Best Way to Store Battery Packs

Hi guys,

Since our notebooks are powered via AC most of the time, what is the best way to store the battery packs when not in use and at the same time maintains its life?

For my pack, I ensure that there's only 40% power left and then I stored in my closet where its dry and cool. Sounds wierd but I read somewhere online that its best to store the packs in the fridge. Pretty hardcore ain't it.

Please share your storage tips, I'm sure it will help a lot of owners here.

 

the reason people put it in the fridge can be seen with high school chemistry

heat as we all know translate to vibrational motion for the molecules in the battery

increased heat means that more molecules will have sufficient KE energy (energy in molecule greater then the activation energy) for an effective collision that results in an reaction.

by putting the battery in a cooler place, the distribution graph of the energy in the batter shifts to the left, thus making less area under the graph having sufficient energy to react, thus a longer battery life.

it basically goes, the lower temp doesn't give the molecules as much energy to react while the higher temps gives molecules more energy to react.

this is a simple way of looking at it as all reactions require energy



oh, and if i store a battery for a Looooooong time, i just put them in a zip lock bag and keep in the fridge (not the freezer).

 

You'll do more good by discharging your battery to around 25-40% to maintain proper internal chemistry while it's being stored. That's the way these batteries leave the factory, ready for months and months on warehouse and store shelves.

Be careful about storing battery packs in the fridge- storing them at or below freezing for an extended period of time will damage them. If your fridge has a tendency to put ice in the milk or freeze the butter, consider somewhere else...

And I think Lithium-Polymer (LiPol) packs are not recommended for the fridge tactic- I hear they get wrecked pretty easily that way. Not sure about that one, remembering something I saw on a macbook battery pack.

 

Do you all buy your battery packs or something? Don't your OEM's replace them for free every so often...

 

Battery packs are not even covered by the warranty....

 

Here's a question that's kind of related to the topic.
Which is a better option for battery longevity?
A - buy a spare a store it?
or
B - buy a spare and rotate it's use with the original battery?

 

Considering that LiIon batteries have a limited shelf life regardless of whether you use them or not, I'd say rotation would be the better option.

Regarding battery storage, ~40% charge stored in a cool, dry place seems the ideal for LiIon batteries. This page at Battery University has the details.

 

Good link.
Thanks TedJ.