My Dewalt 18V drill batteries are always dead. Normal?

[Jacobson]

I use my drill once a month, at most. Every time, I have to recharge the 2 batteries before I use them. Is this normal? Do you keep your drill batteries on a charger all the time? How long do they hold charge?

 

[beamrider]

Nicad? If so, you've got at least 1 dead cell in each pack.

 

[Jacobson]

After charging a few mins, they are back at 100%
DC9909. 18V

They get hot when recharged.

 

[beamrider]

I'd say a dead short in one of the cells. Meter the battery right off the charger, then stick it in a drill and run it, no load, for about a minute. Then meter the battery again.

I've got 2 18v dewalt batts left, but they are in the same condition as yours.

 

[honcho]

Even perfectly good Nicad batteries have a fairly high self discharge rate, but dead in 30 days does indicate one of several conditions. Old batteries, higher temperatures in storage or, as others have written, one or more weak/bad cells in the pack.

Modern Lithium Ion packs have much lower rates of self-discharge. I do like the the convenience of cordless tools, but for infrequent users, corded tools always have juice at the outlet!

Here's a link to some good information on self-discharge

http://www.buchmann.ca/chap14-page1.asp

 

[Jacobson]

Batteries are almost new.
I have only used this drill a dozen times in the last 2 years.
Last recharge was about a month ago.

 

[mykvr6]

all my drills used to be dead when I'd go to use them. Nicad. Only time they had a charge after leaving them was when I was using them everyday at work. But once I stopped, they would be dead. but then again they would usually be sitting in the toolbox for month or so at a time without me pulling them out. I have a Bosch 12v now that I use every few days or so and its always ready to go. Love the new lithium batteries.

 

[SMKS]

Some designs just do this. Some Craftsman drills have this issue. I have one with the problem and I never use it for that reason.

My cheap HF drill doesn't have this issue. I bought it as a one-time use throwaway drill and have used it now for like four years.

 

[Frank Dukes]

time to buy that new 20v battery converter.

 

[cliftonbros89]

time to buy that new 20v battery converter.

Is that out yet? I've seen DeWalt advertise it but I haven't seen it online or on shelves yet.

 

[ScottsGT]

Bosch recommends that when not in use, the forward/reverse switch is left in the off position. It said in the manual that slow battery drainage will occur if left in a run position. Try this with your Dewalt and see if it helps. (If it has an off/neutral position. Never used a Dewalt) If not, remove the battery during storage and see if that helps.

 

[rice rocket]

Batteries are almost new.
I have only used this drill a dozen times in the last 2 years.
Last recharge was about a month ago.

Nicads perform the worst when used infrequently.

Time to step up to new battery technology.

 

[uart]

Some designs just do this. Some Craftsman drills have this issue. I have one with the problem and I never use it for that reason.

Bosch recommends that when not in use, the forward/reverse switch is left in the off position. It said in the manual that slow battery drainage will occur if left in a run position.

Guys, if he has to recharge BOTH batteries every time he uses it then it's not the tool that is draining the pack, it must be the packs themselves.

Jacobson: What rice rocket said, nicads are the worst for infrequent use. And they really do hate being fully charged and just left to sit like that, it wears them out quicker. It's much better to just put them away "as is" when you're finished and recharge them immediately before use if you're an infrequent user.

Anyway, your batteries are degraded now. That's one of the first things I notice with nicads when they're on their way out, they often still work ok if you charge them and use them straight away (though usually with somewhat reduced capacity), but they wont hold a charge for ****.

Doesn't matter how little you've used them, they're **** now. With nicads, if you charge them then you should use them. Definitely try to avoid fully charging them just to let them sit.

 

[WhiskeyRanger]

I'm still using the batteries that I got with my last 18V set at least 5 years ago. They hold a charge for several weeks, definitely over a month. I only leave them on a tool about half the time, and always put them in Neutral/Lock so they aren't triggered when I toss them in my tool bag.

If they're almost new, I wouldn't think it normal.

 

[SMKS]

Guys, if he has to recharge BOTH batteries every time he uses it then it's not the tool that is draining the pack, it must be the packs themselves.

I never said it was the tool that caused it. In my case, both the batteries exhibit this issue whether they're in the tool or not.

 

[Frank Dukes]

Is that out yet? I've seen DeWalt advertise it but I haven't seen it online or on shelves yet.

ETA is listed as this month, but i don't see it yet. soon. I have many great 18v tools and 4 batteries that are still holding their charge just fine. but eventually this will be on my buy list.

for OP if he hasn't seen it yet..
http://toolguyd.com/dewalt-20v-max-18v-battery-adapter/

 

[uart]

I never said it was the tool that caused it. In my case, both the batteries exhibit this issue whether they're in the tool or not.

Fair enough, I think I see what you mean now. Like if it had a charge monitoring circuit or something built in that was slowly draining them.

This is the OPs battery pack: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017654SY/?tag=atomicindus08-20 I don't think self discharge is a "feature" though. More likely just the cells are crapping out.

 

[Jacobson]

What ***** is that I just bought this drill in Spring of 2012.
Brand new for $132 with two 18V batteries.

Wow, it's $199 on Amazon ???
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X1S0LC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I guess it's not a huge loss. I did use it a few times.
Maybe I should replace it with modern awesomeness?
I use a drill for home use a few times a year.
What would be a good replacement? Not Snap-On prices!

 

[KnurledNut]

Whats the date code on the batteries?

 

[Jacobson]

I see "20116UAJAPAN42" stamped on the top.

 

[sk farmer]

those are the compact batteries and made in 2011. as soon as the adapters are out i am getting one. i still have good 18 volt batteries but i promised if they ever made an adapter i would buy one. maybe invest in one of those new 700 ft. lb. 20 volt impact wrenches as well.

 

[uart]

I use a drill for home use a few times a year.
What would be a good replacement? Not Snap-On prices!

If you only use it a few times a year then you might try just storing them flat and charging before use. "Leaky" batteries will often keep working ok like this for some time.

If it gets too bad then either buy a new pack or get one or both of the existing packs rebuilt. The drill itself is still good, and a new pack will probably last you 8 to 10 years with that usage pattern, just so long as you charge them before usage rather than before storage.

BTW. How well do the packs perform right now after they have been charged? Do they still perform similar to new apart from the high "leakage" (self discharge), or have they lost capacity as well?

 

[Jacobson]

The packs perform fine after the quick recharge.
I am able to drill for 5-10 mins, if I had to guess?

 

[Jacobson]

ETA is listed as this month, but i don't see it yet. soon. I have many great 18v tools and 4 batteries that are still holding their charge just fine. but eventually this will be on my buy list.

for OP if he hasn't seen it yet..
http://toolguyd.com/dewalt-20v-max-18v-battery-adapter/

What is the point of this?
To use your old 18V batteries with new tools?
Or to use new batteries with old 18V tools?

 

[Frank Dukes]

new 20v batteries with 18v tools.

 

[iScream]

Have you ever drained the battery packs down to the point where the drill wouldn't even move, or close to that? If so, you may have killed or damaged a cell by reversing it.

Unless cells are tested and closely matched before assembly into a battery, they are each going to discharge at slightly different rates. So one cell may hit zero volts while the other cells still show a little voltage. Continuing to use the battery with a cell at zero volts basically reverses the polarity of that cell and will quickly damage it.

Back when NiCad batteries were the only thing we had for electric RC cars and airplanes, we paid big bucks for batteries made from cells that were closely matched by their discharge curves and we used balancing boards to bring all cells to the same voltage before charging the pack.

Even with the LiPo batteries we use today, good chargers monitor the individual voltage of each cell and will charge each one individually to balance the overall pack. And our electronic speed controllers have minimum voltages where they will cut power to the motor before damaging the pack. At least for RC cars. For planes you might not want to cut motor power while in flight.

Chris

 

[Jacobson]

Not sure. Once they are dying, I generally stop. So, no, I've never bothered to keep drilling until zero.

 

[Jacobson]

Lithium blows away NiCad, basically ?

 

[hangfirew8]

NiCad is better at the quick energy dump, but they are heavier, larger and self discharge at about 1% of total capacity per day.

-HF

 

[mrvm]

Lithium blows away NiCad, basically ?

Perfect time to move away from NiCad and either invest in a new Dewalt 20V power tool system to get the right lithium charger and batteries or try the Dewalt adapter+starter kit to avoid buying old-tech or rebuilt batteries. Lot of exciting products coming soon from Dewalt

 

[james92se]

I have a pair of two year old 18V nicad DeWalt batteries that I basically never use because I use the lithiums instead (which yes, do blow away the nicad in my opinion). Only reason I even own the nicad is because they came with the drill I bought two years ago.

I use the nicad only as potential backup batteries when I do things like go to the junkyard and cut a bunch of body parts off of a donor car type of thing and don't want to run out of juice while I'm out there, which is maybe twice a year. Other than that they don't get used, ever, and I do not leave them on the charger. I DO, however, try to get them on the charger for a day or two every couple of months though. I have the two battery charger that can charge both the lithium and the nicad batteries. I believe I read that it "conditions" the batteries as it charges. So maybe that's helped mine.

Anyway, when I read your thread I decided to see if my nicad batteries are totally drained. They have been sitting off of the charger for at least two months now. I just now tried both of them on my impact gun and both powered the gun just fine. I even removed several bolts from my differential I'm working on with both batteries as a test. One quit after removing two bolts, the other took about 10 bolts out. The bolts were tightened down to probably 40 ft. lbs. or so.

Again, both batteries have been sitting for at least two months. My batteries both say 201221UAJAPAN72 on them.

 

[L.Cheapo]

I have a pair of 18V Dewalt batteries. They are about 2 years old with very little use. I hadn't charged them in about 5-6 months. I used one battery to drill about 30 holes in 2x4s and then to drive 2.5" screws into those holes. Then I drove about 30 1" screws into 2x4s with it before it got slow. I finished the job with the other battery and fully charged them both. This was 3-4 months ago. I grabbed one the other day to drill out a broken bolt and it worked fine. I store them out of the drill in a non climate controlled garage year round.

 

[Jacobson]

Went to use my drill today. Both batteries totally dead flat.
Now, I'm sitting here waiting for them to recharge. Annoyed.

 

[Jacobson]

I have 2 M18 Fuel batteries for my Milw. impact,
so maybe I'll look for a used drill bare tool.

Can someone tell me what model numbers will work with my M18 Fuel batteries?

 

[FMC1959]

I have 2 M18 Fuel batteries for my Milw. impact,
so maybe I'll look for a used drill bare tool.

Can someone tell me what model numbers will work with my M18 Fuel batteries?

You have 2 M18 batteries from a Fuel kit; there are no Fuel batteries, only items labeled Fuel are the top end brushless tools.

Any M18 battery will work with any M18 tool so you have a very large selection to choose from.

 

[zyx5432]

Looks like the adapter will ship in late December.

http://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/dewalt-dca1820

 

[Jacobson]

I'm not invested in Dewalt beyond the drill, so I'm just going to sell my DeWalt drill.
Would rather just buy a M18 drill and get some money for the DeWalt while I can.
Works fine once recharged, and will be ok for a basic homeowner.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Even perfectly good Nicad batteries have a fairly high self discharge rate, ...

This has always been my experience. One thing you can do is place one of the batteries in the charger and then connect it to a cheap lamp timer. Charge for about 15-30 minutes per day.

NiMh has a much slower self-discharge.

I don't think DeWalt sells NiMh 18V packs, but they are sold on eBay.

 

[SantaAna12]

Have you tried using the conditioning mode on the charger? Instructions on Dewalt site.

 

[TheJDMan]

I have had two of my 18v Dewalt batteries rebuilt by these guys. Nearly double the run time from original.