Is a lump on a battery less concerning than a swollen one? The short answer is both need our attention. We share the secrets of swollen batteries in this post, and encourage you to read it through to the end. This advice applies to all types of batteries including those containing lithium. Batteries are not supposed to bulge or swell.
When Do Batteries Start Swelling?
Batteries can increase in size for several reasons including overheating. The distortion can be so severe that phones and laptops start to bulge. The most likely offenders are lithium-ion and lithium polymer batteries.
These two battery types we mentioned have great storage capacity and operating life. But the catch is their lithium makes them a lot more reactive than other batteries that don’t offer these advantages.
If a battery containing lithium overheats, then its cells can start producing gas. This gas increases the pressure inside the casing, and it relieves this by bulging or swelling. But what are the secrets causing swollen batteries?
The Secrets Most Folk Don’t Know
There a number of reasons why lithium-ion and lithium polymer batteries may overheat. Try to avoid these factors so your batteries last longer:
- Charging your batteries more often than necessary.
- Overcharging your batteries when they are full.
- Overusing your batteries so they can’t rest.
- Purchasing substandard or defective batteries.
- Using the wrong, or a defective battery charger.
Most times we can avoid the consequences of overheating, if we purchase batteries with onboard safety management functions. Those features can include heat sensors and circuits preventing overcharging.
Quality lithium-ion and lithium polymer batteries should have stout casings preventing any gas escaping. This is important because that gas is potentially flammable …
This is the first part of our two-part series sharing the secrets of swollen batteries. We’ll be back a little later with a follow-up article on what to do next.
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