Author Topic: BATTERY MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE  (Read 811 times)

Offline SemperParatus

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BATTERY MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
« on: June 01, 2019, 07:12:43 AM »
I was wondering what other prepper/survivalist do to maintain rechargable batters for the electronics in their preps.  I currently have rechargable batteries for my portable radios; Baofeng UVR-5s, FRS/MGRS and VHF.  I also have several rechargable batteries for game feeders and game cameras as well as flash lights and photografic equipment.  Curently I have a schedule for charging all batteries every three months and at six month intervals I discharge and then recharge them as well.  So far my radio batteries have held up very well but my game camera and feeder batteries are starting to fail.  This may be due to their years of service which is approximately ten years on one camera battery and about seven years on four feeder batteries.  My flash light batteries are charged on the 1st and 15th of every month becouse thet are used often and I don't want them to fail when is use for a lack of charge.  I also have a solar sytem that I purchased deep cycle lead acid bath batteries.  They are on battery maintenance chargers 24/7 and I check fluid levels every month and load test every three months as well as a hydrometer test.  So far these battery have held up very well and are about eight years old.  If anyone has a different approach or idea about how to maintain these batteries I would be intersted in hearing from you. - THANKS
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Offline JohnyMac

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Re: BATTERY MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2019, 07:40:30 AM »
Great subject line SP!

Me, I am sure I am wrong in my approach however, I just deplete my HT/VHF batteries 100% and then recharge. I was at a class not to long ago that the instructor claimed you should only deplete rechargeable batteries 50% and then recharge.

Lets also get into charging stations.  :stir:
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Offline pkveazey

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Re: BATTERY MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2019, 05:59:40 PM »
This is a good subject. I'm not an expert on this subject but I have done a bit of research on it. NiCad(nickel/cadmium) batteries do not like to be recharged when partially drained. If you like to keep them topped off, you must allow them to discharge almost fully about every 3rd charge because they tend to develop what is referred to as a memory. If you recharge them at the same level all the time they will develop a memory and as soon as they reach that level they will quickly drop to dead. With that said, they also don't like to be drained to absolute dead because they can reverse polarity and then you have a big problem on your hands. Now, moving along to the newer and better Nickel/Metal/Hydride batteries. They hold a charge longer and don't develop a memory. However, you should not keep them fully charged at all times because they also don't like being topped off everyday. They will last a lot longer than NiCads and when they are ready for a recharge, they will rapidly drop in voltage. Pay attention because that's when you need to recharge them. Next is the latest and greatest. The Lithium battery. There are 3 versions of the Lithium battery and the latest version is the best. Lithium batteries will hold a charge for years without the internal resistance causing them to slowly die. You can charge them any way you want and they don't care. I chrge my Handi-Talkie lithiums whenever I see the indicator showing anything that is less than full. As a side note. Lithiums hold their voltage right up to the last minute and then die all of a sudden. Here's the rub. Lithiums have a lifespan of about 10 years and it doesn't matter how well or how bad you treat them. When their time is up, its up, and they stop taking and hold a charge. Basically, Ni/Cads are the only recharge that need special care and handling. Lead/Acid car batteries need to be kept fully charged at all times. They deliver a really high amount of current but die quickly. They should be charged up whenever they reach anywhere near 50% or they won't live a long life. Deep Cycle Lead/Acid batteries deliver a lot less current but can take a long time to drain to empty and can be drained down to about 33% before needing a recharge. Letting either of the Lead/Acid type batteries reach zero is not a good idea. Am I an expert? Nope. I just got tired of listening to all the wives tales and misinformation so I did a little bit of research.

Offline pkveazey

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Re: BATTERY MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2019, 02:25:23 AM »
This is a good subject. I'm not an expert on this subject but I have done a bit of research on it. NiCad(nickel/cadmium) batteries do not like to be recharged when partially drained. If you like to keep them topped off, you must allow them to discharge almost fully about every 3rd charge because they tend to develop what is referred to as a memory. If you recharge them at the same level all the time they will develop a memory and as soon as they reach that level they will quickly drop to dead. With that said, they also don't like to be drained to absolute dead because they can reverse polarity and then you have a big problem on your hands. Now, moving along to the newer and better Nickel/Metal/Hydride batteries. They hold a charge longer and don't develop a memory. However, you should not keep them fully charged at all times because they also don't like being topped off everyday. They will last a lot longer than NiCads and when they are ready for a recharge, they will rapidly drop in voltage. Pay attention because that's when you need to recharge them. Next is the latest and greatest. The Lithium battery. There are 3 versions of the Lithium battery and the latest version is the best. Lithium batteries will hold a charge for years without the internal resistance causing them to slowly die. You can charge them any way you want and they don't care. I chrge my Handi-Talkie lithiums whenever I see the indicator showing anything that is less than full. As a side note. Lithiums hold their voltage right up to the last minute and then die all of a sudden. Here's the rub. Lithiums have a lifespan of about 10 years and it doesn't matter how well or how bad you treat them. When their time is up, its up, and they stop taking and hold a charge. Basically, Ni/Cads are the only recharge that need special care and handling. Lead/Acid car batteries need to be kept fully charged at all times. They deliver a really high amount of current but die quickly. They should be charged up whenever they reach anywhere near 50% or they won't live a long life. Deep Cycle Lead/Acid batteries deliver a lot less current but can take a long time to drain to empty and can be drained down to about 33% before needing a recharge. Letting either of the Lead/Acid type batteries reach zero is not a good idea. Am I an expert? Nope. I just got tired of listening to all the wives tales and misinformation so I did a little bit of research.


OOPS...... I forgot the most important part about charging a Lithium battery. You need at least one more volt than the battery voltage in order for it to charge. Lithiums are very touchy about that over voltage because too high a charging voltage can't ruin the battery. If you are charging a 12 volt Lithium it will take at least 13 volts to charge it and not more than 14 volts because 15 or 16 might ruin it. Personally, I think 15 is OK but I wouldn't trust 16 volts. It would be a shame to blow up a $100 battery because you charged it with 18 volts.