\n\nWe all hear about ways to save energy and green behavior, but little is said about actually taking care of your battery, here are a few tips to stretching the life of your batteries to 500 recharges and beyond\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Batteries love to be cool
Heat is the number one battery killer, Lithium-ion is happiest around 20C-25C. Batteries in a fully charged state are most vulnerable to deteriorate and should be kept away from heat sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Locations to avoid,
Hot Cars
Sunshine
Near heaters in winter<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get a high-capacity battery not a spare
Use or don\u2019t use, an ignored battery will slowly be killed with time so if looked after and kept cool a spare really won\u2019t last will last a lot longer than your primary. If you have the option, buy a larger battery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Buying a new battery? The newer, the better, try to find manufacturing dates and get the most recently produced battery, although its unused in the shop, a year old lithium-ion will still age over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t wait until you only have 1% power left
Unlike older battery types there is no \u201cmemory effect,\u201d you don\u2019t need to take the battery all the way down to red before you plug in the charger. For Li-Ion, it is healthier to regularly partially discharge and recharge. It is ok to occasionally fully discharge to keep the battery meter accurate, see below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gauge recalibration: Once a month or after 35 charges it is good to do a full discharge just to keep the battery meter accuracy. Fully discharging to the state it automatically powers off the device resets the gauge for the battery and keeps the battery meter accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Never completely discharge
In some more basic devices like torches and lights you can keep the power turned on until the battery completely dies, this usually happens below 2.5V. If this happens your standard charger will not be able to charge the battery and you will need an advanced charger with recovery options. Batteries in this state deteriorate faster and should not be stored and if it has been left in this state for 90 days or more it should be thrown away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long term storage: Charge to about 40% and put into a ziplock bag and place into your fridge, the bag is to keep the moisture out so it needs to be a tight seal. When you need it, take it out of the fridge and wait until it reached room temperature and then open the bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have a spare you rarely use or if you are not using your equipment for more than a month this can extend the life by slowing the temperature deterioration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be gentle with your battery
Some internal batteries are very soft and if you are handling them be careful to not squash and bend them, this can be dangerous as you could create an internal short circuit or damage the case and contaminate the battery with air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you do notice any swelling or damage put the battery somewhere safe outside and take it to be disposed of safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nothing last forever and time will eventually kill the capacity of your battery, manufacturers give an estimated number of recharges e.g. 500 cycles, 1000cycles, if you are following these guidelines your battery will have a good life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n