Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Dewalt). This thread is read-only.
I left a 60 volt battery in my truck overnight. It was in need of charging. It was 26 degrees when I got up this morning. Note it was not over drained I was using the flexvolt circular saw and it ran down to one bar and stopped once. Tried to charge it. No go too cold. I think this is a weak point of dewalt batteries. Might have to have more makita 18v x2. As a side note the 3 bar indicator on the dewalt batteries stinks. 4 bars is much better.
You should be able to send it in to DeWALT and get a replacement if it is still not working. I agree with the 4 bar indicator. Could even go 5 like Bosch.
Is the battery actually toast or it just needs to warm up before it’ll take a charge? The thing I don’t like about lights is that they don’t stay on for a couple seconds. Sometimes your fingers block the lights especially with gloves on. With my m18 you press the button and take your hand off and have time to look at the charge.
Yeah I’m pretty sure your not supposed to store dewalt batteries in conditions under 32 degrees.
Get a Battery bag or battery box and bring them in at night
@Biggie on the flex batteries they have that feature now. Not sure if the newer 20v batteries like the new 6.0 or new tool connect have this feature.
JakeDewalt wrote:
Just now, JakeDewalt said:Yeah I’m pretty sure your not supposed to store dewalt batteries in conditions under 32 degrees.
Get a Battery bag or battery box and bring them in at night
I found a ds 130 works nice. fits 8 flex 2/6 batteries.
The flexvolt lights do stay on, then go out one at a time which is a nice touch.
Four or five lights is far better. Four green and one red for empty would be ideal.
Jronman wrote:
1 minute ago, Jronman said:I found a ds 130 works nice. fits 8 flex 2/6 batteries.
I use a Dewalt bag that I believe drill and impact came in. I can Hold about 15 batteries of varing sizes
As a professional and a buyer of premium tools leaving your batteries out over night below freezing is an amateur mistake
thats quite a few.
I only have a few flexvolt batteries and don’t use them daily I guess I didn’t notice. I usually work with milwaukee but the last couple of days I was working off a truck that has a bunch dewalt 4.0 and 5.0 and its cold out so it was a pain to check.
JakeDewalt wrote:
2 hours ago, JakeDewalt said:Yeah I’m pretty sure your not supposed to store dewalt batteries in conditions under 32 degrees.
Get a Battery bag or battery box and bring them in at night
Is this documented somewhere? I find that hard to believe.
There is nothing wrong with storing lithium batteries at low temperature, in fact they will last longer that way. You just can’t charge them at low temperature because it damages the cells and they will output less energy when discharged in the cold.
If you keep your batteries charged the heat from use will warm them up enough to be charged when done. At least this works in the PA winter’s. It rarely gets below 0 here.
Rookie? So I live in New York. I guess flexvolt is for warm weather only. I am expected to work below 32. It was 26 not -26.
JakeDewalt wrote:
7 hours ago, JakeDewalt said:As a professional and a buyer of premium tools leaving your batteries out over night below freezing is an amateur mistake
Oh hell I leave my 20v batteries in my truck year round, in Michigan…. been doing it for YEARS…. I must be an amateur. I better go apologize to all my clients over the years for letting them think they hired a Pro.
My m18 batteries stay in my toughbox on the back of my truck all winter. If the batteries can’t take the abuse, I’ll check into a system that can. So far after two winters they all work well. I guess I’m a rookie too.
http://www.toolstop.co.uk/lithium-ion-batteries-and-winter-how-to-keep-working-in-the-cold-a1617
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If your to lazy to hit Hilti link
The battery heated up quickly and charged. It’s a too sensitive to cold in my mind. The batteries should work for me I should not work for my batteries.
according to dewalt:
http://www.dewalt.com/dewalt-dna/featured-articles/best-practices-for-battery-life
5. DOES THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE AFFECT BATTERIES? HOW?
Yes. If the batteries are too hot (105°F or higher) or too cold (below 40°F), the batteries will not take a full charge. Attempting to charge batteries outside the 40°F-105°F range can result in a permanent loss of run-time. When batteries are being charged and discharged, a chemical reaction is taking place, and if it is too hot or cold the chemical reaction is disturbed causing a loss of run-time.
So what do you do if it’s 25 out. Buy a special heater bag for your batteries. Makita says their batteries are good to -4. Who cares how powerful flexvolt is ignite cannot take the cold. I like many of Dewalt’s tools but they got to work. I just replaced my dewalt impact with the Makita xdt12. Man the Makita is nice.
The tools warm them up enough to charge in the cold just don’t leave all batteries dead at the end of the day. I am right on the Indiana/Michigan border, never had a problem with frozen dewalt packs however some tools work much better once warm.
glass wrote:
1 hour ago, glass said:So what do you do if it’s 25 out. Buy a special heater bag for your batteries. Makita says their batteries are good to -4. Who cares how powerful flexvolt is ignite cannot take the cold. I like many of Dewalt’s tools but they got to work. I just replaced my dewalt impact with the Makita xdt12. Man the Makita is nice.
you can use the flexvolt when its cold, you just cant charge them. and i’m sure all other brands of batteries are the same way.
Festool recommends 56 degrees to 106 for storing their batteries.
If it works for you keep doing what your doing
Obviously some batteries would prefer to come inside at below freezing temperatures while sitting dormant.
At over 100 dollars a battery its a risk not worth taking.
To each their own
Didnt mean anything rude by saying amateur mistake as I make them all the time
I have dozens of every Dewalt battery…don’t know about your particular situation BUT…I haven’t had a bad battery yet…I work all winter everyday outside and All my Dewalt cordless tools AND batteries are outside working with me….
My truck contains all my Dewalt cordless tools with a battery on each tool and dozens of 5, and flex 6 and 9ah…spare batteries in my Tstak box tower in my truck …Outside everyday ….never a problem…never a dead battery….
Today we built a deck ,as I do every weekend, it was 25 degree and 20mph wind…last night it was 20 degrees…..there is no heat in the bed of the truck where the tools stay….the spares do warm up some as I drive to the job….Snow,Rain,Heat,Cold….my Dewalt cordless tools and batteries have Not let me done………..I love the battery design and the abuse they-take… IMO…Dewalt ,makes the Best Batteries…and tools.(well most tools,not 12v,or lights,or recip, )…😀
…..if you actually did have a problem with a battery..you should definitely contact Dewalt……but there is No Problem with the design or functionality of their batteries……
Will a battery charger actually warm a battery to the proper charging temp if it’s on a hot/cold delay. Obviously if its too hot the charger just waits until it’s cooled down some. The other day I had a flexvolt on a fast charger and the fan didn’t kick on. The battery had been out in 30 degree weather but it was charging just without the fan which was a first for me.
glass wrote:
7 hours ago, glass said:
Calling his credibility out like that is, in a kind word, pompous. Yeah @Framer joe is a “super fan” , but he probably owns and uses almost daily nearly every tool in DeWalt’s catalog as well as Ridgid and others, I for one take him at his word. I too haven’t had any failure with any of my DeWalt tools, I live in a state with some of the most bizarre unpredictable climates in the country with temperature swings of 30 degrees in 24hrs common, am I not credible with my experience? Maybe I just know what to expect when any battery is cold……
Charging cold packs can damage them, period. If you were allowed to you’d walk yourself directly into a complaint about a platforms batteries prematurely failing without considering why it probably happened. The cells found inside these batteries are often the same or very similar architecture across platforms, the fact that one brand may allow you to slowly fuck them up while another does not is hardly a feature.
As stated there’s obvious workarounds to this, hell throw them in the floorboard and run the heat in the truck for 10min if all else fails, but it’s naive to blame a company for trying to prevent you from complaining about your ignorance.
glass wrote:
7 hours ago, glass said:
please tell me what other battery brands that you can charge at 26 degrees.
They really do use the same cells, check out some of AvE’s vids, he breaks em open and shows the truth. Milwaukee and their “Red Lithium”, all pap, they’re just standard 18650 cells from the likes of Samsung or LG or whoever.
For what it’s worth, all my tools come in the house every single night, I’m not risking another theft. So mine are always kept at decent temps, they’re a big investment and worth looking after.
** Guys. Keep it civil. You want to name call or question people, do what I do….Think about it and keep it to yourself. **
I will watch this one too, for the members that continue to be an issue I will delete posts and if it continues I will deal with the member directly.
The other comment has been hidden from member view.
Thank you, Chris.
No problem. Check out his post after the video review of the dewalt framer on the work shop addict site. Sorry guys I called as I see it.
TrimmerMatt wrote:
On 11/11/2017 at 12:09 PM, TrimmerMatt said:There is nothing wrong with storing lithium batteries at low temperature, in fact they will last longer that way. You just can’t charge them at low temperature because it damages the cells and they will output less energy when discharged in the cold.
If you keep your batteries charged the heat from use will warm them up enough to be charged when done. At least this works in the PA winter’s. It rarely gets below 0 here.
So they should be stored in cold but only charged or operated when warmed up?
Storing batteries outside kills batteries fast in the sense that it gets them stolen. Trust me I’ve lost a good twenty to thirty that way. Store them hot. Store them cold. Whatever gets the job done. Using them cold just affects their performance. Just don’t charge them outside of the threshold. Keep an inverter and leave them charging in your pickup. Here when it drops below zero I rarely shut my pickup off. If there’s no where warm at all on the job site for you I’m sorry. I just charge mine in my bedroom where it’s heated overnight because I don’t drain many batteries unless I’m in the shop. Some of you that probably won’t be an option.
Jronman wrote:
27 minutes ago, Jronman said:So they should be stored in cold but only charged or operated when warmed up?
They would last the longest that way, but isn’t always practical. I feel like the winter temperatures averages out some of the damage that is done during the summer. Some of the battery manufacturers have charts showing storage temperature vs life. Look at page 3 of this one.
Maybe it’s that my batteries are in rotation….so the battery on my tool outside is used at work until 1 bar shows ,then that battery goes in a bag to be charged later, a new charged battery is grabbed from my Tstak drawer, in my truck and put on the tool.. that battery will stay there until 1 bar is read… when I go home the “dead batteries “ go on my 118chargers in my heated garage …when they are charged they go in the Tstak box/drawers in the truck…..so different batteries are being constantly rotated…from charger to storage drawer to tool ……..all batteries are charged in my garage(warm)…but then placed in my truck outside….I don’t charge on the job ever….
………..I’m not a battery expert, at all…but I do know what works for me…it’s a Buisness first, “fan” second…….
………I give my honest opinion on the tools I use everyday in harsh environments…I don’t embellish , it’s real life…I would never try to persuade someone to buy “Dewalt “just because it’s a Dewalt tool, every tool they make isnt the best…..although many are….but as a system of tools for my field I do like Dewalt….
……..I learn many valuable tips,deals and tool uses on this forum, there are many talented guys/gals on here . I appreciate people taking the time to write ….some guys put some damn funny stuff up.quite witty……shit makes me laugh out loud sometimes…..😃
Framer joe wrote:
On 13-11-2017 at 1:27 AM, Framer joe said:Maybe it’s that my batteries are in rotation….
Well you said so yourself. You charge your batteries inside at the end of the day inside where it is warm. thats the correct way to go 🙂 No lithium batteries like being charged in the cold/freezing.
If you would be charging your batteries back up outside in the winter you’d be killing em. If they’re dewalt, makita or milwaukee matters not. 🙂
Ok I give in. I loaded all my batteries, dewalt and Makita into 2 bags. Inside every cold night to charge or not 😁✌️
Tow truck driver in Fairbanks Alaska where it gets -40 f my dewalt 20 vmax batteries stay in my trk outside overnight and I’ve never had a problem with the batteries or the half inch impact they run dewalt makes some of the most durable cordless tools out there Milwaukee usually perform better but don’t last as long in abusive environments go ahead and drop your dewalt in the dirt and it will keep working way longer than a red tool dropped in the same dirt
Wrecker man wrote:
8 hours ago, Wrecker man said:Tow truck driver in Fairbanks Alaska where it gets -40 f my dewalt 20 vmax batteries stay in my trk outside overnight and I’ve never had a problem with the batteries or the half inch impact they run dewalt makes some of the most durable cordless tools out there Milwaukee usually perform better but don’t last as long in abusive environments go ahead and drop your dewalt in the dirt and it will keep working way longer than a red tool dropped in the same dirt
That’s badass Welcome to the Forums. Rare to meet someone living in Alaska it seems
Battery not charging!!! ANY ANSWERS/SUGGESTIONS!!??
— My dewalt 9ah battery is not charging. When I hook it up to the charger the red light flashes like it’s charging and 20-30 seconds later the red light stops flashing indicating that it is fully charged. Only problem is that the battery is not charged at all. Dewalt sent me a replacement but I would love to fix this one and sell it. Any answers to what the problem is???
Km1.05cnst wrote:
9 hours ago, Km1.05cnst said:Battery not charging!!! ANY ANSWERS/SUGGESTIONS!!??
— My dewalt 9ah battery is not charging. When I hook it up to the charger the red light flashes like it’s charging and 20-30 seconds later the red light stops flashing indicating that it is fully charged. Only problem is that the battery is not charged at all. Dewalt sent me a replacement but I would love to fix this one and sell it. Any answers to what the problem is???
I have a 20v Max 4ah battery that was doing the same thing. DeWalt sent a new one, no questions asked, and after closer examination I realized that one or two of the terminals were corroded. I saved the old battery as I’m certain the cells are good, and I think the charger is simply unable to read the battery’s condition. Check your connection terminals, you may find a similar issue.