a laptop battery

Is your laptop starting to feel more like a desktop, constantly needing to be plugged in and recharged? This is a classic sign of capacity loss, where batteries become increasingly unable to carry a charge. Unfortunately, battery degradation is unavoidable. All batteries have a lifespan, and with a life expectancy of 2-4 years, the Lithium-Ion battery is no exception. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to slow the degradation process.

1. Stay Away from Excessive Heat

This is perhaps THE most important thing to avoid if you're trying to extend your battery's lifespan. Heat quickly degrades the battery, and all manufacturers recommend that you avoid it. Apple suggests keeping your battery between 50F-95F when in use, with room temperature 70 F being ideal.

To keep your laptop--and its battery--at an optimal temperature, it should be used on a flat surface that facilitates air flow through the vents underneath. A cooling station is a great way to keep air circulating. They sell for as little as $10 on Amazon. Also avoid using your laptop on things that trap heat, like bedding comforters, pillows, and clothing.

2. "Is it bad to leave in the battery when the computer is plugged in?" It depends.

Consumers frequently ask if it's okay leave the battery in your computer if it is plugged-in most of the time. This is a highly debated issue and there is a lot of contradictory information on the web, even amongst manufacturers! Apple advises against the practice while Dell says it doesn't matter. After researching this issue for some time, I've concluded that it depends on the manner in which you use your computer.

If your computer is always powered by wall current, runs a lot of CPU intensive programs, and has its optical drive whizzing at all hours of the day, you should definitely remove the battery. In situations like this, the laptop itself is producing considerable amounts of heat, and with your battery always inside of it, your charge capacity may deteriorate quickly. This goes back to tip #1 above--avoid excessive heat.

According to BatteryUniversity.com, 40% capacity loss occurs in as little as 3 months if lithium-ion batteries are kept in extremely hot environments--above 140 F--while being fully charged.

If you're frequently on the go, you shouldn't worry about keeping your battery in your laptop--so long as it doesn't get too hot. Ideally, try to alternate between using wall current and battery power to "keep the electrons moving."

3. Calibrate Your Battery Every Month or Two

Over time, your battery's charge meter becomes less accurate. You might have experienced this first hand--I certainly have.

One minute, your battery shows an hour of charge left, but then just a little while later, it magically drops to 20 minutes remaining. Sometimes the battery may actually have a lot less charge than the meter indicates. This can force your computer to shut down without warning.

Calibrate the battery every month or two to keep the charge meter accurate.

You can calibrate your battery using the following method by Apple*:

1--Fully charge your laptop. 2--Keep it fully charged for at least two hours. You may use it during this time. 3--Unplug the power adapter and run the laptop on battery power alone. Use the computer until the battery is completely depleted. The system should automatically shuts off or go to sleep. 4--Keep it off or sleep for at least 5 hours. 5--Plug in the laptop until the battery is fully charged.

4. Don't Frequently Discharge the Battery 100%

This practice worked well with last decade's NiCd batteries, but is not recommended for lithium-ion batteries. Your discharges should go no lower than 50%--except when you calibrate it.

According to BatteryUniversity.com, batteries that are always fully depleted have an average lifetime of 500 charge/discharge cycles. Compare that to batteries that are usually only 25% discharged, which usually last around 2500 cycles. Shallow discharges exert far less stress on the battery than full discharges do.

5. Use Your Battery Power Efficiently

Bluetooth, wireless adapters, USB peripherals, etc. all put additional stress on the battery. When not in use, it's best do disable these components.

Efficient use of battery power goes hand-in-hand with tip 4, as it helps to avoid full depletion of the battery and lowers your laptop's operating temperature.

6. Set Batteries At 40-60% Charge When Storing Them For Several Months

Most manufacturers recommend moderately charging your battery before storing it. Apple says to store batteries with 50% charge, HP says 30-50%, and Dell 40-60%.

Storing your battery with a full charge can actually accelerate capacity loss. On the other hand, a battery can be completely destroyed if it falls below a critical voltage after being fully discharged. The fact that lithium-ion batteries self-discharge over time makes this more likely to happen. Storing the battery at close to half of its capacity prevents both extremes.

Overall, lithium-ion batteries prefer everything in moderation. Keep them from getting too hot or too cold, and don't let them remain fully charged or fully discharged for long periods of time. Although all batteries eventually need to be replaced, you can extend the life of your battery by using it efficiently.

*Reference list can be viewed at the ShopGuides blog. View our in-depth review of the ASUS G73JW gaming laptop. With a NVIDIA GTX 460M graphics card and Intel i7 Quad-Core processor, the ASUS G73JW delivers the computing power you need to master today's cutting-edge games.

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