Fix Broken Rechargeable Batteries
When you are using your cell phone, digital camera, or working on a project requiring a cordless drill, there are few things more irritating then when the battery goes dead. Over time rechargeable batteries begin to lose their ability to stay charge as long as they used to. Some batteries can even lost the ability to hold a charge at all.
I once discovered a awesome trick that can make your batteries begin to take a long deep charge like they did when you first got them. I have even been able to cause batteries that no longer hold a charge to work perfectly again.
Certain types of rechargeable batteries carry a accumulated memory that builds up if you don’t fully discharge your rechargeable batteries before you recharge them again. This is caused by internal heat buildup which can, over time, cause the battery to stop taking a charge at all. You can almost always force your batteries to take a deeper charge just by leaving them in the freezer over night.
Batteries also have a tendency to lose their charge after you haven’t used them for a long period of time. This happens to me mostly with my digital camera and cordless drill, which can go months without use. Before using them again it is a good idea to freeze the batteries before topping them off to prevent more heat build up.
You could also consider leaving your batteries in the freezer for extended periods of time. I discovered this by accident when a project got put off and I forgot about some batteries. To my surprise they still worked just fine after being in the freezer for months. I’m not entirely sure, but these completely healthy batteries may have worked better than they did when I got them afterwards.
Sometimes a fully frozen battery will even take a deeper charge that an unfrozen battery. Don’t be alarmed when trying this if it takes much longer to actually charge the battery. For example if your camera batteries usually charge in an hour, they may take another fifteen minutes if they are frozen completely.
I have also resurrected batteries from the dead using this trick. Sometimes if you use a battery too many times it just stops holding a charge all together. Most batteries can handle being recharged 500-1000 times before this happens, but this can happen in a short period of time with items that we used often.
It will also not cause any damage to batteries in my experience. I was worried for a while that they might meltdown or even catch fire but this has never happened-these are heat related problems and by freezing the batteries you are preventing them.
John Dallinger has been working in the electronic industry for years and commonly writes useful articles online. To see more of his recent work please see Rechargeable Lantern Battery Reviews as well as Xenon Rechargable Flashlight Reviews
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