep it a far inside my layered clothes as possible so that the Duracell AA batteries would stay warm enough to release their charge.
If you go back to the days of London being bombed. The Germans were dropping bombs with batteries in them to operate the detonator.
Only way to defuse them was to freeze the battery with liquid O2 (sounds insane but only thing available in bulk)
This stoped the battery "action" and the bomb could be disarmed.
This stopped the battery "action" and the bomb could be disarmed.
This was accomplished by American paratrooper-sky divers who would free fall from waiting hot air ballons, intercepting the falling bombs at about 10,000 feet. That gave them just one minute to disarm the bomb, then deploy their parachutes.
I think you find this a little far fetched? But it was for real!
Check out a series called Danger UXB, set in WWII about a bomb disposal unit stationed in London.
None of this helps my makita batts in the cold! lol.
I think you find this a little far fetched?
No, just having a little fun with the story and the way you told it.
The Brits were extremely resourceful during WWII. They were the first to build a useful radar system, to detect incoming bombers in time to get their fighters in position to intercept.
They also designed and built a very fast twin engined bomber, out of plywood, when aluminum was in very short supply. The Mosquito came into being in a matter of several months, amazing even today. It proved to be a nearly perfect compliment to aims of the British War Department.
If you get a chance, watch that series Danger UXB, I found/find it very interesting. Its very English by the way. Pbs or maybe netflix.
When freezing the batterys they would hold the liquid O2 in place with plasticine (like play-dough) and use wet tissue to gauge how cold the bomb was getting! Nail biting stuff!
Just goes to show how much I learn on this site. Often not what I thought I was going to learn!
Yeah, but think of how much safer you are now, knowing how to defuse a buzz bomb.
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel
Another useful skill to add to those I have learned on this site :)
After reading this thread I decided to go check my 10.8/12v Bosch stuff. It was down to low teens last night, and the stuff was in the van.
The impact and screw drivers had older and not recently charged batteries and they would hardly turn over. The Multi-x which had new batteries and freshly charged sounded just like it did on the 60 deg day before.
But I do not think there is as much to spin with the multi.
If it is that cold I will not be working anyway!For those who have fought for it Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
What type of batteries are in those tools? Inquiring minds...etc.
Sorry, they are LiIon. Bosch name for line is Litheon.
View ImageFor those who have fought for it Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
That performance in such cold would be impressive...if we knew that it worked as well under a sustained load.
I'm one who's learned to have backup power tools, particularly when there are batteries involved. Looks like that's your plan too.
of the Lithium cordless, I have seen posts that say milwaukee is the best with the cold weather, Makita ok and bosch not good at all. To me everything has issues you need to deal with, and the lithium has that. But you get more power in a smaller and lighter package. Plus the lines of newer tools have some great options.
I would never buy just a single cordless. They have package deals with a drill and impact driver, etc. that are only slightly more than the single drill. If you go with bosch, I know they have a coupon for a free extra battery, check their website for the details and the dates (I think it's good through the end of the year). The other might (probably) have some offers too.
I keep my V28 Li-Ion Batteries in the cab of my truck on the floor. They are nice and warm by the time I get to work and 'generally' work well all day long. If it is very cold out (< 15 deg) they will get cold and the stop working until you warm them up. I put them in front of the salamander (not too close) for 10-15 minutes and they're right back to where they should be. Pretty much the same deal with my 12v Bosch, though they seem to be a little more sensitive. I think it's because the batteries are so much smaller and have less mass to hold the warmth.
Just my 2 cents
One caveat, don't put the batteries on the charger when they are cold. I did this once, maybe 0 degrees F, and fried the battery. It would not take a charge afterwards. This was a Makita 14V. I did get warranty and they replaced the battery.
I did the same thing to a Bosch 10.8v. Now, I charge them in the heated job trailer.
Thanks very much for that info - I wouldn't have thought of that.
Husband likes the drill, by the way.
Speaking of batteries. Have any of you had any sucess with the "jumping" procedure to bring new life into older batteries. I guess you give the battery an electric jolt and it revives it. What say you all? Fact or fiction?
"Jumping" works for some NiCads, but I wouldn't try it for any other type of battery, and with NiCads you have to know what you're doing.
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel
I'm glad DH likes the drill.
As others have mentioned, the colder the battery, the less energy produced / released.
That being said, JLC did a test of LI powered impact drivers and published the results in October '08 issue.
Among the tests was "run time" which they tested by driving 1/4"x4" lags into pressure treated 4x4 at room temperature.
They repeated the "run time" tests with the batteries frozen in a block of ice.
Many of the tools suffered a greater than 50% reduction in the number of lags able to be driven.
Good news! The Milwaukee 0881-22 maintained it's first place standing in run time by driving 106 lags at 0 degrees vs 143 at room temperature. Most lags driven in both warm and cold catagories.
This appears to speak well for the Milwaukee LI battery.
Jim
Thanks, that is very good news.