I store new batteries in the freezer. A friend of my wife's said she had a bunch of Duracell AAA dated 2022-2025 in the freezer that leaked. She said she got them from Target or Costco or some brick and mortar store like that. It sounds to me like they had been abused before she got them. Is there any reason not to store batteries in the freezer. Someone told me to warm them up before using. Not sure I understand the chemistry there. Any comments?
frozen batteries
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I know from trying to fly model aircraft on frosty Winter's mornings that LiPo and previously NiMh do NOT take kindly to being cold. You typically only get 40-60% of the running time on a cold day than a hot Spring/Summer day and the whole thing just feels decidedly lethargic (so is not sourcing current at the same levels as normal) so putting batteries in a freezer sounds like an atrocious idea to me. In fact this is the first time in 56 years I can remember ut being suggested. Your mileage may vary.
clawson wrote:
In fact this is the first time in 56 years I can remember ut being suggested.
The idea is to increase the shelf life by slowing down whatever chemistry contributes to voltage loss over time. Warming them up before use brings everything back to normal. This is what Goggle says for a "batteries in freezer" search:
Storing them at lower temperatures will slow their self discharge rate dramatically. NiMH batteries stored at freezing will retain over 90% of their charge for full month. So it might make sense to store them in a freezer. If you do, it's best to bring them back to room temperature before using them.
You should never store batteries in a freezer unless they are specifically designed to be stored at sub-zero temperatures.
Many years ago, alkaline and carbon Zinc batteries were stored in refrigerators for the reasons the OP mentions. With todays battery chemistries this is a complete waste of time(and cold storage space for beer too!)
Keep in mind, just because a google hit "says so" does not mean it s "SAFE SO".
JIm
a fast google gave this :
The recommended storage temperature for most batteries is 15°C (59°F); the extreme allowable temperature is –40°C to 50°C (–40°C to 122°F) for most chemistries. Batteries should be stored in a dry and cool place, but should avoid freezing. Batteries freeze more easily if in a discharged state.
And avoid batteries in the sun (or buy batteries that got sun in the store)
Last Edited: Sun. Jan 5, 2020 - 08:07 PM
It's better to store them cool/cold than very hot (like a hot garage or attic), where the chemical discharge reaction speeds up.
NIMH batteries self-discharge very fast, so keeping them at least cool makes sense.
Who keeps their film canisters in the refrigerator?
Film canisters? Do they mount in your smartphone?
Next to the solder paste!!!
Sounds like a task for the Mythbusters. For the Leclanche batteries, the cold slows down the chemical reaction but the high moisture content in the freezer might cause higher leakage currents and corrosion. So if you can keep them cold and dry, that might be a good thing. With many electronic devices today, the old disposable cells are a thing of the past.
Frozen batteries? Let it go, let it go........ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr...(2013_film))
You might like to build you own Edison cell...pretty neat.
https://www.nutsvolts.com/magazine/article/february2012_Noon
I would suggest placing them in the refrigerator, but not the freezer, any moisture and your likely to break something inside.
Rather then trying to extend shelf life, you invest in some LiFePO4 batteries and a solar or wind charger.
Just my humble opinion.
Jim
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clawson wrote:
LiPo and previously NiMh do NOT take kindly to being cold
I gather that (some) electric cars have heaters in their batteries to bring them up to temperature when cold ...
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Low self discharge (LSD) are fairly common for NiMH; made in Japan are the best for LSD and charge cycles (lifetime)
Question and Answer | eneloop Technologies - Panasonic
[3/4 page]
Where’s the best place to store my eneloop batteries?
[room temperature, all but eneloop proTM are LSD]
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MarkThomas wrote:
water
... A friend of my wife's said she had a bunch of Duracell AAA dated 2022-2025 in the freezer that leaked. ... Not sure I understand the chemistry there.
Battery Types - Primary Cell and Secondary Cells with Diagrams.
[two instances of]
At Cathode
avrcandies wrote:
Who keeps their film canisters in the refrigerator?
A lot of the boys in the large format photography world keep film in a freezer. Personally, I wouldn't bother unless it were colour and I was expecting it to be usable ten years past its best-by date.
I have a dozen boxes of quarter-plate glass plates unopened since their manufacture in the 1930s... I plan to see if they're still capable of making an image this year. They just live on a bookshelf in the living room...
Neil
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I used to keep my camera film in the refrigerator.
I think it was even printed on the box that that was the best place to store it in.
boy that brings back memories.... going to places, and really really have a good look on how you want to make a picture and then hoping it would turn out the way you intended. Now it is just click, click see if it is ok and click again....
The speed of chemical reactions doubles for every 10 degrees C temperature rise. Cold cells put out less power and also self-discharge less.
I keep them in the refrigerator but I've also put them in the freezer and noticed no ill effect.
I suppose when in the freezer, the water could freeze and expand and damage the seals.
meslomp wrote:
Now it is just click, click see if it is ok and click again....
Now where is the fun in that?
(apropos of nothing: I take electric pictures in pretty much the same way as I do large format film; i.e. rarely more than one exposure having selected a viewpoint, though I take more pictures in general. On a recent holiday to Vietnam and Cambodia I took about a thousand pictures, of which I will keep between four and five hundred. A 22-year old on the same holiday got through over ten thousand snaps in the same fortnight.)
Neil
barnacle wrote:
All selfies I bet. A 22-year old on the same holiday got through over ten thousand snaps in the same fortnight.)
Many of them, yes. Or snaps of her food. Although I did notice towards the end of the holiday that she started to follow me around to where I was photographing from... which is, I think, a complement (though I'm not sure!)
Neil
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barnacle wrote:
meslomp wrote:Now it is just click, click see if it is ok and click again....
Now where is the fun in that?
not, but in line with that I do not think people who photograph like that actually ever take time to go through their photos again after they are taken, as it will simply be to many.
I also first have a look at how I want a picture to look and then usually just take one or 2 shots were the second a lot of the times is one were I either decided to add a flash or adjust the exposure to over or under expose as I am not happy with the result.
barnacle wrote:
Many of them, yes. Or snaps of her food. Although I did notice towards the end of the holiday that she started to follow me around to where I was photographing from... which is, I think, a complement (though I'm not sure!)
Neil
Have had that a couple of times, hahahaha. People following you looking at where you go and stand to take a picture and then as soon as you move step in and take a photo at exactly the same place, and after that follow you although it is not the normal route to go.
At least they didn't photo-bomb your selfie.
I've just looked at the date code on some Duracell batteries here in the spare battery drawer. Their best before date is at least 5 years away so I can't quite see why I'd even think of putting them in the fridge/freezer. Surely the key is stock rotation?
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MarkThomas wrote:
Industrial NiZn cells retain 97% after one month; over-the-counter NiZn cells are 60% SoC after one month at room temperature.
NiMH batteries stored at freezing will retain over 90% of their charge for full month.
Industrial NiZn is HQ'd in Tualatin Oregon with production in Shenzhen China.
OTC NiZn transitioned to China mid-decade for button-top AAA and AA.
Water is in NiZn electrochemistry; leakage allowed for long duration short circuit and sustained over-charge.
Nickel-Zinc Charging Instructions — ZincFive
Conrad energy HR06 AA battery (rechargeable) NiZn 1500 mAh 1.6 V 4 pc(s) | Conrad.com
That may be outdated. The low self discharge cells are better than that. I use Eneloop.
The most important reason I use Eneloops is that they never leak.
Alkalines seem to be getting better. I will consider alkalines if the device is cheap and easy to get.