Posted by: venom

In this age of consumer electronics, more and more people are turning to rechargeable batteries in order to save costs. Disposal batteries generally provide better performance but they can only be used once. Also, the more environmental conscious consumers will prefer rechargeable batteries as they help preserve the environment.

Even though rechargeable batteries help in saving costs, there are many things that you can do to help prolong the life of these rechargeable batteries to save even more. Here are some tips to help you:

Do not stress out your batteries on initial use
Most rechargeable batteries need to be charged and discharged 3-5 times before they reach they can provide peak performance. During the initial 3-5 recharge cycles, you should try to reduce the power drain from the batteries. This is because at this stage, the batteries are not powerful enough and forced drainage will cause some defects to occur which will eventually reduce the lifespan of the battery.

Keep the batteries in a cool place when not in use
When the batteries are not in use, the batteries lose their charge. Eventually, even if the batteries are not used, they will completely lose their charge. This loss is at a rate of roughly 1% per day. Also, the rate of loss of charge will increase with temperature. The warmer the storage location, the faster the batteries will lose their charge. As such, try to keep the batteries in a cool place when you are not using the batteries.

Do not recharge your batteries when they are only half used
Recharging the batteries when they are only half-used in a recharge cycle reduces their life span. If you have a habit of doing so, you should get one of those rechargers that has a feature of discharging the batteries before starting to recharge them again.

Alway charge your batteries in full before starting usage
Just as you should not recharge the batteries when there is still sufficient power left in them, you should always recharge a battery in full before starting to use them. However, do not over-charge the batteries. Once they are fully, recharged, switch the recharger off as over-charging the batteries will damage them.

Never completely drain the batteries in each use
Most rechargeable batteries get slowly damaged if you use them until there is totally no charge left in them. When the batteries are sufficiently low in power, you should stop usage and recharge them. Beware of devices that will not stop working when the batteries are low in power. Devices that require low power like flashlights will continue to drain the batteries until there is completely no charge left.

Do not leave the batteries in the charger after each recharge
Leaving the batteries in the charger after a recharge will allow power to leak faster through the charger. As such, after each recharge, remember to remove the batteries and store them in a proper location.

The above steps will help prolong the life of your rechargeable batteries. This will allow you to save costs even more. Also, it is good practice to keep a record as to when you bought the batteries; how many times you have recharged them; and what is their lifespan. This allows you to identify which batteries provide the most value for money.