Duracell battery shelf life: what affects shelf life

Have you ever experienced any surprise or disappointment when you buy a new battery? No? And if at home it turned out that she had an expiration date long ago - did this happen? Most likely, it happened, and more than once. The battery itself may be good, but for so long it lay in warehouses, and in the store itself, that it managed to be discharged. To avoid such troubles, you need to be able to determine the expiration date of the product. And for this you need to know where this very term can be seen.

Do finger and rechargeable batteries have a shelf life

It seems like a strange question, but it baffles many. Many users believe that batteries have an unlimited shelf life. They assume that if the battery is not used, then its charge remains unchanged. This is very far from the truth. Any product has its own expiration date. And batteries are no exception. This should be remembered and carefully checked if the product is not expired when you buy it.

Reference. Some items cannot be returned after purchase. Batteries also fall into this category. That is why it is necessary to carefully check their quality before buying, as well as to watch when their service life expires. For example, salt cells can last no more than three years, after which there will be no charge left in them. Alkaline batteries will last about seven years. Lithium-based options have a longer service life. They retain their properties for ten years.

What affects the shelf life of batteries

All batteries are stored differently. The duration depends on the type of product, the technology used in the production. But if the batteries are of the same type, then regardless of which company they are produced in, they will be stored in the same way.

Saline power supplies

Elements of this type are used in equipment that consumes a small amount of electricity. Their manufacturing technology is simple and straightforward. The electrodes for them are made of manganese or zinc. A salt bridge connects them. For the manufacture of electrolyte, ammonium chloride is used.

If the conditions of keeping these batteries are favorable, then they can retain their working properties for two years, but not more. Accordingly, the earlier they were made from the date of purchase, the worse the quality of their work will be.

Alkaline power supplies

Alkali-based batteries are of sufficient quality and retain their properties for a long time. Because of this, they are preferred by the majority. Alkaline, they are also alkaline batteries, in their composition have an electrolyte, which is made from potassium hydroxide. Zinc or manganese is used for electrodes. The power of this product is high, it is stored for a long time, but even if you follow all the storage rules, this period will not exceed five years. The longer this element is not used for its intended purpose, the less its capacity becomes.

Lithium power supplies

Such batteries are used in powerful enough devices. It is based on lithium; a variety of materials are used for the production of the anode. The manufacturing technology of such a battery is much more complicated than that of the listed analogs, but it can also be stored for up to ten, and in the best case, up to twelve years.

Then the charge gradually decreases. It is worth noting that if the battery was stored without observing the rules, then its capacity will be lost much more intensively. If you are unsure of where and how you stored the goods, it is better not to buy batteries with an expiration date.

Batteries based on silver and zinc

For the production of the anode in this battery, zinc is used, and the cathode is made of silver. Hence the name silver-zinc. An alkaline solution of sodium or potassium is used for the electrolyte. These products are stored for a very long time, about fifteen years. During the entire storage period, as the manufacturers assure, neither capacity nor power should decrease.

Oxygen and Zinc Batteries

The cathode of this product is made of zinc, and ordinary oxygen works as the anode. The electrolyte is made from alkali metal hydroxide. The shelf life is extremely low. Even manufacturers say that only with exceptional luck will such an element last a little more than two years. But if you break the tightness of the battery even a little by peeling off its tape, then its work will immediately begin, since it comes into contact with air.

Important. It should be noted that if the battery has been used for only a few hours, it will still continue to lose its charge. And this does not depend on the conditions of its storage.

How to Know When Duracell AA Batteries Are Good

According to the law, any battery must be sold with an expiration date printed on its case. As a rule, the date of its production is written on the packaging or on the battery case. The production date looks like a combination of letters and numbers. It is quite simple to decipher this inscription:

• one or two digits indicate the year;
• the month is indicated - it can be written in the form of numbers, or they can make an alphabetic designation;
• the day of manufacture is prescribed.

For example, if the code is 80513, then the release date is May 8, 2013.

Sometimes there are two letters in the very last place after the release date code, which separates the hyphen from the main text. As a rule, this is indicated in the encoded form of the supplier. But this information is not important to us.

Batteries and rechargeable batteries have completely different markings.

The duration of operation is influenced by many different factors, but the most important thing is from which chemicals the cathode, anode and, of course, the electrolyte are produced.

If we consider the average values, then the data are as follows:

• the salt battery is up to 2 years old;
• alkaline can be used up to 5 years;
• mercury is enough for 9 years;
• lithium can be operated up to 12 years;
• silver holds a charge up to 15 years.

A wide variety of companies sell and produce batteries. Durasel, Energizer, Camelion, GP are considered to be the recognized leaders in this industry. In almost every store and even in stalls, you can buy salt or alkaline batteries.

If you need elements based on lithium or silver, you will have to go to stores that specialize in such products. These batteries are expensive for the average consumer. Mercury-based batteries are the least commonly seen commercially available. Despite the fact that they are very capacious and serve for a long time, if they are damaged, there is a high probability of toxic contamination.

Most manufacturers, in order to increase the number of sales of their goods during promotions, try to mislead buyers. Each of them assures that it is their product that lasts longer than competitors' counterparts.

For example, you can often hear that Duracell Turbo Max can be used for ten years. One could agree with this if we were talking about lithium or silver batteries, but when the conversation is about salt or alkaline - promises should not be trusted. As a rule, advertisements do not say that the duration of operation depends on a huge number of various factors that, in the conditions of ordinary life, simply cannot be observed.