[sci.electronics] No Batteries in Freezer?

svoboda@motcid.UUCP (David Svoboda) (06/11/91)

From article <1991Jun10.012020.19382@ariel.unm.edu>, by ee5391aa@triton.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax):
+ 
+ Rodeo Schlock has their battery card, which can keep you in smoke detector
+ batteries at no additional charge for years to come. (Store `em in the fridge
+ ...NOT the freezer!)

	Why not?

	--Dave Svoboda, software weenie, Motorola Cellular

ee5391aa@triton.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax) (06/13/91)

In article <4730@guppie4.UUCP> svoboda@motcid.UUCP (David Svoboda) writes:
>From article <1991Jun10.012020.19382@ariel.unm.edu>, by
ee5391aa@triton.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax):
 
>+ Rodeo Schlock has their battery card, which can keep you in smoke detector
>+ batteries at no additional charge for years to come. (Store `em in the fridge
>+ ...NOT the freezer!)

>	Why not?

Well, I'm told (I've never tried it) that colder freezers will freeze some
liquid components of some batteries.  Other batteries likely would be un-
affected.

That's what I've heard.  Does anyone _know_?


					d

bdhall@en.ecn.purdue.edu (Brian D Hall) (06/14/91)

In article <1991Jun13.161542.14899@ariel.unm.edu>, ee5391aa@triton.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax) writes:
> In article <4730@guppie4.UUCP> svoboda@motcid.UUCP (David Svoboda) writes:
> >From article <1991Jun10.012020.19382@ariel.unm.edu>, by
> ee5391aa@triton.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax):
>  
> >+ Rodeo Schlock has their battery card, which can keep you in smoke detector
> >+ batteries at no additional charge for years to come. (Store `em in the fridge
> >+ ...NOT the freezer!)
> 
> >	Why not?
> 
> Well, I'm told (I've never tried it) that colder freezers will freeze some
> liquid components of some batteries.  Other batteries likely would be un-
> affected.
> 
> That's what I've heard.  Does anyone _know_?
> 
> 
> 					d

	Freezing DRY CELL/ALKALINE batteries will keep them more or less
indefinitely.  What you are effectively doing is preventing the chemical 
reaction that produces the voltage from ever happening.  It will not harm
your batteries.  Just make sure you give them enough time to thaw before
you intend to use them.
	NEVER FREEZE ANY BATTERY WHICH CONTAINS WATER (obvious reasons).

	In addition, placing batteries in a cooler (not freezing) will prolong
the life of the batteries.

   Brian Hall

rambler@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Dan Meyer) (06/16/91)

bdhall@en.ecn.purdue.edu (Brian D Hall) writes:
>
>	Freezing DRY CELL/ALKALINE batteries will keep them more or less
>indefinitely.  What you are effectively doing is preventing the chemical 
>reaction that produces the voltage from ever happening.  It will not harm
>your batteries.  Just make sure you give them enough time to thaw before
>you intend to use them.
>	NEVER FREEZE ANY BATTERY WHICH CONTAINS WATER (obvious reasons).
>
>	In addition, placing batteries in a cooler (not freezing) will prolong
>the life of the batteries.
>
>   Brian Hall

let's qualify that statement just a little; my car battery contains water 
( and sulfuric acid ) and here in minnesota, it is regularly exposed to
temperatures well below zero (f). the chemical reaction that produces
electricity still happens ( I get my car started ) and the battery is
definatly not thawed out. 

so maybe this is the true statement about freezing batteries.

 1 - the chemical reactions that take place in any electro-chemical battery
slow down when cooled. this includes both normal operation and self discharge.

 2 - it has to get damn fool cold before a fully charged wet cell battery
freezes. if it's that cold, I probably should not be going out into the
weather.


-- Dan Meyer

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