DV6131od drains abnormal amount of battery charge

Hello,

I recently bought a HP Pavilion dv6131od notebook and it works well, but noticed that it drains an abnormal amount of battery charge even when the notebook is completely turned off. I did do a search on this forum and did not find a thread here discussing such issue (particularly on HP notebooks).

See my detailed explanation I emailed to HP below.

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The first time using my new HP notebook I followed the proper battery calibration procedure as directed here: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?cc=us&docname=c00035862&lc=en

On second time recharging the battery I was able to get 100% (A/C adapter still plugged in). After the battery was fully charged I did a proper shutdown on the notebook. I left the 6-cell battery in the notebook (powered off) and I disconnected the A/C adapter from the laptop since the battery was already 100% fully charged (blue charging LED turned off). I left the notebook (powered off) alone and never turned it on for exactly a day (24 hours).

After those 24 hours, I turned the notebook on (power on). Immediately right after Windows XP and the desktop user interface loaded I quickly checked the battery indicator icon located in the far right corner of the taskbar (near the time clock). The battery indicator reported 88% battery charge left.

Now my question is why was 12% of battery charge drained when I did not turn on the notebook during those 24 hours? I did not expect 12% battery charge to disappear after 100% charge from the previous day. I did this experiment twice and got similar results.

I thought something was wrong with my battery so I did another experiment. This time I fully charged the battery to 100%, shutdown the notebook and took the battery out from the notebook. I left the notebook and battery alone for 24 hours. After 24 hours I put everything back together and turned on the notebook. This time the battery indicator reports 99% charge remaining. This is expected because I do know it is normal for Lithium-Ion batteries to discharge a little when not in use. This shows the HP notebook itself is draining the battery even when it is off and not in use.

My big questions is:

Is it normal for the powered off notebook to drain 12-15% from a 100% fully charged battery within 24 hours? Or is there something wrong with the notebook?

The 12% battery drain within 24 hours is a big concern for me because that is a lot of battery power gone in such little time when the notebook is off. This battery drainage really seems abnormal to me. Please reply back a response as soon as possible.

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HP's response:

Thank you for contacting HP Total Care.

From your email, I understand that your HP Pavilion notebook battery
drains by 12%, when left for first 24 hours. Second, when the battery is
removed from the notebook and left for 24 hours then it only drains by
1%. Hence, you you want this issue to be resolved.

First, we thank you for this observation and providing us such valuable
information.

Generally, this problem could occur if the issue is with BIOS. To
resolve the problem, I request you download and install BIOS update:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...n&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3284495&os=228&lang=en

NOTE: Clicking the link may give an error indicating it is
invalid. If this occurs, copy the portion of the address
on the remaining line(s) and paste it at the end of the
address showing in your browser until the complete address
is displayed in the Address box.

However, if the problem persists then your this issue requires the
personal attention of a supervisor.

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I updated the BIOS as directed by HP and have yet to find out the results (have to wait 24 hours). I really do hope the newer BIOS update solves this issue. I will report back.

Now I would like to know your thoughts or experience regarding this problem I posted. I appreciate any constructive comments.

 

After leaving the laptop alone for 24 hours it still drained about 10% of battery charge (from 100% full charge) with the new BIOS.

Does anyone know whether this is normal or not for the HP dv6000 series laptops?

 

This is a problem that is present in all notebooks, and many high drain electronics. Put simply, the battery drains, because it is losing energy through heat. This is because the chemical reaction is constantly happening. Leaving it unpluuged, will reduce it by quite a bit, because some charge is lost through the various, long and complex circuits within the notebook.

Some notebooks suffer a large loss in battery charge remaining, whereas some suffer a very small, but the effect is present in most notebooks. Don't worry about it.

 

I suggest you calibrate your battery's Li-Ion's fuel gauge. Charge it up to 100% and then use it until the system wants to shut down. Then recharge the battery. That may help to reset the gauge. This should be done regularly anyway. I think your battery is more than likely fine.

For more tips on the care and maintenance and also general information on notebook batteries, please read through the battery guide.

 

Thank you Zero and chrisyano for your response. I'm not too concerned with the battery itself. The laptop itself is what I worry because it drains too much charge from the battery within a day. I'm concerned that something in the laptop is not completely shut off even after I shut it down, and that it might get worse in the future. I just want a dependable laptop for at least two years to use.