Battery Life

Energy in a cell is stored in chemical bonds. Reaction rate generally slows down with decreasing temperature, so all other things being equal, a cold cell will have a longer shelf life than a warm cell. All things are, of course, not equal. Some battery types will be permanently damaged if exposed to temperatures below their minimum. Check the manufacturer's data sheets. Generally, just above the minimum listed storage temperature is a good target.

Interesting link

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Rich Webb   Norfolk, VA

I used to "recharge" dry batteries when they were getting low by tanding them on the hot water pipes.

rgds LAurence

...But if I'm not who I am, who am I?

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It's true. Putting batteries in freezers prolongs the freezers' lives.

This is a long past rumour.

Freezing Alkaline, NiCad, or Lithium batteries will infact damage them. I have had clients leave very expensive equipment in their car for a few days during sub zero temperatures (below -20). When they came out and got their equipment, the batteries have been damaged, and had to be replaced. In some of their equipment, the batteries are very expensive.

Freezing lead acid gel cells when fully charged may prolong their lifespan a bit, but if they are frozen when discharged, they will be damaged.

I have seen a discharged lead acid car battery accidentally left in -30 to -50 temperatures for about a week. The sides of the battery were all swollen and bulging out.

As for the lifespan of batteries, they should last about 2 to 3 years on the average. The shelf life of an alkaline battery should be about 3 to

5 years if not used. The shelf life of a NiCad or Lithium should be about 3 years if not first charged. After charging, they would have to be used normally for their lifespan.

As for gel cells, they must be kept charged. If they are put on the shelf, they must be re-charged at least once every 3 to 6 months. If they are left discharged for more than a few days, they can be damaged, and become not useable.

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Actually, if you put enough batteries in a freezer, you will prolong the freezer's life. The added mass will allow for better temperature stability, and the compressor will cycle less often to maintain the temperature. So, if you are not able to keep a bucket of ice in the freezer, you can use old batteries as a temperature ballast.

Another good use for old car batteries, since they are heavy, if you have a an automobile that is too light in the rear end for good winter driving, you can load 4 or 5 old car batteries in the trunk. This will allow for better rear end traction for driving in the winter snow. Just take care that there will be no acid leaks.

I know of one fellow that put a large 100 lbs bag of salt in the trunk of his car. The bag somehow tore and a fair amount of salt came out. With the humidity, the salt acted on the bottom of his trunk and eventually ate out a big hole. He found out about it because he one day noticed trails of salt in his driveway and on his street, that led back to his car!

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Jerry G.
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"Volund"  wrote in message
news:ck23ns$86h$1@sparta.btinternet.com...
Hi,

I heard or spotted somewhere that putting batteries in the freezer
prolongs
there life until needed, is this a myth or what?