Battery Storage... What do you do - whats best?

Hi Everyone,

Now I have looked around for Battery Storage and found a few pics with people showing off their 'secret stashes' however would like to know what / how people store their batteries for longevity?

I went into K Mart (Australia) and managed to pick up a Plano Tackle Box in the 3730 size - which should accommodate AAA's, AA's, D's and some other batteries in 9Volt and others that are just there for 'SHTF'...

Now another question is, do some chemistries of batteries do better if they are upright, laid flat. Will this affect Lithiums or Alkalines any differently?

Do batteries last longer if they are in a low humidity environment - I will use silica gel as here on the Gold Coast we have a fluctuating weather pattern with dry and humid times all through the year.

I trim the packet of the battery basically to the plastic enclosure (and staple the card to the plastic for surety) so that I can verify that they are genuine if there are any issues from the battery to the manufacturer - is there any benefit in keeping them in that state?

Just looking for some clarification from you all and some other tips that I can use to keep my batteries from leaking (the alkalines primarily)...

Thanks in advance.

Andrew.

My 12 spare 18650's are stored in a ziploc bag in the freezer, at 3.6 volts.

Orientation of sealed batteries will make no difference to storage life.

Humidity will affect storage life as condensation will allow leakage current. A dehumidifier sachet will only help if it's fresh and if it's in a sealed container to stop it quickly saturating with air moisture. To re-activate Silica gel without heat, store it over Calcium Carbonate for a week - a DampRid refill pack from Coles or Woolies is very cheap.

The charge state will affect the life of the battery. NiCd or NiMH I only store discharged to 1.0 volt per cell. Lead Acid must be fully charged. LiIon or LiPO I store fully charged - the rule that you should store them at no more than 40% charge has been unnecessary from my experience.

I store all batteries in the fridge in a sealed bag to maximise charge and life.

Righto, having said that.

How do you store them? In what kind of a container?

So far all I've found are Plano Tackle Boxes and another Battery Box thats on eBay and that was about $6 inc postage...

If you want to re-activate silica gel you can just stick it in the oven for an hour or so at no more than 95 - 100c. open the door a bit every now and then to let out the humidity if it is a well sealed oven. You will get the pink colour back but not blue colour silica gel.

Have been doing this for years - and its been saving me from all sorts of little issues! I've thrown about a dozen packets into the box already and hope it stops the carboard on the back of the batteries from going off...

I use small, plastic drawers for most of my batteries...kinda like these:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042G1MD2/?tag=cpf0b6-20

They work well for AAAs, AAs, Cs, (not Ds,) 9Vs, 123As, 18650s, 18490s, 223As, BP511s, (not BP-522s.) The problem is when a type of battery is too large for the height of the drawer. I guess I could find slightly larger drawers for the larger batteries.

They don't work well for coin cells either, as I can never dig and find what I need when I need it.

I use 'Storacell' which can hold four 123-lithium batteries and I place 6 of these in a Pelican 1030 case.

MikeAusC said:

I store all batteries in the fridge in a sealed bag to maximise charge and life.

Click to expand...

What is the temp that you think is the right to keep the batt in the fridge?

Do you recomend storage in a sealed box with silica inside as well?




SFMI4UT

I keep all my 18650 fully charged and ready for use and check them every three months and charge them every six months. They are stored in Ultrafire plastic cases (two 18650 per case) and stored in a Maxpedition 12 gauge shogun pouch.

I live in an earthquake and fire danger area where uncharged 18650 would be worthless if electical power was down. I also keep at least 36 Surefire batteries stored as my previous post stated.

sidecross said:

I keep all my 18650 fully charged and ready for use and check them every three months and charge them every six months. They are stored in Ultrafire plastic cases (two 18650 per case) and stored in a Maxpedition 12 gauge shogun pouch.

I live in an earthquake and fire danger area where uncharged 18650 would be worthless if electical power was down. I also keep at least 36 Surefire batteries stored as my previous post stated.

Click to expand...

I can relate to that sentiment. Uncharged but properly stored Lith ions would do little if immediate need is required. You might consider keeping two separate "stashes" if you can afford it. One set charged, with the other in storage (3.7 volts) condition. Then every 6 months rotate the two with a discharge cycle for the ones already charged. You can buy a cheap RC type charger that will accomplish that task. Or just build a discharge station built around power resistors and keep an eye on the voltage drop with a DMM until you get the right results.

Charged and zip locked in the refrigerator at 5C.

I usually put them in the bookshelves, I do my best not to store it near other household electronics