Does anyone know what condition you should leave the battery when you store away a re-chargable vacuum cleaner for a long period.
Should it be stored fully charged or fully discharged and does it depend on the type of battery used in the appliance?
I ask because I am currently sorting out all my cleaners in storage, photographing and cataloging them before putting back into storage and I have several re-chargable models that I would still like to work when I see them again.
The fruits of my labours will be shared with you all on Vacuumland as I will be posting pictures of my collection soon.
It's a long-debatable question, but if you store a battery fully discharged, it tends to "sulfate" the battery plates. What this means is that the battery slowly gives up due to a chemical reaction inside the battery.
If you have NiCD or NIMH batteries, it's usually best to store them at about 40-60% charge. It's a good idea to take them out every so often and use them though, then recharge. NiCD batteries develop a "memory" and NIMH batteries are subject to a condition which causes them not to be able to recharge if they go flat for an extended amount of time.
If you've got LiON batteries, don't even worry about it. They don't develop memories or charging problems. Charge them up most of the way, then pitch them in a closet somewhere. They'll be fine. However, like other battery technologies, you don't want it to be stored completely dead. It'll ruin the battery.
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