Question About Rechargeable Battery Care

kc27

I have an assortment of rechargeable batteries, some specific to certain tools, some just standard sizes such as AA. Sometimes, when the batteries are in the charger, I will find that another member of the family, wanting to use the outlet to which the charger was connected, has unplugged the charger without removing the batteries from the charger.

To me the seems to be detrimental to have batteries in a charger that is not plugged in to an electrical outlet. I looked online, and didn't find any answers.

Does anyone have any ideas on this?

eisert

It shouldn't hurt the batteries to sit in the charger. However, letting a dead battery sit too long without charging it can affect its performance and life.

kc27

Thanks of the info.

A while back, someone had warned me that if a battery charger was not plugged in to an electrical outlet, the current in the batteries would then go through the charger's transformer and discharge, and ultimately ruin the batteries. I never realy learned whether that was fact or someone's opinion.

gmhammes

If i remember to i try to discharge my batteries before recharging them but that is if i remember and or have the time!

Yoyizit

Depends on the charger's internal circuitry. Unplugging is foreseeable by the manuf. so I'd think they'd add some circuitry to prevent this from discharging a battery.

For sure, though, the current will not go all the way back into the windings.