Is My Lawn Mower Battery Dead?

Is My Lawn Mower Battery DeadWe’ve all been there before, and we know what it’s like to ponder “Is my lawn mower battery dead?”. Perhaps winter is coming to a close, and it’s time to mow your lawn again; perhaps you’ve been busy, and you just haven’t had time to take the thing out of the garage and get ‘er done; or, perhaps you’re borrowing your neighbor’s decades-old mower.

Regardless of the beginning, the ending is always the same. You go to start the engine, but all you hear is a dismal click; of course, one of your first thoughts is, “My lawn mower battery is dead.”

Yet, you’re not quite sure. After all, it could be the engine itself, it could be another part of the electrical system, or it could be some unknown factor. This raises the question, “Is my lawn mower battery dead?” Our team at Battery Depot wrote this article to help you determine that.

What You’ll Need to Troubleshoot Lawn Mower Battery 

Here’s a quick overview of a few simple tools you’ll need to figure out if your lawn mower battery is dead:

  • Battery charger for a 12-volt battery
  • Multimeter
  • Distilled water
  • Flathead screwdriver
  • Wrench

How to Check if Your Lawn Mower Battery Is Dead Steps:

Finally, we’ve arrived at what you’ve been waiting for. Here are six quick steps that you can follow to answer that crucial question: “Is my lawn mower battery really dead?”

  1. If the engine doesn’t crank, cranks too slowly, or makes a clicking sound, it might be completely dead.
  2. Remove the key and locate the battery. Make sure that the cables are tightly fastened to the battery (use the wrench).
  3. If your battery is of the wet-cell variety, make sure that the water level is up to the appropriate mark (refill with distilled water, if necessary).
  4. Test the battery’s voltage with the multimeter. If it’s over 12.7 DC volts, it’s probably fine; if it’s under 11.5 volts, it’s probably dead. Abide by the manufacturer’s directions for this step!
  5. Connect your battery to the proper charger. Let it charge for the correct amount of time.
  6. If the battery doesn’t charge up within eight hours, and you’ve completed all the other steps outlined above, then your battery is probably dead. Go out and buy a replacement, ASAP!

Dos & Don’ts of Lawn Mower Batteries

Here are a few tips and warnings: what to do and what not to do, as plainly as possible.Is My Lawn Mower Battery Dead

Tips: While storing your lawn mower battery, you should keep it at a full charge. Otherwise, if you store it without a charge for a long period, it’ll undergo sulfation, which could render it completely useless.

Warnings: Never refill the battery with tap water, as the minerals can damage it. You should also always follow the instructions that are outlined in the manufacturer’s handbook, down to the letter.

Lawn Mower Battery Replacements Online

If you have determined that your lawn mower battery is dead through the troubleshooting steps above, you will need to find an affordable lawn mower battery replacement. Luckily, BatteryDepot.com offers a huge selection of lawn mower batteries online. Browse our selection of lawn mower batteries and get your battery shipped fast, so you can get back to taking care of your lawn.

If you have any additional questions about lawn mower batteries, we’re the experts. Contact us today!

Goodenough’s New Battery Technology Could Improve Our Daily Lives

His name is Dr. John Goodenough. He’s a tenured professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering. He’s 94 years old, and he’s a superstar in the field of electrical engineering and battery technology.

His accomplishments are both numerous and far-reaching. He was a significant player in the identification and development of the lithium-ion rechargeable battery. He was also on the team that did the research that led to the creation of random-access memory (RAM), a crucial form of computer data storage.

battery technologyBut, he’s really done it this time. It looks like Dr. Goodenough has surpassed even his own lofty standard. He’s come up with a rechargeable battery that has up to three times as much energy density as a lithium-ion battery. Furthermore, this battery would charge faster, stay cooler, and cost less than its lithium-ion counterpart.

Our team at Battery Depot wrote this article to tell you how Goodenough’s new battery technology could improve our lives. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

What’s So Special About This Battery Technology?

There are two major chemical differences between Goodenough’s new battery technology and his old lithium-ion technology that account for their disparate energy densities.

First, the new tech utilizes a solid glass electrolyte, rather than a standard liquid electrolyte. Second, the new tech utilizes sodium ions, rather than the standard lithium ions.

Glass electrolyte: What are the advantages of a solid glass electrolyte? The electrolyte is the substance in a battery that produces an electrically conducting solution. Without the electrolyte, there’d be no ion flow, and therefore, no electricity. However, when a liquid electrolyte battery is charged too quickly, it can create metal whiskers or dendrites that short-circuit the whole reaction. This phenomenon doesn’t occur in Goodenough’s glass electrolyte battery. A glass electrolyte can also conduct at extreme temperatures (such as 0° Fahrenheit), whereas a liquid electrolyte can’t.

battery technologySodium ions: Another benefit of the glass electrolyte breakthrough is that it’s allowed scientists to use sodium ions instead of lithium ions. What’s the big deal about sodium ions? Well, sodium is a lot cheaper than lithium. Since the outrageously high prices of electric vehicle batteries is a big factor that’s preventing many drivers from making the transition…well, you get the picture.

How Could This Battery Technology Improve Our Lives?

To paint the clearest picture of how Goodenough’s new battery technology could significantly improve our quality of life, we’ll just quote the man himself:

“Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge, and cycle life are critical for battery-driven cars to become more widely adopted. We believe our discovery solves many of the problems that are inherent in today’s batteries.”

Contact Us at BatteryDepot.com for More Information

Well, there you have it, folks; straight from the horse’s mouth! Nevertheless, we still understand that battery chemistry can be a tricky subject.

If you’d like some more information, our Battery Depot experts can help. Just contact us today to initiate a stimulating conversation.

How to Change a Watch Battery

Imagine this scenario: You’re sitting on your couch, minding your own business, when the second hand stops ticking. There are two possible reasons that this happened: Either time has stopped altogether, or your watch battery is dead. Some scientists from UC Berkeley predict that time could end within the next three to four billion years. Most agree that it’s very unlikely to happen during our lifetime.

With that in mind, you can safely conclude that your watch’s battery has died. You know what that means: You need to change your watch battery for a new one. You might wonder, how to change a watch battery?

Don’t fret. Our team at Battery Depot wrote this article to help you learn how to change a watch battery. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.

How to Change a Watch Battery in 10 Simple Steps

Step 1: Remove the back cover. 

There are generally three types of back covers: ones that unscrew themselves, ones that require a small screwdriver, and ones that must be gently pried loose.

Step 2: Remove the gasket. 

If you notice a rubber ring underneath the back cover, this is the gasket. Set it aside before taking out the battery. Note: If it’s dirty, you should clean it, too.

Step 3: Find the watch battery. 

Most watch batteries are of the button-cell variety. It’ll usually be a shiny metallic color, with a diameter somewhere between 6 and 9.5 millimeters.

Step 4: Extract the watch battery. 

Now for the big moment! Once you’ve located the watch’s battery, it’s time to determine what’s holding it in place. Some are restrained with a cover and screw, others with a spring clip, and still others are more loosely installed. Make sure that you use the correct tool for the job. Warning: We recommend using plastic tools, rather than metal ones, to avoid an electrical shock.

Step 5: Identify the watch battery. 

Notice the 3- or 4-digit number on the back of the casing. This will tell you exactly which model it is.

Step 6: Buy the watch battery replacement. 

You can purchase replacement watch batteries in most jewelry stores, electronics stores, drug stores, or hardware stores. You’ll also find plenty of them on our Battery Depot website! Refer to your defunct battery’s identification number to ensure that you’re getting the rig
ht one for your timepiece.

Step 7: Install the watch battery replacement. 

Perform Step 4 in reverse.

Step 8: Make sure that it’s working. 

Now that your watch has a new battery, you should check if it’s running. If it’s still not keeping time, perhaps you should call the researchers at UC Berkeley to let them know that something’s amiss with the space-time continuum.

Step 9: Replace the gasket. 

Perform Step 2 in reverse.

Step 10: Replace the back cover. 

Perform Step 1 in reverse.

Contact Us at BatteryDepot.com for More Information

At Battery Depot, we know a lot about how to change a watch battery. Please contact us today if you have any remaining questions.

How Do Batteries Work?

These days, batteries are practically everywhere. In fact, we’ve allowed our society to become totally dependent upon them. They’re so ubiquitous that most people take them for granted. Think about it: Do you really know how a battery works, or do you just count on it without a second thought? Our Battery Depot team wrote this article to address that pesky question of “How do batteries work?”

Before we dive into the specifics, we’ll give you a few hints. Contrary to some popular beliefs:

  • It’s not magic.
  • It’s not a government conspiracy.
  • There’s no pink bunny armed with a bass drum and a pair of retro shades.

How Do Batteries Work: Defining Battery Terms

How Do Batteries WorkThe most important step of any technical explanation of how do batteries work is actually establishing what the terms in question mean. Otherwise, when we say electrolyte, you might think that we’re talking about a red Gatorade; and when we say cathode, you might think that we’re talking about next year’s hottest baby name.

Anode: Negatively charged electrode (metallic conductor) that loses electrons to the cathode.

Cathode: Positively charged electrode (metallic conductor) that accepts electrons from the anode.

Electrolyte: Ionic solution that reacts with the two aforementioned electrodes to give them +/- charges.

Separator: Prevents electrons from flowing inside the battery (short-circuiting); instead, this forces them to flow through the wire (thus creating electricity and powering the attached device).

Electricity: The flow of electrons through a conductive path, such as a wire.

How Do Batteries Work: Chemical Reaction

How Do Batteries WorkAnd now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for: How do batteries work. 

The two electrodes are situated at opposite ends of a battery. They’re both immersed in an electrolyte fluid. For example, in a typical alkaline battery, the one electrode is comprised of zinc, while the other is comprised of manganese dioxide, and the electrolyte is potassium hydroxide.

This sparks a chemical reaction between the ions of the electrolytes and the metals of each respective electrode: One becomes the negatively charged anode (i.e., it has an excess buildup of electrons), while the other becomes the positively charged cathode (i.e., it has a proportional deficiency of electrons).

This means that there’s now an electrical difference between the anode and the cathode. In other words, the electrons that have built up in the anode want to move toward the electron-starved cathode.

However, there’s a separator to ensure that they don’t make this journey within the battery. By attaching a device to the battery (remember that you attach it at both the negative and the positive terminal), you’re creating a circuit, or, a path through which the electrons can travel from the anode to the cathode.

While they’re on their way, your device basically siphons off a bunch of them as a power source. And there you have it. Voila!

Reach Out to Our Team at BatteryDepot.com for More Information

Phew! That was a lot of info about how batteries work in a short amount of time. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us today.

How to Dispose of Battery Responsibly

Batteries are a great thing. They make our lives much easier, much more convenient, and much better. These days, batteries are engineered to last longer than ever before; they’re also made with chemicals that are significantly less dangerous to the environment. However, despite these advances in technology, all batteries will die at some point, and all necessitate certain considerations during the disposal of batteries. how to dispose of battery It’s with that in mind that many consumers have wondered, “How to dispose of battery responsibly? or “How to recycle batteries?”.

Our team at BatteryDepot.com wrote this helpful battery recycling and disposal guide to answer that exact question. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you’d like any further information from our team of experts.

Attention: Understand Your Local Battery Disposal Laws!

When it comes to the proper disposal of batteries, the most important thing is to thoroughly familiarize yourself with your specific state and local laws.

How to Dispose of Battery

These are the ultimate authorities when it comes to this, and the guidelines that’ll help ensure that irresponsible battery disposal doesn’t verge on illegal disposal.

How to Dispose of Battery By Type

Here’s an overview of how to dispose of battery by type:

Alkaline batteries: Most states allow you to throw your spent alkaline batteries right in your household trashcan. However, when it comes to 9-volt batteries, you should cover the posts with electrical tape, as they can pose a fire hazard otherwise.

NOTE: There are some special regulations in California. Once again, always comply with the local rules.

Lithium or lithium-ion batteries: Both lithium and lithium-ion batteries should be dropped off at a special battery recycling center. You can find where to recycle batteries in your local area by search online and using one of the many battery recycling center locator tools!

Button batteries: These batteries, which typically power devices like hearing aids and watches, often contain hazardous compounds such as mercuric oxide or silver oxide. You should only dispose of button batteries at a designated hazardous waste collection site; you can find these online. Otherwise, you could cause you and your loved ones breathing problems, lung irritation, throat soreness, stomach pain, and other issues. how to dispose of battery

Nickel-Cadmium batteries: Similarly, you should also get rid of nickel-cadmium batteries at a hazardous waste collection site that’s designed for that type of thing.

Nickel-Metal hydride batteries: While nickel-metal hydride batteries are generally much safer than nickel-cadmium batteries, they’re still known to contribute to cancer, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Every effort should be made to find where to recycle batteries near you.

Lead-Acid batteries: This battery type, which encompasses either sealed or unsealed varieties, is particularly important. These batteries contain sulfuric acid, and can be very harmful. All lead-acid batteries, including car batteries, should go to one of two places: back to the retailer or to a certified hazardous waste collection site.

Still Have Questions About How To Dispose Of Battery?

We hope you learned a great deal from this guide on how to dispose of battery responsibly. If you need us to clear anything up, we’d be happy to help.

Don’t hesitate to contact our team at BatteryDepot.com today!

What Is the Difference Between NiCad and NiMH?

The sheer popularity of these rechargeable batteries often raises the question, “What’s the difference between NiCAD and NiMH batteries?”

To summarize, the main differences between NiCAD and NiMH batteries deal with capacity, memory effect, and environmental friendliness.

Nickel-metal hydride (NIMH) batteries have a higher capacity than nickel-cadmium (NICAD) batteries, which means that they can generally power your device for longer. They also don’t suffer from the same memory effect, so they won’t “forget” the ability to achieve a full charge over time. Finally, NiMH batteries are much better for the environment than their NiCAD battery counterparts. Difference Between NiCad and NiMH

However, nickel-cadmium still offers some advantages over nickel-metal hydride, such as their extreme temperature performance.

Our team at Battery Depot wrote this article to help explain the difference between NiCAD and NiMH batteries, and to help you decide which battery is the right one for your needs. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us when you’re finished reading if you have any questions.

Nickel-Cadmium (NiCAD) Batteries

The world’s first NiCad battery was developed by a Swedish scientist in 1899. Needless to say, there have been many improvements since then.

A standard nickel-cadmium battery is composed of a nickel(III) oxide-hydroxide positive electrode plate, a cadmium negative electrode plate, a separator, and a potassium hydroxide electrolyte.

Common uses: Some popular applications of NiCAD batteries are toys, emergency lighting, medical equipment, commercial and industrial products, electric razors, two-way radios, power tools, and more.

Benefits: Here’s an overview of some of the advantages of NiCAD batteries:

  • Relatively inexpensive
  • Charge very quickly, simple to charge
  • Easy to store, easy to ship
  • Take a high number of charges
  • Functional in low temperatures

Drawbacks: And here are some of their shortcomings:

  • Not as powerful as some other rechargeable batteries
  • Self-discharge while in storage
  • Contain toxic metals that are harmful to the environment

Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) Batteries

NiMH batteries are a much more modern phenomenon. Research and development began at the Battelle-Geneva Research Center in 1967, and was satisfactorily completed in 1987.

The chemical composition of a standard nickel-metal hydride battery looks like this: a nickel hydroxide positive electrode plate, a hydrogen ion negative electrode plate, a separator, and an alkaline electrolyte such as potassium hydroxide.

Common uses: These include automotive batteries, medical instruments, pagers, cell phones, camcorders, digital cameras, electric toothbrushes, and other low-cost consumer devices.

Benefits: Here’s a look at a few of the advantages of going with a NIMH battery:

  • Quite a high capacity compared to other rechargeable batteries
  • Resists both over-charging and over-discharging
  • Extremely lightweight construction
  • Friendly to the environment: no hazardous chemicals like cadmium, mercury, or lead

Drawbacks: And here are some of the limitations:

  • More expensive than other rechargeable models
  • Self-discharge rapidly while in storageDifference Between NiCad and NiMH
  • Cut power suddenly rather than a slow trickle down
  • Some only work with manufacturer’s charger

Learn More About Difference Between NiCad and NiMH

If you have any questions about the nature or difference between NiCad and NiMH nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal hydride batteries, our team can help.

We’ve been working in the field for over 20 years, and we have plenty of experience answering questions about both nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries.

We look forward to hearing from you. Contact us at Battery Depot today to get in touch with an expert.