Killed my batteries.

[mn shutterbug]

I was under the assumption that the best way to preserve batteries was to keep them in a freezer. A couple years ago I ordered a spare set of 3.7v AA Lion batteries and put them in the freezer for safe keeping. I took them out last night and they are both deader than a door nail and will not charge. Was my assumption incorrect?

 

[Traver]

Your assumption was wrong. Lithium batteries should not be frozen. If I remember right manufacturers warn against even being at less than -20 degrees.

 

[RuDawg7890]

Lithium batteries do not fair well at any extreme temperature. They should be kept at 40-80F IIRC.
I have several lithium batteries for power tools. I store them at room temperate. With moderately heavy use, they have lasted over 7 years


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[mn shutterbug]

Thanks. I won't be making that mistake again.

 

[Ryedan]

This is an interesting one. I'm an amateur photographer with several digital cameras that take li-ion batteries and I get those batteries cold enough at times (but not often) that they stop running my cameras until I warm them up again. Don't know just how cold that is, just that the camera stops working due to low battery. I have been told by people who know photography that I should not worry about getting the batteries cold, they could take it.

Now, I've never stored li-ion batteries in a freezer. I just accept they will only last about five years max no matter what I do with them. I did however Google 'minimum temperatures for lithium ion battery' and found the following. Look at table #3. One year of storage at zero degrees C is looking pretty good to me and I doubt going a few degrees under that is going to cause them to give up the ghost really quick, but I have been wrong before:
Table 3: Estimated recoverable capacity when storing Li-ion for one year at various temperatures

I seem to remember reading that li-ion cells 'freeze' at about -40C, but I can't find that data anywhere right now.

So, I'm not saying anyone should freeze their batteries. Just that I suspect there may be more to this than what has been talked about in this thread so far.

Vape on

 

[Switched]

I believe the batts lost their charge because of time, not because of cold specifically. TBS the combination of the two could very well have accelerated their demise.

 

[Kemosabe]

when storing lithium batteries for months at a time, its best to keep them at 40% life (3.6v).
this info was learned from Battery University.