Rechargeable drill batteries??

[keith ouellette]

Can they go bad from just sitting? I need to buy a used drill (can't afford new) and am looking at a set that has a shorted out charger.

[David Cefai]

They self discharge with time. If it's a long time then they will discharge fully and you can have problems.

[Cliff Holmes]

A long storage and complete discharge apparently wreaks havoc on li-ion batteries. Don't know about ni-cad.

[Chris Padilla]

Well, if the charger is bad, Keith, how do you intend to charge the batteries? Otherwise, yes, rechargeable batteries will discharge over time. They all have some degree of parastic resistance between the two poles that will allow current to flow and hence, "self-discharging" will occur.

It is usually cheaper to have the bad batteries rebuilt by any number of outfits. I've used PrimeCell in the past and have been happy.

[keith ouellette]

Well, if the charger is bad, Keith, how do you intend to charge the batteries? Otherwise, yes, rechargeable batteries will discharge over time. They all have some degree of parastic resistance between the two poles that will allow current to flow and hence, "self-discharging" will occur.

It is usually cheaper to have the bad batteries rebuilt by any number of outfits. I've used PrimeCell in the past and have been happy.

My dewalt drill has worn out batteries but is also 14.4 volt like the craftsman I am thinking of buying and I think I can retro fit my charger to fit the craftsman batteries

but if ,as you and others have said, storage (these have been stored for 2 years) is bad for the batteries then I think i am gonna pass anyway.

thanks for the posts.