Ryobi is the go-to model for a lot of owners and DIY lovers. In case you’re a kind of individuals who love these succesful instruments, you already know that energy instrument batteries aren’t low cost. Fortunately, a couple of on a regular basis habits can prolong your Ryobi battery’s runtime, forestall untimely failures, and assist it last more.
Ryobi presents a 3-year warranty on all of its 18V ONE+ battery packs, however a couple of easy modifications can hold your instruments and battery operating robust for lots longer than that. I’ve solely had one battery fail within the final 15 years, and here is how I deal with them.
Retailer Ryobi battery packs at 50–60% cost
There’s nothing worse than going to begin a mission and realizing the battery to your instruments is not simply out of juice, it is utterly lifeless. Usually, failures come right down to the way you cost and retailer them, or how exhausting you push issues throughout a job.
The lithium-ion battery cells in your Ryobi energy instrument battery are considerably just like these in your cellphone. And similar to telephones, tablets, and laptops, you do not wish to retailer energy instrument batteries at 100%, nor do you wish to depart an empty one in a drawer and attain for one more.
How to turn your Ryobi battery into a portable phone charger
Use that instrument battery in an emergency, tenting, and extra.
In case you have a number of Ryobi battery packs that you just use on and off, or are storing a battery for quite a lot of days, it is really helpful that you just retailer them at 50–60% cost. You will wish to have a minimum of two bars on the battery meter, fairly than absolutely charged or utterly empty.
Many producers take into account this the “candy spot” that avoids the high-voltage stress of a 100% cost whereas minimizing chemical stress on cells, which prevents early degradation.
Keep away from very excessive or low temperatures
The battery that powers your favourite instrument prefers the identical temperature vary as people. By that, I imply you don’t need it to get extraordinarily sizzling or chilly. Not solely is that this unhealthy for the battery, nevertheless it’ll actively scale back efficiency.
In case you’ve ever left a smartphone in a sizzling or chilly automobile in a single day, you have in all probability observed how a lot the temperature can influence the battery. The identical goes for instruments.
Temperatures can and can have an effect on the cells, charging pace, and efficiency. In consequence, you may wish to hold every Ryobi in a considerably cool (or climate-controlled) place that is dry. Most instrument producers advocate protecting the battery packs between 60°F and 77°F.
You do not wish to retailer them in a poorly insulated sizzling storage all summer time, nor do you have to depart them in a storage that will get extraordinarily chilly within the winter. The identical guidelines apply for storing instrument batteries in a automobile or truck.
This goes for extra than simply storage. You do not wish to toss an especially chilly battery on the charger within the winter, nor do you have to put a battery that is sizzling from heavy use proper on the charger. Permit it to chill to room temperature first, or carry a chilly battery inside earlier than recharging.
Rotate between all of your battery packs
One other good thought is to ascertain a rotation to your battery packs. Do not simply throw a battery on every instrument you will have and use that battery solely with one particular instrument, recharging when obligatory.
Folks have a tendency to make use of the identical battery in a drill/driver repeatedly, solely charging it when it is low. As a substitute, rotate which battery you employ every week with one thing like a drill, leaf blower, or weed wacker. By rotating battery packs out and in, they’re going to all get balanced utilization over time, as an alternative of 1 taking up the majority of the work.
I truly used a Sharpie to label a number of of my Ryobi battery packs. I rotate in a brand new pack after every mission and solely cost when obligatory, or to achieve that fifty–60% candy spot for storage. This enables the battery packs to relaxation and funky down between makes use of and charging, which extends their lifespan.
Let’s discuss extra about temperature
Actually, nearly each tip for prolonging the runtime and lifespan of your Ryobi battery pack facilities on temperature. It is important. Warmth is lethal to lithium-ion batteries as a result of it accelerates chemical degradation. Over time, that’ll scale back the capability and shorten its lifespan.
Identical to your ageing smartphone, which exhibits 100% however does not final so long as it did when it was new, your Ryobi battery meter might present 4 bars, however over time, it isn’t truly charging to 100% as a result of the cell has degraded a bit.
Retailer them at a standard temperature in dry circumstances, avoiding each excessive and low temperatures. Then, remember to cool them down earlier than charging, and keep away from extreme warmth whereas in use.
Working an influence instrument at most energy throughout a task-intensive mission will generate further warmth, which is not good. Take breaks when you’ll be able to, and if the instrument turns into very popular to the contact, completely let it (and the battery pack) calm down earlier than you proceed.
Most recommendations you may see on-line additionally say to take away your battery from the charger as soon as it is full, which prevents overcharging and extra warmth. And whereas that is an excellent rule of thumb, any trendy Ryobi charger is a “good charger” and has chipsets and sensors to maintain issues secure and at very best temperatures. Nonetheless, it is a good suggestion to comply with that recommendation.
Keep away from deep discharging
And final however actually not least, do not run your energy instrument batteries right down to the purpose of being empty. These deep discharges to 0% drastically speed up battery degradation and even injury the lithium cells themselves.
One easy behavior is to all the time recharge your battery earlier than it is utterly lifeless. As soon as your energy instrument is round 20–30% and displaying one bar on the charging meter, it is time to cease. Take away the battery out of your instrument, let it calm down, then throw it on the suitable charger. When a battery reaches zero, stops powering a instrument, and begins blinking, you are probably damaging the cells inside. Maintain issues at a secure stage and cost earlier than it will get to that time.
Positive, a few of my older Ryobi battery packs do not maintain a cost so long as they did when new, however all of them, aside from one 2 Ah pack, are nonetheless going robust. A couple of good habits can go a good distance.
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