Battery life depends mainly on battery design and manufacturing quality. Individual batteries also benefit from user care. If we buy a battery from a retailer, it may have been sleeping on a shelf for several weeks, or even months.
When we wake a battery for the first time by connecting it to a conductor, it likes to start gently just as we do first thing in the morning. We thought to share ideas about bringing batteries to life this way. We love our batteries and we would like them to work for a long time.
Priming Batteries to Extend Battery Life
Manufacturers format batteries by charging them before they leave the works. This first recycle creates the electrochemical networks they need to function. They may however not be at full potential yet. Some we have to prime by gently applying the first load.
- We format our lead-acid batteries by charging them, discharging them, and then charging them again. We recommend running them with moderate discharges at first, as opposed to full load immediately. This is of course not possible with an auto starter battery. Lead acid batteries generally reach their prime of battery life after 50 to 100 cycles.
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Disassembled Nickel Battery: CZ Atlantis Some nickel-cadmium batteries leave the factory with no formatting. They are best trickle-charged for 16 to 24 hours when new and after a long sleep. This allows the cells to adjust and redistribute the electrolyte on the separator. Without this, the nickel-cadmium battery may never work at full potential.
- Lithium-ion batteries do not need priming, although their cathodes may acquire a coating that restricts the flow during storage. After several bouts of charging this dissolves, and may improve battery life but only slightly.
Study the manufacturer’s instructions before charging any battery. Make sure you do this in well-ventilated space.
Stop charging immediately if the battery becomes too hot to touch comfortably. It has reached the end of its useful battery life.
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