I have several cordless tools that I keep in a trailer for work, and I'm wondering if keeping them there during the winter (or summer) would degrade battery life or performance. I've seen references to charging at extreme temperatures being harmful, but nothing about short-term storage (i.e. a week or less) between uses.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
they can freeze. the charge doesn't last very long when used at low temps.
Heat's bad for them, also. I live in AZ and keep my cordless driver in the pickup with a bed cover. It's white, but it still gets hot in there. The batteries don't seem to last more than a few years. Tom >Subject: NiCD batteries & temperature extremes
Someday, it'll all be over....
Leaving Dewalt 18V batteries on the charger in the non-air-conditioned but insulated shop, in the 115F+ heat of Arizona summer, killed some of them dead.
So I don't do that anymore. What happens if they are in the heat but not in the charger, I don't know.
*storage* in low temperature environments is generally _not_ a problem.
Available peak amperage decreases *signficantly* as temperature goes down. For -any- type of rechargable battery. The rate of drop-off does depend, somewhat, on the 'chemistry' used in the battery.
for maximum battery life, you want to let cold Ni-Cd, Li-ion, and/or (especially) NiMh batteries acclimate to room temperature before using and/or charging.
It's less of a concern with lead-acid cells.
Charging "hot" batteries has a number of potential problems. Many of which can lead to total battery failure. Sometimes in "catastrophic" form.
"large" batteries, with sophisticated charging systems, often have a temperature sensor -internal- to each battery; for that precise reason -- to let the 'smart' charger limit the inflow to 'safe' regions.
"Reading" your posts *is* like watching a 'bad' William Shatner -movie-.
Hey hombre, the best way to tell if the battery is weak is to stick your tongue on the contacts.
Now I understand why your car caused that button on the dashboard to turn a deeper shade of purple, and added the second word to the label on it.
HEAT kills batteries, not cold.
There are issues with charging them when it's cold (they will accept charge slower, so you have to be more careful about quick charging) but storing them in the cold has no harmful effects.
Using them in the cold should have no harmful effect, but you will llikely have reduced output.
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