Comments on: Quick Tip: You Can Still Use “Dead” Batteries

By: Pinyo

Pinyo — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:01:14 +0000

@ERE – I always get one last pop from dead batteries when I throw them into fire.

On a more serious note, good tip.

By: hank

hank — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 05:02:17 +0000

We have kids toys that take more batteries than I can keep up with. Good to know, thanks…

By: Thanks For Kicking My Butt and Inspiring Me

Thanks For Kicking My Butt and Inspiring Me — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:01:22 +0000

[...] Dude – Clever Dude had a clever tip on batteries that I’ll use in the [...]

By: Early Retirement Extreme

Early Retirement Extreme — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 17:18:17 +0000

You can also use the old trick of putting them on the radiator (use common sense here, eh?) or just warming them in your hand. Batteries work by chemical reactions and heat speeds up the reactions allowing you to squeeze a little extra out of them. Of course this stops working when they return to room temperature.

By: Double Journey

Double Journey — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:19:18 +0000

I’ve done this for a while now, and it does work pretty well to squeeze a little more battery life from otherwise “dead” battery. Agree with Jerry too though, some batteries are made for high drain devices, and are worth the money.

Also, something that not a lot of people know is that you should not mix an old and a new battery. This will actually cause the new battery to drain much faster than it would otherwise, giving you less overall life than you would have gotten by just tossing the old one.

By: Kevin @ Change Your Tree

Kevin @ Change Your Tree — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:15:36 +0000

Great tip. I remember trying this a couple times; I’m sure it works, I’m just not that lucky!

By: Jerry

Jerry — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 13:25:02 +0000

That’s a great point. It’s also good insurance for battery life not to use “regular” type batteries in high-drain electrical items, like digital cameras (especially with a flash!). There are batteries specifically designed to handle the higher power requirements of these gadgets, and using the right battery for the job will lead to much longer and more effective use.
Jerry

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:34:51 +0000

Well, we don’t have a Wii, but we have a few remotes. Good to know!

By: SingleGuyMoney

SingleGuyMoney — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:21:29 +0000

Great idea Clever Dude, I’ll have to try it.

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 08:17:14 +0000

Hmm, that’s interesting… thanks for the tip.. I’ll have to try this.