Remove battery for long term storage?

Hello all. I am in the process of putting together an EMP-proof case for long term storage. The box will include an older MacBook.

Is it advisable to store the charged battery out of the unit? I recently replaced one because it was bulged beyond belief.

Thanks.

 

Nearly all portable computers have a Real time clock running 27/7/365 they also have - unless you completely reprogram your computer - what is known as hybrid sleep... where the computer services are still running when YOU THINK the computer is switched off... I found this out the hard way... having fitted a new, seasoned and fully charged battery in my Samsung Notebook then I went away for a fortnight - using only my Tablet for correspondence & etc;

Like you, Gear7 - when i returned, I found that the battery was flat - but also FAT... swollen (bulged way beyond belief), so much so, that my Laptop was wobbly... my first clue...

So YES remove the battery - before even short term storage.

PS
I LOVE your idea about an EMP Proof box... Getting ready for if Donald Trump gets to be President??? lol.

 

I thought the clock is within the BIOS of the motherboard, and the motherboard has its own little battery.

Anyway, I am not sure if you should store the battery separately for a laptop, but isn't it the advice most electronics manufacturers give to us? Something like "Remove the battery if you do not plan to use the device for a long time" along that line.

By the way, battery will degrade over time even when not in use. A long time ago I have read it somewhere talking about how to prolong the life of laptop battery. First, you must not store it when it is drained. Charge it up to 80% or so before storage. Then you need to keep it at a cool place. Some people even put it in the fridge. It is said that the cooler the temperature, the longer the battery will last.

 

I have two batteries for my laptop.One is attached with the laptop and another one I store after it is fully charged. When power is out and I have drained my laptop, I use the spare battery. I find that even if your battery is stored for long term, it will continue to save power. I usually charge 100 percent before storing it.

 

I have also heard this practice of putting the battery in the fridge, but I haven't found enough gut to test it out. Have you tried it yet? It would be interesting to find out if it is true.

If I am not going to use my computer for a while, I usually take the battery out for storage and shut down my laptop. I think it is just sensible to do it this way

 

Roger that. I did so.

LOL! Something like that. Here is the one I am working on:



It is a steel case and I lined the internal top part with another layer of protective material. The decal is just for fun.

 

I have not tried it personally... even when I had two removable 9-cell lithium batteries for my Dell Vostrol 1500. One died two years later if I remember correctly. So by the time I saw this article about putting it in the fridge I only had one working battery left. I had to use it all the time so I had no chance to test it out. It would be a long term test if you want to see some results.

Right now my Surface Pro 4's battery is not removable.

If you want to test it, go ahead.

 

I would personally take out the main battery if I was going to store my computer away. I am not sure about mac books but all pc's have a separate battery that will keep the time of your on your motherboard. The biggest enemy that you might face is humidity but if the box is well sealed it shouldn't be a problem.

 

I am not that brave to test it out! There is something about water and electricity that scare me even though if I wrapped it up in aluminum foil and put it in plastic bag before doing that.

I also am on MacBook now, so I don't even know where the battery is

 

I don't think it is necessary to remove the battery of your laptop even if you will store it for a long time. However, I don't like that bulge you said and a bulge beyond belief? It's good if the old battery was at fault but what if it was your laptop's on board charger that expanded the battery?

Let me segue a bit. My Samsung SIII had that problem where the battery was bulging such that when I removed the battery, it wouldn't fit anymore. I bought a cheap battery just to test and when it showed signs of bulging, I brought my phone to the repair shop. It's time to retire, said the technician. And the problem is the phone's charger. It can still be used now for games only since I bought an external charger but it's not practical to use anymore as a phone.

 

Not just beyond belief, it no longer worked and presented a danger. I had to dispose of it in a safe manner. I don't want that to happen again, for the obvious reason.

 

I've never had a battery bulge on me like that, and I've had one laptop since 2008. I store it with the battery inside, and have never had any trouble with it, although the battery does drain out pretty much completely between uses. I usually just plug it in and run it that way anyway, so it will slowly recharge while the laptop is in use. By the way, I've never heard of a box that can withstand an EMP strike. That's quite interesting, to say the least. I will have to do some research on that, but what is the point really, to having such a box when the laptop inside it will eventually go dead anyway with no way to recharge the battery... unless you also have an EMP protected generator, but if you have to store fuels for said generator for an extended period of time, they will eventually go bad and be unusable. So, I'm not sure that protecting your laptop alone would be of help in the long run. You also would have no internet so your protected laptop would have to be for your own use only.

 

They certainly exist and can be made if you won't to purchase prebuilt storage. The military hardens some of the equipment in such a manner and the civil population can to.

I do. And not all backup electricity runs on fossil fuels. Some comes from the sun.