Safety Precautions When Charging Makita Battery

Better safe than sorry. This simple but popular cliche carries with it a timeless truth that even with the advances of technology in tools and gadgets used in daily life, there is always, even minimally, a danger brought about by wrong use and human error. The Makita battery, one of the most reliable and safest brands of power tool battery, still makes your safety and health their top priority. It cannot be denied that the use of a power tool with a rechargeable battery has made many tasks so much easier.

Before reading, you should read my previously post:How To Prevent Problems With Your Makita Battery

The DOs of Charging Your Makita Battery:

1. DO keep the charger and battery away from children reach. Your children safety is a top priority.
2. DO use the recommended type of battery to your power tool. Charging the wrong battery may cause damage to the charger and battery, or worse, cause explosion and fire.
3. DO follow the charging instruction and precautions that come with the battery and charger.
4. DO charge in a well-ventilated area. A ventilated charging area prevents charger not to overheat while charging.
5. DO make sure that connectors of your charger and batteries are clean. Sometimes dirt that stuck in a charger, particularly the parts where they make contact with a battery, can cause explosion and damage to both the charger and battery.
6. DO turn off the charger first before removing a battery. You should never attempt to remove the battery before unplugging the charger first to prevent any harm to come to you.

The DONN’Ts of Charging Your Makita Battery:

1. DONN’T put uncovered rechargeable battery in contact with other metals; e.g. coins and keys. This is to prevent batteries from conducting electricity and unnecessary discharge.
2. DONN’T overcharge your battery. Most batteries do not overcharge but continuous charging a fully charged battery may cause overheating and explosion.
3. DONN’T leave the charger plugged in when not in use to prevent overheating.
4. DONN’T charge a battery that is already damaged. This can cause damage to the charger or in severe cases, explosion and fire to its surroundings when attempting to charge a broken or damaged battery.
5. DONN’T use battery to an unintended tool or appliance. The differences in their specifications may cause degradation or damage to both tool and battery.
6. DONN’T modify, disassemble, or solder battery charger. There is no guarantee that a tampered and modified charger may still work.
7. DONN’T use a modified, disassembled, or soldered charger to your power tool battery. It is highly dangerous and modifications and tamper to charger may likely end up with explosion and fire. You are just putting yourself at risk to personal and property damage.
8. DONN’T expose rechargeable battery or charger to fire or water. Since batteries are made up with chemicals, those chemicals may have dangerous reactions to water or heat.

Innovations and advances in battery technology bring assurance of a much lower health and environment hazards. The Makita battery is a product of such technology advances. It boasts of high safety standards and optimum battery performance; thus, it is offering a 2-year warranty with every Makita battery and every charger purchased. However, there is still no substitute for correct and safe battery use. Aside from your safety, you get more battery life when you follow proper charging of your power tool batteries.