Battery storage?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I usually keep my batteries in the fridge as that's what I've always done.  I have no understanding of most of this kind of stuff, but I have to wonder if keeping batteries in the fridge is a good thing or not.

Anyone care to explain/advise me on whether or not this is something I should be doing?

Def

[Chain Gang]

Putting batteries in the freezer or refrigerator doesn't necessarily prolong their life

Alkaline batteries stored at "room temperature" self discharge at a rate of less than two percent per year.  So normally refrigerating or freezing them will only help maintain their charge by a tiny amount.  Hardly worth the effort of chilling them.  However, if alkaline batteries are stored at higher temperatures they will start to lose capacity much quicker.  At 85 degrees F they only lose about 5% per year, but at 100 degrees they lose 25% per year.  So if you live in a very hot climate or are storing your batteries in a very hot location, it may be worthwhile for you to store your alkaline batteries in a refrigerator instead.

NiMH and NiCd batteries self discharge at a MUCH faster rate than alkaline batteries.  In fact, at "room temperature" (about 70 degrees F) NiMH and NiCD batteries will self discharge a few percent PER DAY.  Storing them at lower temperatures will slow their self discharge rate dramatically.  NiMH batteries stored at freezing will retain over 90% of their charge for  full month. So it might make sense to store them in a freezer.  If you do, it's best to bring them back to room temperature before using them. Even if you don't freeze your NiMH batteries after charging them, you should store them in a cool place to minimize their self discharge.

Copy and pasted from somewhere.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Thanks- I'm glad there's some kind of scientific fact behind the old wives' tale I've been clinging to my whole life.

I'll assume that Halifax doesn't qualify as a "hot environment" so I should be fine. 

Def

[Ashley]

I think its a tropical location Def.

Sent from Ash forum mobile

[Chain Gang]

I think its a tropical location Def.

Sent from Ash forum mobile

It is if you live at the North Pole.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

If you get Eneloops they are designed to have a very low self discharge rate.  If I remember right they'll keep 75% of their charge after 1 year.  I've never felt a need to fridge them.  I swear by them, and AW li-ion cells as well, as I have several lights that can use them.  My kids also have a lot of battery powered stuff, so I change out batteries a lot. 

I keep a good stock of L91's on hand too for backup and emergency purposes.  I typically use L91's regularly in my headlamps because they have about 50% more energy density than Eneloops, and are less than half the weight.  For me, in a headlamp, the lighter weight is worth it.  They also have a ten year shelf life, and never leak.

[Pacu]

also if you have batt powered tools get them out of your trunk. Had to buy new batteries for my drill because i was lazy leaving my 300 pounds of tools in the hot trunk instead of hauling them up 3 flights of stairs every day.

  $$$$$   

[Grant Lamontagne]

I don't use Eneloops or any rechargeables.  I've tried in the past and quite frankly I just don't like them.  I stocked up on rechargeables for the first SHOT Show we did in 2008 and my camera chewed them up like there was no tomorrow.  Keeping live ones sorted from dead ones and trying to charge a bunch of them overnight was just too much of a pain in the arse on the go, and I never found they had significant enough power the rest of the time either.

Nowadays I buy alkaline batteries in bulk for remotes and flashlights and the blue pack of Energizer Lithium batteries for my digital cameras.  In case anyone is wondering, I went through three or four sets of alkaline batteries in my camera taking photos of all the MTO tools, and I took the blue Energizer Lithiums to SHOT with me and I am still using the second set in my camera now, almost a month later.

Def

[Carlos]

Gee Grant, that's really odd, your bad experience with eneloops.
I did the opposite path: I try to use now mostly eneloops, except for cheap, "throw away" stuff (eg. kids toys), which get alkalines. Eneloops have good enough shelf time (as HD referred, they've low discharge), they don't leak contrary of alkalines, and, on my use cases, they have been lasting longer for the same applications. I really like them, too bad they're so expensive.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I haven't actually tried Eneloops, just a variety of rechargeable batteries.  I understand Eneloops maintain the charge for a while during storage, but I hate cycling through them, maintaining a charged pile and a dead pile, recharging them in groups etc.  Too much of a pain in the arse really, especially at the show or any other place where I am away from a power source for an extended period.

Def

[Carlos]

Well, recharging in groups can be avoided with a good charger. You can throw it not only any number of batteries you want, but also in each state you want, from fully discharged to fully charge. The charger will try to charge the battery stopping as soon as it stops accepting a certain amount of charge, avoiding an overcharge.

Maintaining the "dead" and charged pile with a good charger available is no problem, because you can just throw all your batteries in it and wait a little (they usually have fast charge times). When you're away from a power source, that is really a problem. In this cases I usually use the duct tape trick to sort them out: I peel a little strip of duct and tape it to the dead batteries, keeping all of them in the same container. That way I know which ones I should use and which ones must be charged when I'll have that chance.

[enki_ck]

Normal rechargebles don't deserve to be in the same sentence. With the Eneloops. When I got my first set of Eneloops I through all the other rechargebles away. They last longer than most alkaline batteries, keep a constant charge almost to the end and last for years. I only use Eneloops and Energiser Lithiums. Try them, you'll change your mind after the first pack.

[Grant Lamontagne]

When I went to SHOT with rechargeable batteries (not Eneloops) I went through many batteries on the first day.  The charger I had was able to charge up to four batteries in two hours.  I went through more than four batteries in my camera that day and ended up mixing up the dead ones with the good ones in my bag as I am trying to swap batteries quickly, since they only die while I'm taking photos.

In short it doesn't really matter what type they are, I just can't be bothered chasing rechargeable batteries around- it's easier to do it the way I am currently doing it.

Def

[Carlos]

Normal rechargebles don't deserve to be in the same sentence. With the Eneloops.

In short it doesn't really matter what type they are, I just can't be bothered chasing rechargeable batteries around- it's easier to do it the way I am currently doing it.

You're Living in Denial   

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Grant, you should give Eneloops a shot.  They're the best nimh's on the market right now, and they have a newer version out that has a 2400 mah rating.  And yes, a good charger and organization system is essential.  I use a Maha C9000 which allows you to charge anywhere from one to four cells at the same time, has a break-in function for new cells, an analyze function, and a refresh function for older cells that don't seem to be holding a charge anymore. 

That's another benefit of Eneloops and a good charger, you'll get a lot more cycles out of them than older nimhs that were made just a few years ago.  A good charger like a C9000 can also breath some new life into older cells that have run down.

I keep two small carboard boxes next to my charger on a bookshelf in my office, one for fresh cells, and one for spent cells.  I don't let my kids and wife mess with the charger, but they all know that when they need batteries, to just come grab some out of the fresh box and put the old ones in the spent box. 

I'd especially recommend you get some Eneloops if you get a Zebralight headlamp.  Alkies are notorious for puking their guts out inside of whatever you put them in, and it would be a shame if you that happened to something like a new ZL headlamp.  At the very least, use L91's for that instead of alkies. 

Oh, and one more thing; when I carry spare cells with me, for camping, my EDC bag, etc., I use one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Storacell-Powerpax-Battery-Caddy-Black/dp/B001AQYJI2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1329008893&sr=8-5

The pic shows them upside down in the holder actually.  They're actually meant to be able to stand up when you turn them over.  Also on the top (bottom in the pic so you can't see it) is a small hole that fits the positive button on AA size cells perfectly.  I keep track of my spent cells by turning them upside down in the carrier.  Fresh cells go positive side up with the button on the positive terminal where it's supposed to go, spent cells go in upside down.  They also make a 12xAA carrier as well, and carriers for 123's, C's, D's, AAA's, and a mixed one that carries several different sizes.

It will be a significant investment at first, but for me and my family, considering how fast we go through batteries, a couple 16 packs of Eneloops and a C9000 paid for itself in less than a year, and we're no longer throwing toxic chemicals in the trash either.

[Syph007]

Eneloops are what I expected the old crappy rechargables to be like.  They are like a regular battery that you can recharge. 

You're right though about keeping organized, no way to visually tell if one is dead.  Now.. eneloops COULD put one of those strip things on a cell you push to show you how much charge it has... that would rock.  Hey eneloops get on that will ya!