Thread: Freezing rechargeable batteries

Yeah i heard about this method but as you say its just a temporary fix . For a longer fix you need to jump start them...You need a battery of equal or higher voltage and then run wire from the + to + and - to -. you just need to brush the wires for a few seconds, dont hold them there like jump starting a car. A spark will probably appear and if you check the voltage it should be back to normal. I have revived a few of my old batteried that were just showing less than 5v. Work great now.

Sol, how did you connect the batteries, did you run a wire from one to the other?

Tiger, you hold one terminal on and just "scratch" the other, eg. hold the negative to negative, and scratch or spark the positive against the positive a few times.


Cheers....................Sean

Originally Posted by sol381

Yeah i heard about this method but as you say its just a temporary fix . For a longer fix you need to jump start them...You need a battery of equal or higher voltage and then run wire from the + to + and - to -. you just need to brush the wires for a few seconds,...

I don't recommend this method but to explain how it works, the idea is to fuse the "dendrites" or whiskers growing between the plates of the cells that cause the cell to short out. In reality this is also only a temporary fix as the cell has a fundamental flaw that allows the growth of dendrites and they'll soon reappear after further charge-discharge cycles. It is probably best to replace the battery pack as it will be on its last legs as shorted cells will result in the remaining cells being over charged and damaged as well.

Ive read about this freezer fix on other forums and it doesnt work, its a smoke and mirrors thing, you think it works but in the long run you waste your time..

Originally Posted by Brickie

Ive read about this freezer fix on other forums and it doesnt work, its a smoke and mirrors thing, you think it works but in the long run you waste your time..

Al,
it's worked for me. Last cordless drill both battery packs stopped taking a charge in the middle of a job. Whacked them both in the freezer for an hour or so whilst I did other things and had lunch. They both took a charge again and kept going for at least six months until I sold that drill to cash convertors.
Current drill has one battery that on occasions refuses to take a charge, it's been sent to the freezer a few times now and it takes a charge again. I've no doubt that it's only a temporary fix and that it signals the end of the battery pack but I've managed to squeeze another year out of that batttery. I'm also sure that not all batteries will respond and that possibly frequency of usage will have an impact also. Generally my cordless gets used for 10 hours or more a week. I'm sure that this is better for a battery than infrequent use.

Mick

Tried the jump starting method, had to stroke the wire quite a few times, the voltage went up from 10 v to 13 v. It then refused to go any higher than that. Not sure if I connected it right, I used insulation tape to hold the wire to the battery terminal.

we've been thru this one at length some time ago.

yes the freezing thing does work to some extent but only if the battery has the specific type of problem the cold addresses.....if the battery is ill from some other cause it wont help a bit.
It work best if the battery is allowed to get well cold and stay that way for some time.....in a zip lock bag in the freezer overnight is reasonable.

It is worh giving a try....I do not believe you can do any damage to a nicad by putting it in the freezer so why not.
I have spec sheets somewhere here that graph nicad performance well below freezing

keepng ni cad batteries cool thruout their life will most certainly improve results and longevity.

Flashing or arking nicads is very dodgy and may just as easiliy be a death blow to an old battery.........do it wrong or get carried away they can explode..... seriously

the best treatment for old battereies is cycling......and hitting them with some heavy load early in the discharge cycle....easy does it toward the end and not too far.

charging ni cads in the fridge or freezer most certaily works. If putting you battety charger and all in the fridge or freezer sounds silly.....it is..... but I have tried it and it works.... most nicad chargers terminate charging based on cell temperature.......

better and more practical option is to allow you battery to cool befor charging and charge in a a cool place.......in front of the air con unit would be very reasonable.

ni cads perform at their best arround zero C. the hotter you let them get the poorer they performm and the shorter they last.

leting a nicad get very hot is the best way to kill one....

I am currently using two battery drill packs that were baught in 2000, they arent as fresh and spritly as they once were but they are still pretty good......I date all packs at purchase.



keep it cool chaps

cheers